CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey applauded a federal court’s decision to uphold the Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule. He issued the following statement:
“Today the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California agreed with the position of our West Virginia- and Georgia-led coalition of 23 states and denied a request to stop the Navigable Waters Protection Rule from going into effect on Monday.
“Our motion to intervene in this matter ensures that our nation maintains high water quality standards, while minimizing the regulatory and economic impact on farmers, job creators and land owners.
“This is an important victory at an early stage in this case that makes us even more confident about the strength of our position as the case moves forward.
“Upholding the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule, will give greater certainty to farmers and landowners with predictable and reasonable lines between waters subject to federal and state regulation.
“West Virginia and our partners contended the Trump administration’s rule strikes the proper balance between the roles of federal regulators and states in protecting land and water resources in that it shows respect for the primary responsibility and right of states to regulate their own water resources.
“The Trump administration rule also corrects flaws within the Obama-era regulation, which extended the authority of the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers far beyond what Congress intended and the Constitution permits.”
Attorney General Morrisey has been a national leader in fighting against the Obama-era regulation since its issuance in June 2015