Washington, D.C. (December 11, 2018)–The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) today commended the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) for releasing a revised rule defining what constitutes a “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) for purposes of the Clean Water Act. The action comes over a year and a half after the Trump Administration withdrew the Obama-era WOTUS rule, which contained an overly broad definition of a WOTUS and would have imposed onerous federal regulations on farms and ranches across the country.
“The new rule released today rids the WOTUS definition of the broad federal overreach embodied in the rule written by the previous administration,” said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of NCFC. “With this action, the Trump administration is continuing its commitment to defending farmers, ranchers and growers from burdensome and costly regulations that result in little impact on the environment.”
About NCFC
Since 1929, NCFC has been the voice of America’s farmer cooperatives. Our members are regional and national farmer cooperatives, which are in turn composed of nearly 3,000 local farmer cooperatives across the country. NCFC members also include 26 state and regional councils of cooperatives. Farmer cooperatives allow individual farmers the ability to own and lead organizations that are essential for continued competitiveness in both the domestic and international markets.
America’s farmer-owned cooperatives provide a comprehensive array of services for their members. These diverse organizations handle, process and market virtually every type of agricultural commodity. They also provide farmers with access to infrastructure necessary to manufacture, distribute and sell a variety of farm inputs. Additionally, they provide credit and related financial services, including export financing.
