Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement commending the Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army’s finalization of the new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, cutting burdensome regulation for America’s farmers, ranchers, and landowners:

“From the creeks and streams of Western Oklahoma to the dams of the Arkansas River in Tulsa County, today’s announcement by the Trump Administration is welcomed news for all Oklahomans. While continuing to protect millions of miles of our nation’s waterways from pollution and deterioration, the new rule will provide clarity to the EPA’s regulatory framework and will dramatically reduce overburdensome regulation currently felt by farmers, ranchers, small business owners, and landowners. 

WOTUS, under the Obama Administration, expanded the role of the federal government under the Clean Water Act from navigable and interstate waters to incorporate ditches, ponds, and streams- regardless of how unnavigable or temporary the water may be. At a time when the federal government should have been cutting burdensome red tape, the Obama Administration instead tied the hands of our nation’s farmers and landowners and subjected them to unprecedented federal overreach and divisive litigation.   

Farmers, ranchers, and landowners of Oklahoma have long been good stewards of their land and the environment. The Trump Administration’s efforts reeling in the scope of the EPA’s regulatory activity back to the original intention of the Clean Water Act not only provides certainty for those who rely on the land to support their families but it also applies a common sense understanding of what constitutes waters of the United States. I commend President Trump and his Administration for keeping their promise to eliminate the previous administration’s rule and for providing a more realistic and certain framework ensuring we have a healthy environment and robust economy.” 

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