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Wheeler says EPA’s new water rule gives clarity

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler has announced a new rule under the Clean Water Act to replace the Waters of the U.S. Rule, WOTUS, “The Navigable Waters Protection Rule will establish national consistency and provide greater certainty to states and landowners.”

Wheeler told attendees at the National Association of Home Builders conference (Thursday) that the new rule is much more clear, “Our new rule significantly curtails the all too familiar practice of having to hire teams of attorneys to tell people how to use their own land.”

Assistant Secretary J.D. Banks of the Army for Civil Works says he’s been farming for 48 years and it’s about time there was clarity, “You will be able to recognize yourself whether regulation of a particular area is required or not. That’s a big deal.”

Still, there are expectations that even the new Navigable Water Protection Rule (NWPR) will be tied up in the courts for a long time.

Wheeler says the EPA had gotten more than 600-thousand comments since the proposed rule was announced a year ago.