A video released by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association on the 2015 WOTUS rule video did not violate anti-lobbying and propoganda laws. On Thursday the Government Accountability Office concluded definitively that the video “did not violate the publicity or propaganda, grassroots lobbying, or Interior anti-lobbying provisions.”
“Radical environmental activists and their allies in Congress first requested this sham investigation to distract from the real issue: Their misguided support for the gravely flawed 2015 WOTUS rule,” said Colin Woodall, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “It is a shame to think about the wasted taxpayer dollars that were devoted to this report in a vain attempt by Representatives Cummings, DeFazio, McCollum, and Pallone to grab a few headlines. From the beginning, we have known there was absolutely nothing wrong with the EPA Administrator encouraging stakeholders to comment on a rule that impacts their livelihoods. We are glad to see this issue finally put to rest so that we can focus on killing the 2015 WOTUS rule once and for all.”
About a year ago, NCBA released a video on the 2015 WOTUS rule that featured an interview with then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Radical environmental groups cried foul, and House Representatives Elijah Cummings, Peter DeFazio, Betty McCollum, and Frank Pallone asked the GAO to investigate whether Pruitt’s appearance violated federal anti-lobbying and propaganda laws.
