NCC Responds to WOTUS Rule

By Cotton Grower Staff|August 30, 2023

In response to the Aug. 29 announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) of a final Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, the National Cotton Council (NCC) released the following statement:

“We are concerned that the EPA is continuing to expand their jurisdictional authority with this latest rule,” says NCC Chairman Shawn Holladay, a Texas producer. “Their revisions do not appropriately comply with the recent Supreme Court decision which sought to bring clarity and simplicity to a complicated regulatory regime.

“Furthermore, the EPA published this final rule without allowing for public notice and comment which could have shed light on areas of concern and strengthened the final result. This action may end up in the courts, once again leaving regulators and growers in a confused state regarding legally appropriate ways to protect our nation’s waters.”

Information from the National Cotton Council