Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Federal water rule could be rescinded under Trump presidency, Hoeven says

The results of last week’s election may mean the end for the controversial Waters of the U.S. rule, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Monday. But a prominent environmental group appears to be ready to fight back against any attempts to repeal the regulation. With Republicans holding a majority in both chambers of Congress and Donald Trump winning the White House, Hoeven said there are “at least three viable paths” to repealing the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule, which clarifies what waterways fall under the Clean Water Act. Critics have cited it as an example of federal overreach. Trump called for eliminating the Waters of the U.S. rule in a September speech, referring to it as among the federal government’s “most intrusive regulations,” according to a briefing from the League of Conservation Voters. In the release, Hoeven laid out three options for repealing the rule: Congress could rescind it legislatively next year, the new administration could rescind it through the rulemaking process, or the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals could strike it down. North Dakota is among the states challenging the rule. But Jon Devine, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said a president can’t simply repeal a rule at the snap of his or her fingers. It requires a “full public process,” he said. “It’s by no means a done deal just from a practicality standpoint,” Devine said...more

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Repeal the Clean Water Act entirely and be done with it. It's long obsolete and only hurts individual Americans property rights. Repealing WOTUS regulations is not enough.