White House receives rule to withdraw WOTUS

On 2 May, a rule called the ‘Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’ – Recodification of Preexisting Rules’ progressed to the White House, indicating that it is undergoing inter-agency review.

“NSSGA has taken advantage of any opportunity to protect members from this jurisdictional overreach,” said Laura O’Neill-Kaumo, NSSGA vice president of government and regulatory affairs. “While this is a very welcome first step to rewriting the rule, NSSGA continues to work with Congress and the new administration to ensure a replacement rule is significantly less burdensome for aggregates operations.”

While the usual deadline for review is 90 days, it is expected that the administration will move more quickly.

 

Last week, at a hearing of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, witnesses pointed out that the WOTUS rule goes well beyond legal limits and has fatal flaws which mean a rewrite of the rule is necessary. The Trump administration has made a repeal or rewrite of the WOTUS rule a priority, and frequently chastised the EPA and WOTUS during the presidential campaign.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/05052017/white-house-receives-rule-to-withdraw-wotus/