The Biden administration issued a finalized Water of the U.S. rule at the end of the year. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Council Mary Thomas-Hart says there are pros and cons to the decision. “This rule gave us really helpful ag exemptions for stock ponds and drainage ditches, but the rule does leave open the possibility of finding federal jurisdiction over isolated cases.” Hart says the ruling creates uncertainty and comes at a bad time with the Supreme Court is currently considering Sackett versus EPA. “The administration’s goal was to provide a pre-2015 status quo, but it actually created a lot of regulatory uncertainty.”
