Jerrod Shouse, Oklahoma state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, released the following statement today in response to a U.S. Court of Appeal’s decision to stay enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s new “Waters of the U.S.” rule (“WOTUS rule”):
“The ‘Waters of the U.S.’ rule is a ‘gotcha’ regulation that can create all kinds of problems and unnecessary expenses for small businesses and other landowners,” Shouse said. “Today’s decision is good news for small business owners in Oklahoma and throughout the country.”
In July, NFIB and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a joint-lawsuit challenging the WOTUS Rule, arguing that it illegally expands the federal government’s authority over private property. If allowed to stand, the law would regulate everything from farmers’ ponds to vacant land that is dry throughout most of the year.
Karen Harned, executive director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center also applauded the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision blocking enforcement of the Waters of the U.S. rule nationwide.
“Small businesses everywhere this morning are breathing a sigh of relief. The Court very properly acknowledged that the WOTUS rule has created a ‘whirlwind of confusion’ and that blocking its implementation in every state is the practicable way to resolve the deep legal question of whether it can withstand constitutional muster.”
“This regulation has the potential to dramatically alter the economy by placing a massively complicated set of federal rules on local development,” said Harned. “Local businesses in every state are threatened, and the 6th Circuit Court was right today in protecting all of them until the Supreme Court can resolve the matter.”
To learn more, visit www.NFIB.com/legal
