With a commitment to listening to all sides and working to foster a common-ground approach to WOTUS, the EPA and U.S. Department of the Army announced the selection of 10 geographically varied roundtables in Feb. Through these roundtables, the agencies hope to gain a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities to enhance WOTUS implementation.
On Monday, May 9, the EPA hosted the first of 10 scheduled virtual roundtables focused on the ongoing Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rulemaking. This first meeting, called the Midwest panel by the EPA, was sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association. Two panelists, representing agricultural interests, called for the federal government to regulate farmers (particularly Iowa farmers) to get a better handle on nutrients pollution.
Agriculture interests have come out strongly in favor of the Trump administration’s 2015 WOTUS rule and against the Biden administration’s proposed two-step rulemaking process to replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
Read more about this first roundtable via this Progressive Farmer article.