On the recordSeptember 7, 2017
Since day one, everything about EPA's waters of the U.S. rule has been flawed. The Obama administration claimed that it was not expanding the waters under their jurisdiction, but we know that more permits will be required. {time} 1915 The Obama administration claimed that the rule was based on sound science but only released to science after publishing the rule. The previous administration changed the name to call this the clean water rule and took to social media to lobby the public, which led to questions about whether the EPA violated law, which the GAO later confirmed. It was clear the previous administration had an agenda to implement a rule, and they weren't going to be told otherwise. Thankfully, the Sixth Circuit Court put a stay on that rule. The language of the FY18 bill authorizes the withdrawal of the Waters of the U.S. rule and seeks to bring resolution to the issue. The language in this bill is consistent with the steps the new administration has already taken. For that and many other reasons, I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
