Attorney General Chris Carr announced that Georgia has joined a 20-state coalition in requesting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to preserve the role of the States in protecting our nation’s water resources.

“Georgia, like many other States, believes that the 2015 WOTUS Rule is unlawful and that it would have significant consequences for homeowners, farmers and other entities, including requiring them to obtain costly permits and comply with complex federal mandates to perform everyday tasks,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “In our letter, we write to suggest how the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can write a rule that protects the States’ traditional role as primary regulators of land and water resources within their borders.” 

The coalition filed its letter Monday as part of the EPA’s ongoing review of its 2015 rule defining “waters of the United States” (the WOTUS Rule). In the letter, the attorneys general explained that the existing rule is an unlawful regulatory overreach, and they offered alternatives that would better respect the States’ traditional authority going forward.

Georgia signed onto the letter, led by West Virginia and Wisconsin, along with the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.