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N.D. (AP) – Members of North Dakota’s congressional delegation are applauding a ruling by a federal appeals court in Cincinnati that blocks nationwide an Obama administration rule giving the federal government jurisdiction over some smaller waterways.

Sen. John Hoeven says the ruling by the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals builds on an August ruling by a federal judge in North Dakota blocking the rule in 13 states that sued.

Lawsuits to block the regulation are pending across the country. Rep. Kevin Cramer says the Sixth Circuit decision “is another battle won in the long war” to repeal the rule.

The government issued the regulations in May after two Supreme Court rulings left uncertain which waterways can be protected under the Clean Water Act. States challenging the rules say they go too far.