New EPA Water Rule May Be Challenged in Court

A Clinton administration plan to curb water pollution run-off by farmers and other land-owners in defiance of Congress may be challenged in court, industry groups said.

The American Chemistry Council said it would "seek all appropriate remedies" to the controversial regulation announced on Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

A spokesman for the House Committee on Agriculture said the agency's decision to push ahead with the rule had "opened them to a variety of actions from several fronts."

Nearly half the members of Congress already have co-sponsored legislation to block the EPA rule.

The national EPA plan will require states to help identify polluted waters, pinpoint farms, companies and other sources of run-off pollution, and prepare clean-up plans.

The American Farm Bureau Federation's board of directors voted to take action against finalisation within 30 days.

SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency