Meet The New WOTUS. Same As The Old WOTUS. (Video)

Earlier this week, EPA and the ACOE began implementing the Trump administration's efforts to deconstruct the Obama rule defining "Waters of the United States" under the Clean Water Act.  EPA and the ACOE submitted for Federal Register publication a proposed rule that would temporarily restore the WOTUS definition that existed prior to the promulgation of the Obama rule in 2015, while they go about drafting a narrower definition.

The overall effort to undue the WOTUS rule is obviously important, but I have to confess, simple country environmental lawyer that I am, that I find this proposal mostly just puzzling.  I would of course hate to think that anyone acting at the behest of the President would do anything disingenuous, but it's hard to think of a different word here.  The proposal states that its intent is to reduce uncertainty in the regulatory community.  However, one point on which all sides agreed prior to promulgation of the 2015 rule is that the status