President Trump signed an executive order that kicked off the process of revisiting the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule

Much to the delight of most agriculture industries, President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that kicked off the process of revisiting the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, with an eye on dismantling it altogether.WOTUS, an Obama-era regulation, expanded the definition of the types of water features that fell under federal jurisdiction. Farmers and livestock operations complained that it made them responsible for fertilizer or manure run-off into incidental streams and puddles that they could not possibly control.Trump’s order simply instructs the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider whether federal jurisdiction extends to non-navigable streams. It is the first step in a lengthy process of repeal, as the rule was finalized in 2015.The Waters of the U.S. rule, however, has been blocked by a federal appeals court and has not gone into effect. The executive order reportedly also asks the Justice Department to put that legal appeal on hold while the administration reconsiders the rule. Industry reactionIn response, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) said in a news release that it “applauds an executive order issued today.”“America’s pork producers are very pleased that the president ordered EPA and the Corps of Engineers to repeal or rewrite this ill-conceived, overbroad regulation,” said NPPC President John Weber, a pork producer from Dysart, Iowa. “The WOTUS rule was a dramatic government overreach and an unprecedented expansion of federal jurisdiction and control over private lands.The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association echoed the sentiment. Organization president Craig Uden said in a news release that, “This extremely flawed rule would force ranchers and feedlot operators to get permits or risk excessive federal penalties despite being miles away from any navigable water. It would be one of the largest federal land grabs and private-property infringements in American history, and the President should be applauded for making EPA and the Corps reconsider.”