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Army Corps delays plan to charge for U.S. reservoir water

Bismarck, N.D. • The Trump administration has delayed an Obama-era proposal that could allow the federal government to charge for water drawn from reservoirs it manages.

Army Assistant Secretary for Civil Works R.D. James says in a memo Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will delay the Water Supply Rule “for a minimum of six months to better integrate input from stakeholders.”

Attorneys general from a dozen western states sent a letter last month to the Trump administration asking that the proposal be withdrawn.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem headed the effort backed by attorneys general from Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Stenehjem says the rule usurps states’ authority over their own water.


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By The Associated Press