BATON ROUGE, LA – Attorney General Jeff Landry joined a 22-state initiative in backing EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s signing of a notice to repeal the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule.

“Repeal of this rule will save the State and local governments of Louisiana hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in compliance costs; money that should be spent on actual, tangible infrastructure like roads, bridges, and ports,” said General Landry. “I applaud Administrator Pruitt’s proposed rule and see it as a step in the right direction towards withdrawing the Obama Administration’s unlawful rule.”

The WOTUS Rule has the ability to negatively impact thousands of Louisiana landowners, subjecting them to expensive regulatory control and oversight as well as criminal and civil penalties. 

This Rule, which states’ believe is unlawful under the Clean Water Act, U.S. Supreme Court precedent, and the U.S. Constitution, gives authority over dry channels, roadside ditches, and isolated streams over to the federal government. Therefore, the repeal of the WOTUS Rule helps to protect landowners from losing the authority over their own land.

“Louisiana cannot afford to waste tax dollars on environmental rules designed to give the federal government authority over state, local, and private lands without any benefit to the environment,” said General Landry. “This overreach from the beginning was about federal control, not the environment.”

AG Landry has been a leader in defending the State against job-killing federal environmental overreach initiated by the prior administration including challenging the Clean Power Plan, the Methane Rules, and the Risk Management Plan Rules. 

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The states joining Louisiana in support of the EPA's actions are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.