Alaska has joined 12 other states in asking a federal judge in Bismarck, North Dakota, to block a new rule that gives federal authorities jurisdiction over some state waters.
Alaska’s U.S. delegates have all protested the new Waters Of The United States rule. Senator Lisa Murkowski said it may give the federal government authority over everything from fields of permafrost to muddy puddles…
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said he was in the process of requesting a preliminary injunction Monday.
Those 13 states filed a lawsuit challenging the rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers in June.
They are challenging the rule saying it illegally expands the jurisdiction of those agencies under the federal Clean Water Act.
The injunction seeks to suspend the new rules, which would go into effect August 28, until a court can decide the case.
The states involved include Alaska, North Dakota, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota and Wyoming.
