{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rounds-revised-wotus-rule-a-win-for-landowners-ag-community-and-states-rights", "Rounds: Revised WOTUS Rule a Win for Landowners, Ag Community & States\u2019 Rights", "2018-12-11", "2018", "2018-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "Mike Rounds", "R000605", "www.rounds.senate.gov", "rounds", "https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today joined Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and other stakeholders in announcing a revised \u2018Waters of the U.S.\u2019 rule.\n\n\u201cThe revised WOTUS rule gives farmers, ranchers and landowners the certainty they need to know when the Clean Water Act applies to them and when it does not,\u201d said Rounds. \u201cIn providing this clarity from the onset, it removes Washington bureaucrats from making ambiguous decisions on land which they aren\u2019t familiar with, as landowners are. Additionally, the rule works with landowners to strengthen water safety \u2013 rather than saddle them with unnecessary burdens with little to no benefit to the environment and our water supply. It also respects states\u2019 rights, recognizing that state and tribal governments have a right to regulate and manage their land and water resources themselves.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs it was previously written, the WOTUS rule would have been one of the largest federal land grabs in U.S. history. It would have required farmers, ranchers and landowners to spend countless hours filling out burdensome paperwork to get permits from the federal government just to conduct normal agricultural activities or spray for weeds along our county roads. I thank the administration for recognizing the damage the previous administration\u2019s WOTUS rule would have on agricultural operations and job creators. I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this commonsense proposal forward.\u201d\n\nA 60-day public comment period now begins for anyone to weigh in on the proposal. Those who may be affected by the WOTUS rule can offer their thoughts on EPA\u2019s website HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-27T23:11:43Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rounds-revised-wotus-rule-a-win-for-landowners-ag-community-and-states-rights"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7268939409404993, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}