The GCSAA, a golf course management organization, has joined the Waters Advocacy Coalition to support efforts to overturn EPA Waters of the United States rule, as it is currently proposed.

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Club Managers Association of America, Professional Golfers Association of America, American Society of Golf Course Architects, Golf Course Builders Association of America, National Club Association and National Golf Course Owners Association of America joined the Waters Advocacy Coalition, a coalition of more than 35 associations focused on educating federal and state policymakers about the broad array of issues associated with expanding federal Clean Water Act, CWA, jurisdiction.

In April 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jointly released a proposed rule to revise the definition of a Waters of the United States, WOTUS, for all CWA programs.

The definitional changes contained in the rule would significantly expand federal control of land and water resources in the U.S., triggering substantial additional permitting and regulatory requirements. The Waters Advocacy Coalition is focused on overturning the WOTUS rule as it is currently proposed.

Currently the Waters Advocacy Coalition is preparing to draft comments on behalf of its membership on the proposed rulemaking that will be supplemented by legal and economic analyses. The golf industry will also submit its own public comment to the federal docket on the proposed WOTUS rule. Waters Advocacy Coalition will continue to hold Congressional briefings communicating the legal and practical issues with the proposed rulemaking to staff and members. GCSAA and its allied partners will continue to talk with Members of Congress about the impact of the rule on golf course development, construction and management.

For more information about WOTUS, please click here. To learn more about the Waters Advocacy Coalition and the GCSAA, please visit gcsaa.org.

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