UNDATED (KELO AM) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Corps of Engineers have started the formal process of withdrawing the Waters of the United States Rule. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says protection of waters should be up to the states and not the federal government.
The EPA and the Corps are now beginning the replacement rulemaking process to gather input and reevaluate the definition of WOTUS. South Dakota Farm Bureau President Scott VanderWal says it’s critical to clarify the Clean Water Act and prevent any future government overreach.
VanderWal says his group will monitor the replacement rulemaking process and submit comments. Jackley says he and the Governor as well as the State Attorneys General group will also weigh in on the process.
South Dakota Senator John Thune said WOTUS was just another example of Obama era government overreach which placed unnecessary burdens on South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers.
(Courtesy: Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton)
