U.S. Rep. Thompson supports EPA rule change

U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) supports a recent Environment Protection Agency and Army Corp of Engineers repeal of a 2015 rule that expanded the reach of the Clean Water Act to apply to nearly all waters, including ephemeral waters and ditches.

The agencies repealed the rule for four reasons including that it did not implement the legal limits on the scope of the agencies’ authority under the Clean Water Act and contained procedural errors and a lack of adequate record support.

“EPA and Army Corps’ announcement brings an end to the multiyear battle over the Obama Administration’s attempt to vastly expand federal jurisdiction over land-use practices,” Thompson said. “WOTUS (Waters of the United States) would have placed an unworkable regulatory burden on farmers and others who depend upon the land for their livelihood, subjecting landowners and localities to additional federal permitting for infrastructure, farming, flood control, and energy production projects. I applaud the work of the Trump Administration to finally put this issue to rest, in order to provide landowners certainty and relief from the clutches of this heavy handed regulation that would have truly devastated the rural economy.”

Thompson is a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and the former chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.