Comments to EPA and USACE on Proposed Repeal of 2015 WOTUS Rule

VIA ELECTRONIC FILING

The Honorable E. Scott Pruitt
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460

Mr. Douglas W. Lamont
Senior Official Performing Duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Army
Department of the Army, Civil Works
108 Army Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20310

RE: Definition of “Waters of the United States” – Recodification of Pre-Existing Rules, 82 Fed. Reg. 34,899 (July 27, 2017); Docket No. EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0203

Dear Administrator Pruitt and Mr. Lamont:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (“the Chamber”), the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations, and dedicated to promoting, protecting, and defending America’s free enterprise system, strongly supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (the “Corps”) (collectively, “the Agencies”) proposal to rescind the revised definition of “waters of the United States,” promulgated by the Agencies in 2015.

The definition of “waters of the United States” is extremely important to our membership. The Agencies proposed the “waters of the United States” rule in April 2014 (“2014 Proposal”) in order to clarify the scope of waters subject to federal protection under the Clean Water Act. TheChamber and its membership reviewed the 2014 Proposal and filed a comment letter in opposition to it, yet the Agencies finalized and published the “waters of the United States” rule (the “Final Rule”) in 20155 without correcting a number of defects that seriously and adversely impact the business community.

As such, the Chamber believes that the Agencies should rescind the Final Rule and recodify the previous definition of “waters of the United States” until they can craft one that adequately addresses Congress’ intent to protect America’s water resources...

(A full copy of the comments can be found HERE)