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Heitkamp Statement on Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Blocking Waters of the U.S. Rule Nationwide

Statement

Date: Oct. 9, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Industries Agriculture and Food Environment Business, Consumers, and Employees

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement following the national suspension of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Waters of the United States rule by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The stay follows the August decision of the U.S. District Court of North Dakota to block the rule from implementation in 13 states, including North Dakota.

"Delivering certainty to the farmers, ranchers, and small businesses should be a top priority for our federal agencies -- but with the Waters of the U.S. rule, the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have done the opposite -- potentially regulating every Prairie Pothole on farmers' land," said Heitkamp. "Today's court decision to follow North Dakota's lead by providing relief from this unworkable rule for the rest of the country's producers is an important step, but it's not enough. Congress must act to deliver the predictability our farmers, ranchers and small businesses depend on by passing my bipartisan bill to send this overbroad rule back to the Administration to redo -- this time with the concerns of the rural communities it impacts in mind."


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