Carper Statement on Biden Administration Action to Provide Certainty on WOTUS Definition

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today issued the following statement on the Biden administration’s proposed rule to re-establish the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) while it considers future regulatory action.

“I commend the Biden administration for taking this necessary and important step toward a more enduring definition for waters of the United States,” said Carper. “Doing so paves the way for EPA and the Army Corps to develop a definition that provides certainty and better protects our nation’s precious waters and wetlands, while also supporting economic opportunity and industries that depend on clean water. We deserve a WOTUS rule that can stand the test of time and I’m encouraged by the administration’s thoughtful approach here.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. District Court for Arizona vacated and remanded the previous administration’s so-called Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR). Following the court’s ruling, Carper, along with Senators Cardin, Sanders, Markey, Merkley, and Padilla, called on the administration to also formally dismantle the rule through rulemaking.