Source: US Rep. David Rouzer, (NC-7th), 6/21/21

Dear Friend,
Recently, the Biden Administration announced their intent to revise the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS).  When President Trump repealed the 2015 Obama-era EPA rule that vastly expanded the WOTUS definition, our farm families, small businesses, local governments, and citizens no longer needed to worry about an EPA bureaucrat dictating what can or cannot be done on their property.  Farmers, homebuilders, realtors, small business owners, mayors — Democrat and Republican — along with many others were all alarmed by the Biden Administration’s recent announcement to revise the rule.

I am very concerned about the impact any WOTUS rule change by this administration would have on Southeastern North Carolina.  Landowners, farmers and small businesses should not have to worry about getting permission from bureaucrats in Washington before acting on their own property after a significant rainfall. 

Restoring the Obama-era rule would result in regulation of nearly every body of water — including streams, water in a ditch after a storm, puddles — and even some dry land.  As the EPA works to revise the WOTUS rule, they must not put in place overly burdensome regulations that would negatively impact our communities.  Our farm families have faced many challenges over recent years and the federal government should be doing everything possible to mitigate, not worsen, their uncertainties.