State Reaction to EPA Regulation Roll Back

Ricketts Praises EPA’s Deregulation Announcement: “Common-Sense is Back”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after it announced 31 deregulatory actions. Ricketts said the following:

“Biden’s EPA was a rogue agency. It disregarded the Supreme Court’s ruling and attempted to subvert our laws. It consistently overrode the concerns of farmers, ranchers, and small business owners across the country. Our producers deserve clear, consistent standards, not overregulation. Today’s announcement proves that common-sense is back. This is what unleashing American energy looks like.”

Among the actions announced were:

-Reconsideration of the so-called “Clean Power Plan 2.0” which added burdensome regulations on power plants;
-Reconsideration of regulations and standards targeting fossil fuels;
-Reconsideration of mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting (GHG) Program that imposed significant costs on the American energy supply;
-Reconsideration of light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicle regulations that provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle (EV) mandate;
-Overhauling Biden-Harris Administration’s “Social Cost of Carbon”;
-Redirecting enforcement resources to EPA’s core mission to relieve the economy of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens that drive up costs for American consumers;
-Terminating Biden’s Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency (EJ/DEI);
Ending the so-called “Good Neighbor Plan” which the Biden-Harris Administration used to expand federal rules to more states and sectors and attacked our domestic natural gas industry. 
 

Gov. Pillen Encouraged by Announcement to Review WOTUS Rule
LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen says he is encouraged that a review and subsequent changes to a rule defining waters of the United States or WOTUS, will result in benefits to Nebraska farmers, ranchers, developers, businesses and landowners. Gov. Pillen was among a group of governors, who in early 2023, objected to the revised definition and sent a letter to then-President Biden calling its implementation problematic.

“We finally need clarity and consistency in this area and ultimately, alignment with the latest ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. Today’s announcement by EPA Administrator Zeldin is a step in the right direction and will eliminate the needless and over-regulation that has impeded landowners and agriculture.”   

Evaluation of WOTUS was one of more than 30 actions announced today through the EPA aimed at slashing regulations and reducing costs to American taxpayers.