Repeal Of WOTUS Rule Finalized

The US Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers has announced they have finalized the repeal of the controversial WOTUS Rule. This move will provide much-needed and long-awaited regulatory certainty for landowners nationwide. The revocation of the rule was announced via Facebook Live by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, R.D. James, in Washington, D.C.

“Repealing the rule is a major win for American agriculture,” noted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, in remarks he made at the presentation. “Farmers and ranchers are exceptional stewards of the land, taking great care to preserve it for generations to come. President Trump is making good on his promise to reduce burdensome regulations to free our producers,” he added.

According to the EPA news release, the 2015 rule:

Did not implement the legal limits on the scope of the agencies’ authority under the Clean Water Act as intended by Congress and reflected in Supreme Court cases.
Failed to adequately recognize, preserve, and protect the primary responsibilities and rights of states to manage their own land and water resources.
Approached the limits of the agencies’ constitutional and statutory authority absent a clear statement from Congress.
Suffered from certain procedural errors and a lack of adequate record support as it relates to the 2015 Rule’s distance-based limitations.

“With this final repeal, the agencies will implement the pre-2015 regulations, which are currently in place in more than half of the states, informed by applicable agency guidance documents and consistent with Supreme Court decisions and longstanding agency practice,” the news release stated.

The REALTORS® Land Institute and National Association of REALTORS® has been a strong supporter of the review and repeal of the WOTUS Rule, as laid out by President Trump’s Executive Order, to ensure that both private property rights and clean waterways are protected.

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