President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday ordering the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider the Waters of the U.S. rule.

“President Trump’s executive order to ditch the Waters of the U.S. rule is a welcome relief to farmers and ranchers across the country today," said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.

“The flawed WOTUS rule has proven to be nothing more than a federal land grab, aimed at telling farmers and ranchers how to run their businesses. The Environmental Protection Agency failed to listen to farmers’ and ranchers’ concerns when drafting the rule and instead created widespread confusion for agriculture. Under the rule, the smallest pond or ditch could be declared a federal waterway.

“Farmers and ranchers have been calling for a common-sense approach to regulatory reform, and today the Trump administration responded to that call," Duvall continued. "EPA has too long been characterized by regulatory overreach that disregards the positive conservation efforts of farmers and threatens their very way of life. Today’s action is as much a beginning as an end, and there is much work to do to ensure that any revised rule is transparent and fair for America’s farmers and ranchers.”

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the executive order will restore the state's role in water regulation.

“EPA intends to immediately implement the executive order and submit a notice to the Office of the Federal Register announcing our intent to review the 2015 rule, and then to propose a new rule that will rescind or revise that rule," Pruitt said.

The American Soybean Growers Association praised Trump's actions.

"Our concern with the rule has always been about the nonspecific and overly broad nature of the rule as written, and never about the paramount goal of cleaner water and more environmentally sound farming practices," said ASA president Ron Moore, who farms in western Illinois. "We believe that farmers can be a productive voice in the discussion over water regulation, and we look for a seat at the table, because as farmers, our primary goals are the healthy soils and clean water that sustain us from growing season to growing season."

Sources: AFBF, EPA, ASA

What others are saying: 

The rule has been a top target for the GOP on Capitol Hill for more than two years. – Washington Examiner

Trump can not rescind the rule outright, that has to be done through formal regulatory process. – Townhall

The rule went into effect in August 2015, but 13 states sued blocking the regulation in those states. – Digital Journal