Hoeven Statement on EPA, Army Corps Efforts to Repeal Navigable Waters Protection Rule, Advance New WOTUS Definition

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced efforts to repeal the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and advance a new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) definition.

“We worked hard to provide regulatory certainty and alleviate the burdens placed on our farmers, energy producers and other businesses under the 2015 WOTUS rule,” said Hoeven. “The Obama-era WOTUS rule was a significant overreach that threatened real harm to our economy and the livelihoods of Americans across the country. WOTUS was a mistake that must not be repeated. That’s why we will continue working to preserve the NWPR and protect against one-size-fits-all federal regulations.”

As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Hoeven supported the replacement of the 2015 Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule with the NWPR, which went into effect last year. This followed the senator’s efforts to defund WOTUS in 2016 and 2017 and prevent its implementation.

Earlier this year, Hoeven helped introduce a resolution to uphold the NWPR, after President Biden signed an executive order targeting the rule. Hoeven also recently urged EPA Administrator Michael Regan to ensure regulatory certainty and support commonsense, state-led approach to regulation, rather than reviving unworkable, one-size-fits-all regulations from the past like the 2015 WOTUS rule. 

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