LINCOLN — Governor Pete Ricketts and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) applauded an announcement by Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler that the Trump Administration has proposed a replacement for the 2015 Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.
“Thank you President Trump and Acting Administrator Wheeler for your continued commitment to repealing President Obama’s onerous WOTUS rule” said Governor Ricketts. “This new proposal returns more power to the states and private land owners where it belongs. From family farms to commercial developers, this certainty is critical for the job creators who provide opportunities and grow Nebraska.”
“I want to thank President Trump and Acting EPA Administrator Wheeler for their work in reducing the regulatory overreach contained in the previous WOTUS rule,” said NDA Director Steve Wellman. “The new proposed rule provides landowners with long term certainty, clarity, and straight forward guidance with consistency across all states. As the original conservationists, our farmers and ranchers want to ensure we have high water quality without overbearing government oversight. We expect the proposed new WOTUS rule to restore the rule of law and draw a clear line between state and federal jurisdiction.”
The State of Nebraska and other states have previously sued to stop the implementation of the 2015 WOTUS rule, which had attempted to shift oversight of intrastate waterways from state and local governance to federal oversight.
— Office of Governor Pete Ricketts
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