Following yesterday’s Executive Order rolling back the EPA’s widely-panned WOTUS rule, farmers, agriculture groups, small businesses and legislators praised both President Trump and Administrator Pruitt for their leadership:
March 1, 2017
WOTUS WTAS – Trump & Pruitt Praised For Rolling Back Costly EPA Rule
Following yesterday’s Executive Order rolling back the EPA’s widely-panned Waters of the United States rule, farmers, agriculture groups, small businesses and legislators praised both President Trump and Administrator Pruitt for their leadership:
Editorial, The Wall Street Journal: “President Trump on Tuesday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider an Obama Administration rule that seized control over tens of millions of acres of private land under the pretext of protecting the nation’s waterways. EPA chief Scott Pruitt will now follow due process to rescind one of his predecessor’s lawless rule-makings.”
- “EPA even acknowledged that the ‘science available today’ doesn’t support the regulation. Pruitt will be doing a national public service if he advises the Justice Department to withdraw the rule as an abuse of administrative power.”
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: “President Trump should be commended for doing what he can to begin turning back this attack on middle class families in Kentucky and across the country.”
- “Although this Obama-era regulation claimed to protect waterways, it was a blatant power grab by the federal government to regulate every pothole, ditch, and puddle in the nation. Based more on ideology than fact, the rule would directly harm the Middle Class.”
Speaker Of The House Paul Ryan: “The Obama administration’s sweeping WOTUS rule has been a disaster for Americans in the West. This regulation is a federal power grab of epic proportions.”
- “I welcome President Trump’s review of this rule and hope it will be repealed once and for all. The livelihoods of America’s farmers, ranchers, and cattlemen are at stake.”
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp: “After working with North Dakota farmers and ranchers for years to stop this unworkable EPA rule, the president’s action today shows our concerns have been heard loud and clear.”
- “Water is everywhere in North Dakota, from Prairie Potholes to the Missouri River. That’s why this unworkable federal rule — which creates uncertainty about the waters EPA can regulate — would hit our family farmers and rural communities so hard.”
Sen. Joe Donnelly: “The WOTUS rule was unworkable for many stakeholders, especially Hoosier farmers.”
Sen. John McCain: “Today’s executive order rolling-back the ‘Waters of the United States’ (WOTUS) rule is an important victory for Arizona’s agriculture and homebuilding industries…”
- “President Trump made the right decision to roll-back this dangerous expansion of federal regulatory control over businesses vital to Arizona’s economy.”
Governor Terry Branstad: “Over the weekend, I attended National Governor’s Association meetings in Washington, DC and had the chance to talk personally with EPA Director Scott Pruitt on the impact that the flawed Waters of the U.S. rule would have on our state.”
- “This rule would have imposed significant barriers to the advancement of innovative, state and local driven, conservation and environmental practices that would actually advance our common goal for water quality. I appreciate the Trump Administration’s action today on this fatally flawed rule.”
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey: “I’m proud to stand beside President Trump on this victorious day for our state and nation…The President’s action punctuates more than a year of hard work by my office and our broad, bipartisan coalition.”
- “Together, our securing of a nationwide stay and President Trump’s action, ensured that homeowners, farmers and a host of other property owners never realized the devastating impact of this burdensome and unlawful rule.”
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge: “The President’s action today is going to save countless farmers and ranchers across Arkansas from the negative impacts of this costly and unlawful rule. The EPA exceeded its authority when it proposed this rule, and today the process is beginning to end it.”
Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation: “President Trump’s executive order to ditch the Waters of the U.S. rule is a welcome relief to farmers and ranchers across the country today.”
- “Farmers and ranchers have been calling for a common-sense approach to regulatory reform, and today the Trump administration responded to that call.”
John Weber, National Pork Producers Council: “America’s pork producers are very pleased that the president ordered EPA and the Corps of Engineers to repeal or rewrite this ill-conceived, overbroad regulation… The WOTUS rule was a dramatic government overreach and an unprecedented expansion of federal jurisdiction and control over private lands.”
Wesley Spurlock, National Corn Growers Association: “We fully support the repeal of the WOTUS rule. Farmers and ranchers care deeply about clean water, but this rule had significant flaws. It was arbitrarily written, legally indefensible and extremely difficult to implement.”
Craig Uden, National Cattleman’s Beef Assocation: “This extremely flawed rule would force ranchers and feedlot operators to get permits or risk excessive federal penalties despite being miles away from any navigable water…It would be one of the largest federal land grabs and private-property infringements in American history.”
Warren Zenker, North Dakota Stockmen’s Association: “The Trump Administration’s move to reconsider the EPA’s WOTUS rule marks a victory for ranchers and landowners who were left with the uncertainty of a misguided regulatory scheme that expanded the agency’s jurisdiction far beyond the original intent of Congress under the Clean Water Act.”
William Kovacs, U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: “The 2015 Waters of the United States rule was essentially a federal land grab. America’s businesses, farmers, and other land owners and managers will be happy to see it reconsidered and properly withdrawn under President Trump.”