WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced June 20 that he joined a 19-state coalition urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to roll back the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule and protect states’ rights in protection the water resources in the country.
The attorneys general say that the WOTUS Rule, enacted in 2015, is an unlawful regulatory overreach.
“Georgia, like many other states, believes that the 2015 WOTUS Rule is unlawful and that it would have significant consequences for homeowners, farmers and other entities, including requiring them to obtain costly permits and comply with complex federal mandates to perform everyday tasks,” Carr said. “In our letter, we write to suggest how the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can write a rule that protects the states’ traditional role as primary regulators of land and water resources within their borders.”
West Virginia and Wisconsin led the signing of the letter. In addition, the letter involved Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.