Clean Water Rule: Pruitt Stars In Industry Video Promoting WOTUS Repeal

"U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt appears in an agribusiness video urging farmers and ranchers to comment on the proposed repeal of the Obama-era Clean Water Rule, promoting the rollback of a regulation that he sued to stop as Oklahoma attorney general.

In the National Cattlemen's Beef Association video, Pruitt uses industry talking points to inaccurately describe the rule, also known as the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS). The 2015 regulation was aimed at clarifying which wetlands and small waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act.

The video directs viewers to BeefUSA.org for filing comments on the proposed repeal. The trade group's webpage says, 'Take Action Now — Tell EPA to Kill WOTUS.' It offers a link to the Federal Register and provides 'sample comments' that readers can 'copy and paste (or modify).'

Pruitt's role in the video has drawn the attention of experts in government ethics."

Ariel Wittenberg reports for Greenwire August 21, 2017.