WOTUS signing ceremony
Chairman Barrasso attends signing ceremony for WOTUS executive order. Photo courtesy U.S. Senator John Barrasso.
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Barrasso statement on Executive Order on Waters of the United States
by U.S. Senator John Barrasso
March 1, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), released the following statement on President Trump’s executive order to revise the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers’ Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.
Chairman Barrasso, who has actively opposed the overreaching regulation, attended the executive order signing ceremony at the White House.
"I applaud President Trump for working to curtail government overreach," said Barrasso. "The Waters of the United States rule, issued under the Obama administration, placed backyard ponds, large puddles, and plowed farm fields under Washington’s control. Small businesses, farmers, and ranchers would be hurt by this excessive rule, and there was bipartisan opposition to it in Congress.
"We need to clarify the distinction between state and federal waters. It is vital we do so in a responsible way that respects state and local authority while using common sense. I will continue to work with the Trump administration as it addresses WOTUS."
Background Information
On April 30, 2015, Barrasso, along with Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), led a bipartisan group of senators in introducing the Federal Water Quality Protection Act (S. 1140).
Barrasso’s bill directed the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to issue a revised WOTUS rule that protects navigable water from water pollution, while also protecting farmers, ranchers and private landowners
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