Press Releases

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held an oversight hearing on recent actions by the Obama Administration to alter longstanding water rights and eliminate multiple land and water uses for public and private lands:

“On June 2, 2014, I co-hosted a joint field hearing in Arizona on the EPA’s proposed rule to expand the definition of "navigable waters" of the United States. That hearing provided some great insights from real people in Arizona who will be negatively impacted by a rule made by bureaucrats here in Washington D.C.

“Today’s hearing reinforced the concerns I heard from my constituents about the EPA’s latest proposed water grab. This new proposed regulation would be devastating for family farms and would create burdensome new hurdles for other job creators and small business across the country.

“This EPA overreach is just another effort by an Obama Administration that has shown no interest in working with the legislative branch and continues to circumvent longstanding legal precedents that directly contradict aspects of four U.S. Supreme Court decisions. These decisions have restrained federal agencies and imposed limits on the extent of federal Clean Water Act authority which the EPA is now trying to dismantle.”

Video of Congressman Gosar’s remarks at today’s hearing can be found HERE.

Additionally, 43 lawmakers sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warning that the U.S. Forest Service’s recently proposed Groundwater Resource Management Directive will restrict access to public lands and interfere with state and private water rights.  That letter can be found HERE.

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