"Zombie WOTUS" Threatens Farmers and Ranchers

"Zombie WOTUS" Threatens Farmers and Ranchers
Aug. 16, 2017
Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA)

WASHINGTON (August 16, 2018) – Today National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Environmental Counsel Scott Yager issued the following statement in response to the South Carolina District Court injunction of the Waters of the United States Applicability Date Rule:

“Today’s ruling underscores the urgent need to finalize the repeal of the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The South Carolina court has effectively brought WOTUS back from the dead in 26 states, creating a zombie version of the 2015 rule that threatens the rights of farmers and ranchers across the country. NCBA will continue to fight in the courts and in Congress to kill the 2015 WOTUS rule once and for all.”

Background
Today a Federal District Court in South Carolina granted a motion from environmental groups that brings the 2015 WOTUS rule into effect in 26 states. Previously the EPA’s WOTUS Applicability Date Rule prevented the 2015 WOTUS rule from going to effect until February 6, 2020. The remaining 24 states are protected by other federal court injunctions against the 2015 Rule (one in North Dakota that covers 13 states, and one in Georgia that covers 11 states). 
 

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TSCRA Statement: WOTUS Injunction Endangers Cattle Raisers

FORT WORTH, Texas — Robert McKnight, Jr., president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) issued the following statement in response to a South Carolina District Court injunction that allows the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to take effect immediately in 26 states, including Texas and Oklahoma:

“Today’s court ruling is a tremendous blow for ranchers and landowners who hoped the ill-conceived 2015 WOTUS rule had finally gone by the wayside. Cattle raisers in Texas, Oklahoma and 24 other states are again threatened by an Obama-era land grab that has the potential to regulate them out of business.

“In the three years since the rule change was proposed, ranchers and private property rights advocates nationwide have fought to maintain their rights in the face of this blatant federal overreach. We will continue the fight to protect the men and women who provide our country with a safe and abundant food supply and look forward to working with the current administration to finalize the repeal of the 2015 WOTUS rule.”