DTN writer Todd Neeley reported yesterday that, “The 60-day public comment period for the newly proposed waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule launched Thursday with the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishing the rule in the Federal Register.
“The new rule moves forward while the 2015 rule under the Obama administration remains in legal limbo and essentially in effect in 22 states.
“EPA and the Army Corps are on track to finalize the new rule by September, which is likely to trigger a new round of legal challenges.”
Mr. Neeley explained that, “The publication of the new rule already has drawn praise and outrage from a number of interest groups. The public comment period closes April 15.
“In a statement to DTN, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said the group supports the proposal.
“‘Today’s release of a new draft Clean Water Rule is a major step toward fair and understandable water regulation on America’s farms and ranches and other working lands,’ Duvall said. ‘We haven’t yet examined every word of today’s proposal, but even a quick look shows many of the previous rule’s worst problems are on their way out.'”
