EPA Administrator Michael Regan has agreed to appear before the House Ag Committee, panel chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson announced, though he said there is no date set yet for Regan’s hearing. Panel members will have several topics they will seek comments on from Regan, including the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule EPA unveiled in December ahead of a Supreme Court ruling expected later this year, biofuel policy and pesticide regulation, among other topics.
Regarding WOTUS, Regan told a House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Tuesday that EPA’s rule might have to be modified based on the upcoming Supreme Court decision. “I think we are ahead of the curve in terms of having the framework for moving forward,” Regan said. “The Sackett case may or may not have some impact on that. Whatever that ruling is, we will build it in and continue to move in addition to those exemptions that we built in.”
Regan conceded that “trying to regulate streams and rivers and ponds and ditches in North Carolina and Nevada is almost impossible.” But he added that EPA’s rule was guided by the statutory requirements imposed on it by the Clean Water Act, and that the agency made several exemptions to help the agricultural sector.
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