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Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after blocking an amendment introduced by Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) to the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016, that sought to strip the Gosar requested rider included in the base bill which prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) from using any appropriated funds to carry out the new “Waters of the United States (WOTUS)” regulation:
“WOTUS is a terrible Washington mandate put forth by the EPA and this administration that will have disastrous effects and economic consequences for agriculture, small businesses, property owners, municipalities and water users throughout the country.
“The EPA claims this new regulation was ‘shaped by public input.’ Yet, we recently learned that the EPA used taxpayer dollars to unleash a propaganda campaign in an attempt to rally comments and support for its WOTUS regulation, despite the Anti-Lobbying Act which bans such actions. I am proud the House stood firm again today and blocked a misguided amendment that would have allowed EPA’s water grab to move forward.”
Background
Congressman Gosar spoke against the amendment offered by Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) that would have struck Sec. 422 from the final version of the bill and removed the Gosar funding rider request. The Lawrence amendment was defeated by a voice vote.
The funding rider request that was made by Congressman Gosar and 103 other members of Congress to Chairmen Calvert and Simpson and Ranking Members McCollum and Kaptur of the House Appropriations Committee, can be found HERE.
On January 28, 2015, Congressman Gosar introduced H.R. 594, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, which can be found HERE. This bill prohibits the EPA and U.S. Corps of Engineering from “developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing” the proposed rule and any successor document, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance.
On March 25, 2014, the EPA and the Corps of Engineers released a proposed rule that would assert Clean Water Act jurisdiction over nearly all areas with even the slightest of connections to water resources, including man-made conveyances.
On May 12, 2015, the House passed H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, by a vote of 261-155. This critical legislation requires the EPA and Corps of Engineers to formally withdraw the agencies’ proposed rule that would redefine WOTUS and any subsequent final rule. Congressman Gosar joined the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Bill Shuster in introducing this bill. Click HERE to read more.
More than 200 organizations and local municipalities have publicly declared their opposition to the proposed WOTUS rule.
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