Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway says he’s filing a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over the regulation of waterways.
Conway announced Tuesday that he’ll join other state attorneys general asking a federal court to block the new EPA rules.
At issue are regulations finalized by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers in May that the government says will clarify which waterways in the country are subject to the Clean Water Act.
EPA administrator Gina McCarthy says the changes would lead to government regulation of just three percent more land.
But Conway and other opponents are asking that a federal court block the new rules, claiming they amount to an unlawful expansion of the government’s control over local streams, lands, and farms.
Conway is the Democratic candidate for governor, and faces Republican Matt Bevin in the November general election.
Conway’s position is similar to the one held by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said the EPA regulations would force homeowners and farmers to deal with increased federal bureaucracy and apply for permits before building fences and using fertilizers.
