The 2015 WOTUS rule is dead! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers Thursday issued the final rule to scrap the 2015 Waters of the United States rule. In response to the announcement, TSCRA president Robert McKnight, Jr. said, “final repeal of the 2015 WOTUS rule by the EPA and Army Corps is a tremendous victory for cattle raisers. After years of court battles and an unpredictable patchwork of regulations, it’s about time that we put this behind us and get back to the business of raising the beef our nation needs.” The full statement is available here.

TSCRA leaders and staff will continue to engage with the EPA and Army Corps on the rewrite. A revised version that is more narrowly tailored and less burdensome to ranchers and landowners is expected in December or January.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) is once again at the forefront in Washington. Congress returned from their month long August vacation last week to mounting pressure to pass the deal. TSCRA is actively advocating for the U.S. House of Representatives to approve the trade deal as soon as possible because it is so important for Texas and the entire U.S. cattle industry. We started a multi-week social media campaign urging passage. Be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter and share our #USMCAnow posts.

TSCRA government affairs staff were at ranch gatherings across the state again this week to provide updates. Keep up with upcoming events at tscra.org/events. Also, be sure to register for the TSCRA Policy Conference in San Antonio from Sept. 25-27. The Policy Conference is where we develop the association policy that guides government and public affairs staff on what issues we work on in Washington and Austin. It’s a great time to get engaged!