FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS ADVISORY
June 11, 2018
Steve Marshall
For More Information, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Alabama Attorney General
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Page 1 of 1
ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL ANNOUNCES ALABAMA AND MULTI-
STATE COALITION SUCCEED IN WINNING INJUNCTION AGAINST UNLAWFUL
‘WOTUS RULE’
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that Alabama and 10 other
states succeeded in their motion to obtain a preliminary injunction against the federal
government’s implementation of its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to vastly expand
Environmental Protection Agency control over private lands. The federal district court
decision, handed down late Friday, blocks the controversial WOTUS rule in 11 states, including
Alabama.
“The federal district court decision is yet another major victory in the three-year legal battle to
protect Alabama property owners from an unlawful land grab,” said Attorney General Steve
Marshall. “The WOTUS rule, drafted by the Obama administration, is an unprecedented
attempt to broaden the reach of federal environmental regulators to include just about any
backyard mudhole or ditch. Furthermore, the rule infringes on the States’ traditional role as
primary regulators of land and water resources within their borders.
“One of the first lawsuits filed against the WOTUS rule was in the Southern District of Georgia
by a small coalition of states, including Alabama. On Friday, that Court decided in favor of our
motion for a preliminary injunction halting the enforcement of WOTUS while our lawsuit
progresses. The Court also agrees our coalition of states is likely to succeed on the merits of our
claims, including that the 2015 WOTUS Rule violates the Clean Water Act and the
Administrative Procedure Act.”
The 11-state coalition affected by the court ruling includes Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Indiana,
Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the
Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Click here for a copy of the court ruling.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov
