Barring Court Injunction, WOTUS in Effect Today

Barring any court granting an emergency injunction over WOTUS that might have happened, today is the day that the Environmental Protection Agency's Waters of the US or WOTUS goes into effect. What does this mean to ranchers and other property owners? National Cattlemen's Beef Association Environmental Counsel Scott Yager says

Yager: "For cattle producers, you are going to want to take a closer look at your land, and see what kind of water features you have on your land. Or even what kind of dry features you have that may convey water during a storm. Even those could be regulated under WOTUS. I would highly encourage folks out there to talk to their state cattlemen's association and talk with us here at NCBA. We have expertise on these issues and a lot of states' cattlemen's have environmental service programs have experts who can consult with you. Also if you have a relationship with your local and state conservation folks, I would recommend reaching out to them as well as those state programs are going to be the ones implementing the rules ultimately."

The U.S. House passed HR 1722 to withdraw WOTUS earlier this summer, Yager gives an update on the Senate's WOTUS bill status.

Yager: "The Senate has passed a similar bill through their Environment and Public Works Committee but the full Senate has not taken it to vote yet. So what we are doing right now is working as hard as we can to get folks to support their Senators in voting for S 1140 we are very much in favor of it. To get the rule brought back to the table and get ag and folks around the table with EPA and Army Corp to provide feedback from the onset of the rule making instead of after the fact."