Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
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BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA. The ruling, in favor of the plaintiff, narrows the scope of federal regulation over Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision finally makes clear what we’ve known all along, that the Clean Water Act was never intended to regulate puddles. The Court was right to rein in the EPA’s quest to regulate to the rain drop. Now, the Biden administration must withdraw their Waters of the United States rule in light of the decision and stop trying to circumvent the law. I am hopeful this case puts a stop to the unworkable regulatory ping pong which North Dakotans and landowners have been subjected to for far too long.”
Background:
Last year, Senator Cramer and 200 of his Congressional colleagues filed an amicus brief supporting Sackett v. EPA petitioners, as the case has major implications for the enforcement of the Clean Water Act, including WOTUS.
In February 2022, Senator Cramer and his Republican EPW colleagues sent a letter requesting the Biden administration halt its plans to finalize WOTUS until the Supreme Court decided Sackett v. EPA. Weeks earlier, he joined a related effort alongside Senator John Thune (R-SD).