Fox News Digital reported Thursday that 24 attorneys general had filed a lawsuit against President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency over a new water rule. This would limit landowners and farmers’ access to their land.
The suit accused the EPA of “pushing the States aside”, and claimed that the United States Army Corps of Engineers took control of water management in the country.
Waters in the United States Rule by the Biden administration was implemented in December. It will be implemented in March. This would redefine which waterways are federally protected in the country and thus subject to regulation under Section 1972 Clean Water Act.
According to the lawsuit, the Agencies wanted to expand their authority by broadening the definition of “waters in the United States,” which is a key provision under the CWA.
According to the suit, the definitions of “waters” in the United States were used to determine the boundaries of “navigable waters.” The EPA’s new rule aims at expanding the definition to include ponds, certain streams, ditches as well as other water bodies.
According to the lawsuit, “WOTUS” can now be understood in a wider context, meaning that more water and land are subject to federal permitting requirements and possible criminal penalties for discharges. ”
The states accused the agencies of trying to redefine WOTUS using an “unlawfully aggressive” method that violates constitutional rights and offers “ambiguous benefits for the environment.”
The lawsuit states that if the rule isn’t changed, ranchers and farmers, miners, and homebuilders across America will be unable to carry out basic activities on their land without being reprimanded.
These are the 24 states of West Virginia, North Dakota, and Georgia.
The state asked the court to stop the “improper federal power grab” over state waters and declare the rule illegal.
Patrick Morrisey (West Virginia Attorney General) asked the Supreme Court to clarify WOTUS to ensure state waters aren’t subject to unelected bureaucrats.
Morrisey stated, “This final rule represents a decades-long effort by the EPA to regulate purely intrastate waters without consenting with Congress.” “This is another attempt by unelected bureaucrats to expand their authority by defining Waters in America. ”
A spokesperson from the EPA stated to Daily Caller News Foundation they were unable to comment on pending litigation.
