New ‘Easy-To-Understand’ WOTUS Rule To Be Released

According to Wiesemeyer, the Trump administration’s version of the rule will ‘very likely’ be challenged in court.
According to Wiesemeyer, the Trump administration’s version of the rule will ‘very likely’ be challenged in court.
(Farm Journal)

The Trump administration is expected to release a new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule this week. While details are still murky, EPA talking points suggest the new rule will redefine the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act more narrowly than a rule issued by the Obama administration in 2015.

“EPA documents say the new rule will be ‘clear and easy to understand’ and will help landowners ‘understand whether a project on his or her property will require a federal permit or not, without spending tens of thousands of dollars on engineering and legal professionals,’” says ProFarmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer. “The rule will eliminate ephemeral streams and most ditches from federal jurisdiction as well as wetlands that aren’t ‘physically and meaningfully connected to other jurisdictional waters.’”

When the Obama administration released the 2015 version of the Waters of the U.S. rule, agriculture was angry.

“America’s farmers and ranchers deserve a government that will review and address their concerns,” said U.S. Rep. K. Michael Conaway, who chairs the House agriculture community, and U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, who leads the forestry subcommittee at the time of the rule announcement in May 2015. “Instead, the process by which this rule was established ignored them. Even input from the states was ignored, clearly displaying the arrogant, ‘government knows best’ attitude ever-present in this Administration.”

For the past three years, the WOTUS rule has been a bur in the side of farmers across the country. Several farmers have spent millions of dollars fighting the feds because of the rule.

According to Wiesemeyer, the Trump administration’s version of the rule will ‘very likely’ be challenged in court.

 

Latest News

Where Did All the Corn Acres and Principal Crop Acres Go? The Two Biggest Questions from USDA's Big Prospective Plantings Report
Where Did All the Corn Acres and Principal Crop Acres Go? The Two Biggest Questions from USDA's Big Prospective Plantings Report

USDA says farmers intend to plant 90 million acres of corn this year, which is lower than the trade expected prior to USDA's big Prospective Plantings report.

Vestaron and Simplot Announce Distribution Agreement
Vestaron and Simplot Announce Distribution Agreement

The distribution agreement focuses on Vestaron’s Spear Lep insecticide, which is a peptide-based control method meant to provide growers with a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemicals.

The Scoop Podcast: How To Gear Up For Carbon And Sustainability Programs
The Scoop Podcast: How To Gear Up For Carbon And Sustainability Programs

Tim Hushon, sustainability and technology director at The Mill, details how sustainability factors into their ag retail business and how to partner with farmers on the technology adoption required.

Two Crop Protection Partners Divest Postharvest Solutions Company
Two Crop Protection Partners Divest Postharvest Solutions Company

Sumitomo Chemical and Valent BioSciences have announced Pace International will become part of AgroFresh Solutions.

The Untold Farmer Stories Of Ukraine: Q&A With Howard Buffett
The Untold Farmer Stories Of Ukraine: Q&A With Howard Buffett

Farmer and philanthropist Howard Buffett held a fireside chat during the 2024 Top Producer Summit to share his experiences visiting the front line of Ukraine over the past two years.

Get the Facts Straight on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Get the Facts Straight on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Now that the mystery illness impacting some dairy herds has been revealed as the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza that has been impacting the U.S. poultry flock, pork producers are asking questions.