BATON ROUGE, LA – Attorney General Jeff Landry joined a 22-state
initiative in backing EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s signing of a notice to
repeal the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule.
“Repeal of this rule will save the State and local
governments of Louisiana hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in
compliance costs; money that should be spent on actual, tangible infrastructure
like roads, bridges, and ports,” said General Landry. “I applaud Administrator
Pruitt’s proposed rule and see it as a step in the right direction towards withdrawing
the Obama Administration’s unlawful rule.”
The WOTUS Rule has the ability to negatively impact
thousands of Louisiana landowners, subjecting them to expensive regulatory
control and oversight as well as criminal and civil penalties.
This Rule, which states’ believe is unlawful under the
Clean Water Act, U.S. Supreme Court precedent, and the U.S. Constitution, gives
authority over dry channels, roadside ditches, and isolated streams over to the
federal government. Therefore, the repeal of the WOTUS Rule helps to
protect landowners from losing the authority over their own land.
“Louisiana cannot afford to waste tax dollars on
environmental rules designed to give the federal government authority over
state, local, and private lands without any benefit to the environment,” said
General Landry. “This overreach from the beginning was about federal
control, not the environment.”
AG Landry has been a leader in defending the State
against job-killing federal environmental overreach initiated by the prior
administration including challenging the Clean Power Plan, the Methane Rules,
and the Risk Management Plan Rules.
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The states joining Louisiana in support of the EPA's
actions are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan,
Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.