WOTUS
‘There’s a lot more uncertainty’ as Trump era nears, says NFU leader
In 10 weeks, Donald Trump will become president and "there's a lot more uncertainty" about his plans for food and agriculture policy than normally accompanies an incoming administration, says president Roger Johnson of the National Farmers Union. "We know a fair amount of what he's against and less of what he's for."
After voting heavily for Trump, rural America wants to change his mind
President-elect Donald Trump carried almost all of the farm states, from the Carolinas across the Midwest into the Plains, rolling up a 2-to-1 margin against Democrat Hillary Clinton with promises of lower taxes and less regulation. Farm groups, with a politically conservative membership, said they hoped to educate him on the importance of exports for farm prosperity.
Trump, a supporter of ethanol, less farm regulation
President-elect Donald Trump campaigned as a supporter of corn ethanol and said he would protect farmers from over-regulation. His senior advisor, Sam Clovis, said the New York businessman does not support the idea, popular among conservative House Republicans, of splitting food stamps from the rest of the farm bill.
Trump ‘looking very hard’ at naming a rancher, or farmer, EPA chief
National policy adviser Sam Clovis says the Trump campaign is "looking very hard at putting a farmer or rancher in charge of the EPA." Given the impact that federal regulations can have on the sector, Clovis said on the AgriTalk radio program, "we think this would be an appropriate issue for us."
Trump vows to make EPA more ‘pro-farm’ with a new administrator
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, labeling the Waters of the United States rule as unconstitutional, told the largest U.S. farm group, "I will appoint a pro-farmer administrator [to] EPA."
Trump says he will eliminate ‘FDA Food Police’
In a speech to the New York Economic Club, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said, "I will eliminate all needless and job-killing regulations" in federal government. A fact sheet distributed by the campaign listed "specific regulations to be eliminated," including the "FDA Food Police," reported The Hill newspaper.
In Iowa, Trump vows support for corn ethanol
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard and corn-based ethanol, eliminate burdensome regulations like the Waters of the United States rule ("which is a disaster") and provide tax relief to farmers in a speech in Des Moines over the weekend, says the Des Moines Register. Trump also said he would use immigration laws to prevent crime. "We will move justly but we will move fast, believe me. And we will move tough," he said.
A second U.S. appeals court says it will rule on clean-water rule
The federal appellate court in Atlanta says it will decide an 11-state lawsuit against the EPA's Waters of the United States rule, although the U.S. appeals court in Cincinnati is consolidating WOTUS challenges into a single case for its consideration, said DTN. A lawyer active in clean-water cases said appeals courts sometimes handle the same issue concurrently: "That is, after all, how circuit splits develop."
Senate panel to consider one-year delay of clean water rule
The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to approve today legislation that would bar the EPA from implementing its Waters of the United States rule during the fiscal year that opens on Oct 1. Known as WOTUS, the rule defines the upstream reach of clean water laws and is under challenge in a federal appeals court.
Senate rejects anti-WOTUS rider
On a nearly party-line vote, the Senate defeated a proposal by North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven to prevent EPA from carrying out its Waters of the United States (WOTUS).
White House threatens veto of WOTUS rider
As the Senate opened debate on the energy and water funding bill, the White House warned against using the bill as a vehicle to stop the EPA's Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulation.
WOTUS challenge to be decided by Cincinnati court
The U.S. appeals court in Cincinnati claimed jurisdiction to decide the legal challenges to the EPA's "Waters of the United States" regulation, which defines the upstream reach of clean water laws, reports DTN.
Uphill battle in Congress against WOTUS
Opponents of the "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule issued by EPA face difficult odds in Congress, says DTN, citing a Library of Congress study on legislative options for derailing regulations. The study said lawmakers could pass bills that restrict or deny funding to EPA to enforce the rule, propose a stand-alone bill to overturn the rule or amend the clean water law to de-fang WOTUS.
Senate fails to override WOTUS veto
Opponents say they will continue to fight the EPA's "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) regulation despite losing their long-shot attempt at a legislative veto of the rule.
As expected, Obama vetoes congressional override of WOTUS
The record still stands: in two decades, Congress has nullified only one federal regulation. The House gave final congressional approval to a resolution of disapproval a week ago to the "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) regulation issued by the EPA. And on Tuesday, President Obama vetoed the resolution.
Congress nears final disapproval vote on WOTUS
The long battle over the EPA's "waters of the United States" rule defining the upstream reach of clean-water laws will reach a milestone this week.
EPA used ‘covert propaganda’ in promoting WOTUS
In a legal opinion, the Government Accountability Office, a congressional agency, said the EPA violated publicity and anti-lobbying restrictions in its use of the social media platform Thunderclap to urge support for its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.
Senate tries legislative veto of Clean Water rule
On a party line vote of 53-44, the Senate passed a resolution to ditch an EPA regulation that defines the upstream reach of the Clean Water Act. The resolution, the first step in a so-called legislative veto, now goes to the Republican-controlled House. To succeed, it must be passed by the House and signed by the White House, which threatened a veto. The vote on the SJR 22 was little different from the 55-43 vote on Tuesday to open debate on the resolution, sponsored by Iowa Sen Joni Ernst. Only one Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, voted against the resolution and three Democrats - Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia - voted for it.