The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is again extending the comment period on a proposed “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule that would give the agency more authority to regulate water under the Clean Water Act.
With tension surrounding the regulation increasing, the EPA announced Monday in an email to reporters it is extending the comment period for the second time through Nov. 14, reports The Hill.
In April, the EPA proposed the WOTUS rule, which would clarify the agency’s regulations as it applies to smaller bodies of water—streams, rivers, wetlands and ditches—that flow into larger water sources that are already protected.
Challenges are mounting from green groups, business groups, agricultural organizations and Republicans, like Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), who calls it a power grab by the EPA that would be expensive to comply with.
This EPA’s power grab will only hurt businesses around the country and, rather than place burdensome regulations blindly, they should partner with the states to work together just as the Clean Water Act originally intended, Gibbs said in a statement.
Comments may be submitted on the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. The proposed rule’s docket number is ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0880.