FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Aug. 28, 2015
CONTACT: Laramie Adams
Cell: 512-922-7328
Fort Worth, Texas – Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) President Pete Bonds today made the following statement on the North Dakota federal court decision on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule:
“TSCRA applauds the North Dakota federal judge’s decision to block the EPA water rule from going into effect,” said Bonds. “Ranchers and landowners across the country have raised serious concerns about this rule and have worried about their private property rights being taken by the federal government. Even the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), which shares jurisdiction over the rule, finds the scientific basis of the rule severely flawed.
“The EPA is interpreting the court decision to apply only to the 13 states involved in the litigation, however there is a strong case being built to prove the ruling applies to the entire U.S. If the EPA water rule does not work for 13 states, there is no way it will work for the rest of the country.
“This court ruling, along with the many concerns raised by relevant stakeholders, should compel the EPA to scrap the WOTUS rule for the entire U.S. and start over with ranchers and landowners at the table.
“TSCRA will continue fighting against the federal government’s agenda-driven plan to expand its jurisdiction over our nation’s land and resources. We encourage state and federal elected officials to do everything in their power to force the EPA to eliminate the flawed WOTUS rule.”
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TSCRA is a 138-year-old trade association and is the largest and oldest livestock organization based in Texas. TSCRA has more than 17,000 beef cattle operations, ranching families and businesses as members. These members represent approximately 50,000 individuals directly involved in ranching and beef production who manage 4 million head of cattle on 76 million acres of range and pasture land primarily in Texas and Oklahoma, but throughout the Southwest.