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Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) released a statement Jan. 23 applauding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for providing a new definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS).
Since the Obama Administration’s 2015 WOTUS ruling, Walden said he has heard concerns from rural Oregonians that the rule was burdensome and would harm their work. The Obama-era ruling significantly expanded the EPA’s jurisdiction over land use decisions. The previous WOTUS definition enabled the EPA to potentially regulate bodies of water like drain ditches on farmland, which resulted in farmers and ranchers facing uncertainty as to who might face litigation or onerous permit requirements.
“For years, farmers and ranchers across Oregon have expressed their concerns to me about the heavy-handed Obama-era definition of WOTUS,” said Walden. “They stressed that their intermittent stream or irrigation ditch would be subject to the burden of overreaching federal regulation. The EPA’s new definition of WOTUS will protect both our environment and our rural communities. Today’s announcement is welcome news for rural Oregon. I applaud President Trump and his administration for listening to the concerns of America’s farmers and ranchers and delivering on the promise to revise WOTUS.”
Walden was one of the first critics of the 2015 Obama-era ruling and has since pressed Congress to revise it. When the Trump Administration first announced their decision to revise WOTUS, Walden shared his strong approval.
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