Posted on 03/01/2017 2:35:17 AM PST by GonzoII
Both U.S. Senators from North Dakota were on hand as Mr. Trump signed his order to eliminate the Obama Administration's Waters of the U.S. rule
WASHINGTON D.C. — President Trump has signed another executive order that will impact farmers and ranchers. Both U.S. Senators from North Dakota were on hand as Mr. Trump signed his order to eliminate the Obama Administration’s Waters of the U.S. rule.
Senator Heitkamp says it’s time for Congress to act by giving the EPA direction on what water is jurisdictional under the Clean Water Act.
Senator Hoeven says the rule was a regulatory overreach that would have placed burdens on farmers, ranchers and other small businesses in North Dakota and across the nation.
VIDEO AT SOURCE.....
(Excerpt) Read more at kvrr.com ...
EXECUTIVE ORDER
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RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW, FEDERALISM, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
BY REVIEWING THE "WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES" RULEBy the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. It is in the national interest to ensure that the Nation's navigable waters are kept free from pollution, while at the same time promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty, and showing due regard for the roles of the Congress and the States under the Constitution.
Sec. 2. Review of the Waters of the United States Rule. (a) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Administrator) and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (Assistant Secretary) shall review the final rule entitled "Clean Water Rule: Definition of 'Waters of the United States,'" 80 Fed. Reg. 37054 (June 29, 2015), for consistency with the policy set forth in section 1 of this order and publish for notice and comment a proposed rule rescinding or revising the rule, as appropriate and consistent with law.
(b) The Administrator, the Assistant Secretary, and the heads of all executive departments and agencies shall review all orders, rules, regulations, guidelines, or policies implementing or enforcing the final rule listed in subsection (a) of this section for consistency with the policy set forth in section 1 of this order and shall rescind or revise, or publish for notice and comment proposed rules rescinding or revising, those issuances, as appropriate and consistent with law and with any changes made as a result of a rulemaking proceeding undertaken pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(c) With respect to any litigation before the Federal courts related to the final rule listed in subsection (a) of this section, the Administrator and the Assistant Secretary shall promptly notify the Attorney General of the pending review under subsection (b) of this section so that the Attorney General may, as he deems appropriate, inform any court of such review and take such measures as he deems appropriate concerning any such litigation pending the completion of further administrative proceedings related to the rule.
Sec. 3. Definition of "Navigable Waters" in Future Rulemaking. In connection with the proposed rule described in section 2(a) of this order, the Administrator and the Assistant Secretary shall consider interpreting the term "navigable waters," as defined in 33 U.S.C. 1362(7), in a manner consistent with the opinion of Justice Antonin Scalia in Rapanos v. United States, 547 U.S. 715 (2006).
Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 28, 2017.
What a relief! Now the seasonal mud puddle in my back yard will not be covered under this!
That's the way I understand this E/O too. President Trump has told Department Heads to review the regulations with respect to subsection (b), and to report to the Attorney General with regard to any Federal litigation. In other words, if it's now before the courts, and it is not consistent with subsection (b), the case will be dropped. (My interpretation)
I think you’re correct.
Remarks by President Trump at Signing of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Executive Order
Roosevelt Room
2:23 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you, everybody. We appreciate you being here. Thank you very much. First of all, I want to congratulate Scott Pruitt, who's here someplace. Where's Scott? (Applause.) So important. We're going to free up our country, and it's going be done in a very environmental and positive environmental way, I will tell you that, but create millions of jobs. So many jobs are delayed for so many years, and it's unfair to everybody. So I want congratulate Scott.
I want to thank everyone for being here today. We have a great group of farmers, homebuilders, and county commissioners. They're all represented. They're standing alongside of me. I’d also like to thank Jim Inhofe, who's been so terrific in so many different ways, beyond even this. So I want thank Jim and also the leadership in the Senate on the issue, a friend of mine -- a great friend of mine -- John Barrasso.
The EPA’s so-called “Waters of the United States” rule is one of the worst examples of federal regulation, and it has truly run amok, and is one of the rules most strongly opposed by farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers all across our land. It's prohibiting them from being allowed to do what they're supposed to be doing. It's been a disaster.
The Clean Water Act says that the EPA can regulate “navigable waters” -- meaning waters that truly affect interstate commerce. But a few years ago, the EPA decided that “navigable waters” can mean nearly every puddle or every ditch on a farmer's land, or anyplace else that they decide -- right? It was a massive power grab. The EPA’s regulators were putting people out of jobs by the hundreds of thousands, and regulations and permits started treating our wonderful small farmers and small businesses as if they were a major industrial polluter. They treated them horribly. Horribly.
If you want to build a new home, for example, you have to worry about getting hit with a huge fine if you fill in as much as a puddle -- just a puddle -- on your lot. I've seen it. In fact, when it was first shown to me, I said, no, you're kidding aren’t you? But they weren’t kidding.
In one case in a Wyoming, a rancher was fined $37,000 a day by the EPA for digging a small watering hole for his cattle. His land. These abuses were, and are, why such incredible opposition to this rule from the hundreds of organizations took place in all 50 states. It's a horrible, horrible rule. Has sort of a nice name, but everything else is bad. (Laughter.) I've been hearing about it for years and years. I didn’t know I'd necessarily be in this position to do something about it, but we've been hearing about it for years.
With today’s executive order, I’m directing the EPA to take action, paving the way for the elimination of this very destructive and horrible rule.
So I want to thank everybody for being here. And I will sign wherever I'm supposed to sign. There we are. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END
2:27 P.M. EST
Just amazing. Doing what he said he was going to do.
To be fair, Obama tried to do much of what HE said he was going to do, but destroying our country was more work than he thought it would be.
“Senator Heitkamp says it’s time for Congress to act by giving the EPA direction”
Shouldn’t Congress have been giving the EPA & other regulation mills direction long ago? If a regulation is off the rails and harmful to citizens, isn’t Congress supposed to fix things?
Yes, the EPA needs to go bye bye but the RINO’s should have reined them in long ago. I just hope Trump and similar are in power long enough to put the nation back together again.
GOOD, GOOD, GOOD.
Wotus would have made hundreds of thousands of acres useless. What a relief.
I thought Obama lost a court battle over this.
Most RINOs are puppets for the people who hold their FBI files. If someone in charge of something cannot explain their position on a topic in 2 sentences it’s because another force is holding them back!
Good, good, good!
Now to undo UN Agenda 21 land grabbing in the states.
bmp
I have been on FR 8 years, and before that, another eight years on another “conservative” site, and for 16 YEARS we all have been moaning and complaining about these very issues.
President Trump is the first one to EVER do anything about the very issues we have cared about for YEARS.
“WINNING!”
I hear ya, almost a dreamlike experience.
Americans WIN again. Thanks, President Trump. This has been haunting farmers and others for a few years now.
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