Not so fast, WOTUS injunction celebrators. The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly considering its options after a North Dakota judge issued an injunction against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.
“The administration strongly disagrees with this ruling,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in his briefing.
The U.S. District Judge issued the injunction last Thursday against the rule, but the EPA claims it only applies to the 13 states that joined that particular suit against the agency.
Texas is not on the list.
EPA’s WOTUS, which technically could be enforced in Texas right now, gives the EPA regulatory authority over areas of land that only sometimes hold water, ephemeral streams, ditches and low-lying areas by claiming the area could eventually connect to a larger waterway.
Additional information on the WOTUS decision and Texas Farm Bureau’s fight against it can be found here: http://bit.ly/1NMiLAo.