NCC Responds to WOTUS Rule

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In response to Tuesday’s announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) of a final Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, the National Cotton Council (NCC) released the following statement:

"We are concerned that the EPA is continuing to expand their jurisdictional authority with this latest rule. Their revisions do not appropriately comply with the recent Supreme Court decision which sought to bring clarity and simplicity to a complicated regulatory regime,” said NCC Chairman Shawn Holladay, a Texas producer. “Furthermore, the EPA published this final rule without allowing for public notice and comment which could have shed light on areas of concern and strengthened the final result. This action may end up in the courts, once again leaving regulators and growers in a confused state regarding legally appropriate ways to protect our nation's waters."