Cramer praises President Trump for withdrawal of the Water Supply Rule

 

Today, U.S. Senator and Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Chairman Kevin Cramer (R-ND) praised President Donald J. Trump for announcing last night, at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual convention, he will withdraw the Water Supply Rule. Senator Cramer previously secured a six-month halt on the rule, proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), from being issued because of concerns voiced by stakeholders.

“Thank you to President Trump and his Administration for listening to everyone who opposed this one-size-fits-all rule,” said Senator Cramer. “I led the fight against the proposal because it was bad policy. The Army Corps has no business federalizing water authority reserved for the states. I am glad the Trump Administration is staying within the confines of the law, and I look forward to working with them to make sure the Corps does not propose such egregiously bad policy like this again.”

Last September, Senator Cramer led 18 of his colleagues in expressing strong bipartisan opposition to the USACE’s Water Supply Rule rulemaking process, which left these Senators – as well as states, tribes, and stakeholders – believing reasonable concerns had not been adequately addressed. The Administration also received input from the National Water Resources Association, the Western Governors Association, the Western States Water Council, the National Water Supply Alliance, and the Conference of Western Attorneys General.

“We have attempted to provide input to the Army Corps on its proposed implementation of federal law, but our concerns have not been adequately addressed,” the group of Senators wrote to the Office of Management and Budget. “We urge you in your capacity to direct the Corps to make the adjustments necessary to follow decades of federal precedent and respect state and tribal water authority.”

One week later, Senator Cramer and his colleagues learned they were successful in their efforts as the Administration announced a six-month halt on implementing the final rule in order to properly integrate stakeholder input. Now, President Trump has decided to withdraw the rule entirely.