BREAKING: Federal Court Sides With Pruitt, Blocks WOTUS Rule Nationwide 

Federal Court Grants Attorney General Pruitt Request to Block Implementation of WOTUS Rule Nationwide 
OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Scott Pruitt on Friday said a federal appeals court granted a request by his office and 17 other states to block the implementation of the EPA’s “waters of the United States” rule nationwide. 
In a published decision, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Oklahoma and the other states proved they were likely to succeed on the merits of their various lawsuits challenging the rule, known as the WOTUS rule. The court said staying enforcement of the rule “temporarily silences the whirlwind of confusion” caused by the WOTUS rule and “honors the policy of cooperative federalism” by returning power to the states. This is the second federal court to decide that the WOTUS rule is likely unlawful; no court has decided otherwise. 

“The WOTUS rule is a devastating blow to private property rights and is an unlawful power grab by the EPA over virtually all bodies of water in the United States. Oklahoma and other states, as well as several private-sector groups, are challenging this unlawful rule. Until those legal challenges are settled, it’s entirely appropriate that the federal courts block implementation of the WOTUS rule. This is certainly a win for Oklahoma, but the legal fight moves forward as we work diligently to roll back WOTUS. My office will continue its effort to protect Oklahomans from the harmful effects of the WOTUS rule,” Attorney General Pruitt said.

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