(NDDA.com) – A preliminary injunction has been granted halting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from implementing or enforcing the newly revised definition of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) in North Dakota and 23 other states.

U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland put the injunction in place today, stopping the new 2023 WOTUS rule, pending the outcome of the lawsuit filed by the 24-state coalition in U.S. District Court in North Dakota.

“I applaud the decision today by Judge Hovland,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “North Dakota properly, sensibly and consistently protects the waters of our state. The revised WOTUS definition is a blatant overreach of authority that significantly and unlawfully expands federal control over our state’s sovereign land and water resources.”

The 23 other states where the injunction is in place due to today’s court decision are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Texas and Idaho were previously granted an injunction in March, halting the rule there as well.