Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt told lawmakers Tuesday that the EPA has sent its repeal of the Waters of the U.S. rule to the federal register, beginning the process of ending the regulation. During a Senate budget hearing Tuesday, Pruitt told lawmakers the measure was being sent to the federal register the same day. The formal withdrawal of the …
Water Management District Offers Online Updates on Reservoir
from News Service of Florida Progress on a controversial reservoir intended to help clean South Florida waterways can now be followed via an interactive map provided by the South Florida Water Management District. The website outlines where the reservoir — about 18,000-acres — will be located within the Everglades Agricultural Area south of Lake Okeechobee. So far, water management officials …
Groups Applaud EPA Proposed Rule To Repeal WOTUS
American Farm Bureau Federation The following statement may be attributed to Zippy Duvall, president, American Farm Bureau Federation: “Farmers and ranchers across this country are cheering EPA’s proposal to ditch its flawed Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. We know the importance of clean water, and farmers and ranchers work hard to protect our natural resources every day. “But this …
Conaway Praises EPA Repeal of WOTUS, Calls for Continued Work to Protect Farmers and Ranchers
House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) praised the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement it is repealing the Obama administration’s waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and called on other agencies to revise and re-evaluate their enforcement of this onerous provision. Following the EPA’s announcement, Chairman Conaway made the below remarks: “WOTUS has never been about clean water, it …
UF Water Institute Gets $5 Million Grant to Aid Region’s Agriculture, Environment
by Beverly James, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences The University of Florida Water Institute has received a $5 million, five- year grant to promote water security for the region’s farmers, foresters, and the environment. The Water Institute, a campus-wide interdisciplinary Institute, received the grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture program. …
Water Rights Protection Act Offers Relief from Federal Water Extortion
The Water Rights Protection Act, introduced in the House, could bring U.S. ranchers much-needed relief from ongoing efforts by the federal government to extort privately held water rights from law-abiding citizens, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. “It’s time to put a stop to federal strong-arming of ranchers by a government that owns the majority of the land for …
EPA Working to Rescind Waters of U.S. Rule, Then Replace It
An EPA official says EPA will first work to rescind the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and then gather information for a replacement for that rule. Gary Crawford has the details. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
Appeals Court Rejects Caloosahatchee Water Case
by Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida A federal appeals court Monday rejected a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ management of water flowing from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River caused pollution problems in the Southwest Florida waterway. A three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based appeals court — in a case described in one document as a …
New Forecast Tools for Tropical Storm Preparations
With all eyes on the tropics this week, information is out concerning new storm surge and wind forecast models. According to a story from Rod Bain, these new models should increase emergency preparedness for those potentially in the path of a tropical storm or hurricane. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: …
Critical Agricultural Water Resources Issues
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 14 grants totaling more than $9 million to help solve critical water problems in rural and agricultural watersheds across the United States. The grants are funded through the Water for Agriculture Challenge Area of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, authorized by the 2014 Farm …