EPA Wants Input on WOTUS from Farmers and Ranchers

The Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is urging farmers and ranchers to submit official comments on the repeal of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule before the Agency's deadline of Monday, Aug. 28,

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association has released a video featuring Pruitt.

"When comments are made as part of a record of rule making we have an obligation to help review them. It helps inform our decision making process. It helps us make better decisions. So we want farmers and ranchers across this country to provide comments. This record being made is so important because it helps us make informed decisions."

Pruitt says they're trying to fix the challenges from the 2015 rule. They're hearing from stakeholders about how to get it right as they go forward.

The video was filmed during a visit that Pruitt and his staff made earlier this month to the Frasier Ranch, outside Last Chance, Colorado. During the visit, part of the Administrator's nationwide "State Action Tour," Pruitt met with and solicited input from several dozen local ranchers about how to proceed after the Obama-era WOTUS is repealed.

NCBA in a statement says it has helped lead the charge against the Obama-era Waters of the U.S. rule, and ranchers can submit comments at its website.