On the recordSeptember 9, 2014
I thank the chairman. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule and passage of H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014. This legislation would stop another unlawful regulatory overreach by the EPA which, in this case, would expand the definition of the waters of the United States. We have all seen that this administration believes it can bypass Congress to create laws through executive rulemaking, and it is flatout wrong. The administration's proposed rule could have damaging effects on American property rights, particularly those in Alabama's largest economic sector, agriculture. Expanding the role of the EPA, as this proposed rule does, to enforce almost all bodies of water, including puddles, small ponds, and ditches, will have a profound and, I fear, a very negative impact on those who produce our Nation's food and fiber. As we approach the 227th anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, I want to remind my colleagues that the Constitution created three separate but equal branches of government. The Congress writes the laws, not the executive branch. This is an issue the Congress of elected officials must address, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington. I urge my colleagues to stand for common sense and support H.R. 5078.
