The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) has welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) withdrawal of the 2015 Waters of the US (WOTUS) rule.
NSSGA environmental committee chairman Mark Williams of Luck Companies, says: “We are pleased to see EPA take the positive step forward of withdrawing the flawed 2015 WOTUS rule. The 2015 rule caused great confusion by controlling dry streambeds and man-made features far from flowing waters, making permitting aggregates operations more difficult, impacting vital infrastructure projects.”
The EPA issued a proposed WOTUS rule to replace this one in late 2018. The NSSGA supports many of the improvements EPA made in the 2018 proposal.
NSSGA CEO Michael W. Johnson, says: “EPA’s withdrawal is a necessary step. Our focus must remain on getting the WOTUS rule right to provide necessary protections while also providing aggregates producers the regulatory certainty in which to plan and operate their businesses. EPA’s proposed rule, issued in December 2018, provides many improvements over the flawed 2015 rule. NSSGA members have led on this issue and will continue to work with the administration and Congress to get the rule right in the end.”
