The EPA began enforcing its clean-water rule in all states except the 13 that had sued to block it, The Hill reported.
In response to a petition from the 13 states, a North Dakota federal judge temporarily blocked the rule’s implementation late last Thursday. The Hill says the EPA is interpreting the decision as applying only in the states involved in the litigation – Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
The EPA unveiled the final version of the rule back in May, which applies to small waterways such as wetlands and streams. Farm groups have been prominent opponents of the rule, saying it could lead to federal oversight of ditches in farm fields. The agency says the rule clarifies but does not expand federal jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act, and will help protect water supplies for tens of millions of Americans.