Smith Applauds Plan to Repeal WOTUS

Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers released a proposal to repeal the Obama administration’s Waters of the U.S. rule, or WOTUS.

“WOTUS was one of the most flagrant abuses of regulatory power in modern history and threatened the future of agriculture,” Smith said. “I was pleased to join President Trump at the White House in February when he signed the executive order directing the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to go back to the drawing board on WOTUS. Today’s repeal proposal is another important step toward certainty and relief for producers, landowners, and local communities.”

Smith introduced H.J. Res. 59, the House resolution utilizing the Congressional Review Act to block WOTUS, in July 2015. In January 2016, both chambers of Congress passed the Senate companion to Smith’s resolution, which was vetoed by President Obama.