Monday, November 28, 2016

WOTUS Is ‘Doomed' Under Trump, Experts Say

The future of the Obama administration’s top achievement for source water policy is not looking hopeful. The waters of the U.S. rule (“WOTUS”) is an update to Clean Water Act regulations that the U.S. EPA says is necessary because Supreme Court decisions obscure jurisdictional questions under the law. Even before staunch WOTUS opponent Donald Trump was elected, the rule was mired in difficulty. As Greenwire put it, WOTUS was on “life support.” “Dozens of lawsuits and a nationwide stay halted U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers' plans to implement the new standards on the ground,” the report said. But the election results mean the outlook for WOTUS is getting even worse. Vermont Law School professor Pat Parenteau said, per Greenwire: "I think this rule is ultimately doomed." What does this mean for the daily operations of water and wastewater utility managers?...more

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eliminating the WOTUS rule is good and has to be done.
BUT: Courts/activist judges have ruled that private property owners have to abide by the CWA. That appears to be separate from the WOTUS rule.

How many court rulings are out there holding property owners to the CWA?
Albeit unconstitutionally.On private property that is far removed from "navigable waters of the U.S."

Even though two Federal court injunctions against WOTUS, EPA/ACE still published them in the CFR's and enforces them with power of law and 6 figure fines. (They will tell you the Federal stay/injunction does not apply to you.)

TO RESTORE AMERICAN's PROPERTY RIGHTS and RIGHTS it will require amending the Clean Water Act with language within it limiting it's geographic scope.

As it is now in washes-intermittent streams-ephemeral streams located in uplands one cannot grade or maintain their roads/driveways without expensive permits, still without fear or threat of the 6 figure fines. All this on beneficial roads and activities that may have existed from 75 to over 100 years ago.

Calling it "eroding traditional exemptions" is your Rights. Rights that to many American soldiers gave and lost their lives for. The same rights that were articulated and fought for during the American Revolution.
Ask yourself why should an American soldier return from a year or more in combat to less Rights then what he/she had when they left?

Anonymous said...

Junk the Clean Water Act and filter your water if you are worried about it. Restore our property rights by flushing all of the EPA regs downstream.

Anonymous said...

^That would be fine , but easier said then done.
Lately the EPA/ACE is the record for turning real live river to dead yellow flow of ick.