Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt told lawmakers Tuesday that the EPA has sent its repeal of the Waters of the U.S. rule to the federal register, beginning the process of ending the regulation. During a Senate budget hearing Tuesday, Pruitt told lawmakers the measure was being sent to the federal register the same day. The formal withdraw of the Obama-era rule follows through on a campaign promise by President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order requiring an EPA review of the rule. While the regulation went into effect in August of 2015, a federal court put the rule on hold. EPA intends to follow the federal rulemaking process in repealing the rule, meaning the process should take at least a year to repeal and replace. The notice of repeal by the EPA was met by a celebration from agriculture groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. NCBA President Craig Uden called the move a “step in the right direction,” while noting that the rule “isn’t dead yet.” NCBA and others have vowed to submit comments during the rulemaking process to rescind the rule.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.