Agricultural News
NCBA's, Scott Yager Explains The Difference Between The EPA's Old WOTUS and New WOTUS
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 17:45:52 CST
On today's Beef Buzz, Scott Yager, NCBA's Chief Environmental Counsel explains the difference between the EPA's old Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) and the new version, known as the Navigable Water Protection Act. The new edition was signed two weeks ago by EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler but it will take 60 days to become official law.
"This new rules goes a long way to correct the federal overreach of the 2015 rule," said Yager.
Yager said the new rule excludes water runoff from rain or snow events and water in farm stock ponds, irrigation ditches and other water holding areas in farm country.
"Those are all big wins for our industry," said Yager.
Yager said he expects activists to appeal the new rule.
The NCBA official said cattle producers can expect to see these policy wins challenged by activists groups and we will have to step up and defend those wins in court. If the industry does not become engaged, Yager said the wins could easily get knocked out by an activist judge.
In a nutshell, the major difference between the new rule and the old version is this:
The 2020 rule focuses on regulating 4 major categories:
· Oceans
· Navigable rivers
· Tributaries
· Lakes and ponds
Under the old WOTUS rule, everything was included under the regulations.
"This is a significant departure from the 2015 WOTUS rule that regulated just about any feature, wet or dry, on the landscape," said Yager.
He added this strikes a balance between waters that are regulated by federal agencies and state and local governments.
Click below to hear the complete interview with Scott Yager as he talks with Ron Hays
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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