Landscape Architect Articles

Anti-WOTUS Bill Moves Forward in the House 04-23-15 | News

Anti-WOTUS Bill Moves Forward in the House

The Waters of the United States rule earlier proposed by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers is being challenged by a bill that would require the withdrawal of the proposal and the development of a new one.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed what is termed the "Regulatory Integrity Protection Act" in an attempt to counteract the proposed Waters of the United States rule that many fear would place unreasonable constraints on what can be done to man-made lakes, golf course water hazards, ditches or areas that have flowing water during heavy storms.

According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals (formerly PLANET), activities such as removing debris and vegetation from a ditch, applying fertilizer or pesticides, building a fence or pond and developing certain areas of land may be heavily restricted under WOTUS.

The new bill, if passed and signed into law, will require the the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw their proposal and come up with a new one with input from state and local governments and other affected stakeholders.

NALP believes that WOTUS, "will create confusion and make it difficult for landscape professionals to know if they are complying with the law," and subject them to potential litigation for wrongdoing. Because of this, the organization is requesting those in the green industry to contact their federal congressional representatives and express support for the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act.