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Tuesday, November 1, 2016
House Republicans Say EPA Did Not Follow Rulemaking Process On WOTUS
(DTN) -- House Republicans say the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency didn't follow the federal rulemaking process on the final waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule, and pressed other federal agencies to complete analyses for political reasons, according to a majority report released last week. A new 182-page House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report is a summary of conclusions reached as a result of Congressional hearings and documents collected from federal agencies in the past couple of years on the WOTUS rule. Opponents of the new rule, which is now hung up in federal court, fear the EPA is unilaterally extending jurisdiction to new waters. Farm groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, believe the new rule will require farmers and ranchers to obtain more Clean Water Act permits or face federal penalties. Much has been made about the expected economic effect of the WOTUS rule on a wide variety of industries and communities. WOTUS opponents including farm groups have maintained the rule would be costly to comply with, as it is expected to expand the need for federal permits, for example. Emails released as part of the report show EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy was at odds with other Obama administration officials about the need to classify the rule as "economically significant," or by EPA's own standards, costing the economy at least $100 million. EPA has maintained the rule would not be economically significant, but agency officials disagreed on that point.