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NASDA commends revised WOTUS rule release and looks forward to agency collaboration
Story Date: 12/12/2018
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Source: NATIONAL ASSOC. OF STATE DEPTS. OF AGRICULTURE, 12/11/18
Following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s release of its revised Waters of the United States rule today, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture is encouraged by this step towards clarifying the relationship between federal and state water reg¬ulations.
“The safety and purity of our nation’s waterways and drinking water is critically important,” said Barb Glenn, NASDA CEO. “NASDA looks forward to reviewing the rule in depth to understand how it will determine which waters are overseen by federal standards. Clear, administrable lines will help farmers and ranchers keep their businesses operating efficiently and will help state regulators fulfill their role in overseeing state waters.”
The Clean Water Act is grounded in cooperative federalism, a co-regulatory relationship between states and the federal government. Previously, NASDA has commented on the need for a rule that reinforces this co-regulatory role and is consistent with Supreme Court precedent.
Also, in response to the rule’s release, Jeff Witte, NASDA President and New Mexico Agriculture Secretary, reiterated that clean water is a top nationwide priority.
“Our expectation is the rule will be a crucial step toward offering certainty and clarity that states, farmers, and ranchers need to keep water clean and support economic growth,” said Witte. “NASDA members look forward to evaluating the proposed rule working with the EPA to ensure one of our most precious resources is protected.”
The rule’s release opens a 60-day comment period, and NASDA aims to submit comments with input from members’ experience and expertise in co-regulation.
All NASDA’s official actions on WOTUS can be found here. NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the departments of agriculture in all fifty states and four U.S. territories. To learn more about NASDA, please visit www.nasda.org.
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