EPA Holds First WOTUS Listening Session

Last week, the EPA held the first listening session on rewriting the Waters of the U.S. Rule, better known as WOTUS. Lauren Lurkins, Director of Environmental Policy at Illinois Farm Bureau, said this provides the farming community an opportunity to be heard.

“These are really the first step of the U.S. EPA and the Army Corps to listen to a set of opinions across the country as they look to rewrite the definition of Waters of the U.S. So, they were interested in hearing a variety of perspectives on implementation challenges over the previous years and kind of what suggestions folks had for moving forward.”

Lurkins noted that farmers nationwide are concerned what WOTUS could mean in both the short-term and long-term.

“The biggest concern that our membership has and that I shared with the agencies was the significant leap in logic that they make in some of their early statements that a federal permit equals environmental protection, while no federal permit must equal environmental degradation, and we know across the country that that simply is not the case.”

Lurkins adds the EPA is hosting more public sessions this year, with three of the August meetings taking place virtually. And then after that, ten round tables will take place nationwide this fall and winter. Registration for those on-line listening sessions is still open. Visit the EPA's Website to learn more and to register.

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