WOTUS -- Lucky 13 States Have Rule Blocked

As of Friday, ranchers and property owners now have the WOTUS rule to deal with — that is unless you live in Colorado, Idaho — or the 11 other states of Wyoming, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota. A North Dakota federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily prevents the rule form taking effect on streams or wetlands in those lucky states. Reporter Greg Martin shares a portion of the National Beef Cattlemen’s Association President Philip Ellis’ statement.
Martin: “America’s cattlemen and women applaud the decision of the federal judge in North Dakota to block EPA’s “waters of the United States” rule. EPA’s rule is nothing more than an attempt to put more land and water under federal jurisdiction, blatantly disregarding private property rights. Over the last year and a half, the agency continually ignored the concerns of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, farmers, ranchers and landowners across the country, to the point of calling the concerns of cattle producers ludicrous. In a statement released shortly after the decision was made, an EPA spokesperson said the ruling only holds for 13 states and that they plan to implement the rule in all others as of Friday. If the EPA actually wants to protect navigable waters as it claims, they will put this subjective and ambiguous rule to rest and start over with stakeholders at the table this time around.”