Waters of the U.S. rules have evolved many times in the past 50 years. EPA announced another round of changes on Tuesday, following a May Supreme Court ruling that required EPA to revise the definition.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln kickstarted the Know Your Well Project in 2022 to teach the next generation how to test well water. The EPA took notice and looks to double the program's reach.
EPA has been asked to exclude ditches from the definition of federal waters, include wetlands when they can't be distinguished from navigable waters, and erase the independent interstate waters and wetlands category.
USDA looks to improve the future measure, monitoring, reporting and verification of ag climate emissions via a $300 million investment announced on Wednesday.
EPA plans to revise the "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) regulation by Sept. 1. Both the EPA and the Corps of Engineers have regulatory duties for federal waterways.
Kentucky is the 27th state to put a wall up against the legislation. EPA countered Kentucky’s move, asking the court to make clear that the latest rule does not apply nationwide.
Michael Regan, EPA administrator, appeared before the House Ag Committee on Wednesday to discuss everything from WOTUS to the farm bill. Here are the highlights that will directly impact producers.
“As I understand it, this rule says EPA is going to determine jurisdiction on a case-by-case basis,” says NCBA's Ethan Lane. “This is never the way you want a bureaucracy to interact with your private businesses."
A federal judge in Texas put WOTUS on hold in two states over the weekend but denied a concentrated effort by industry groups to stop the rule nationwide.
The EPA’s new definition of Waters of the U.S. takes effect Monday. Here's a rundown of what is considered WOTUS and, therefore, subject to federal regulation.
The House last week has already passed its WOTUS rule resolution and it’s up for a Senate vote. The White House has pledged a veto of the measure, should it reach President Joe Biden’s desk.
Farm Bureau's Duvall says the rule puts farmers and ranchers in a position where they will have to hire lawyers and consultants to establish the boundaries of farming.
ERP Phase Two is likely to be announced by USDA in coming weeks, according to Jim Wiesemeyer. In a farm bill year, he says there might be more opportunities to capture additional profit.
The definition maintains longstanding exemptions for farming activities but trims an exclusion for prior converted cropland that had been in the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
By the end of the year, the Biden administration is expected to issue new rules that Government Lawyer Brian Fletcher told the court will “provide greater clarity to the regulated public on all parts of the test.”
The WOTUS case, Sackett v. EPA, centers on a long-running dispute involving an Idaho couple named Chantell and Michael Sackett. The Sacketts have won at the Supreme Court before.
The National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health released on Tuesday will cover everything from a congressional push for $15 per hour minimum wage to research in soil management impacts on human health.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council along with 34 state affiliates and stakeholders sent a letter to 11 democrat members of the Senate encouraging Congress to act in a bi-partisan manner to withdraw the EPA and Army Corps’ of Engineers’ “waters of the United States” rule.
