Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding to me to speak on this important topic. Most Americans can agree that the Federal Government is very good at creating regulations and making what should often be a simple process extremely complicated. In recent years, Federal permitting regulations have been some of the most overbearing and burdensome of regulations. Landmark environmental protection laws, like the National Environmental Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act have become outdated and grown far too expansive. It is now nearly impossible to secure permits in a timely, efficient, and reasonable manner. From energy and mining projects to infrastructure development and forest management, burdensome and duplicative permitting processes have slowed or halted development throughout rural America. Iowans are all too familiar with the overregulated government permitting process. One such example is the cumbersome and unworkable 2015 waters of the United States rule, also known as WOTUS. {time} 2000 Under the 2015 definition, the Federal government was given the authority to regulate almost any waters, including streams, ditches, ponds, and creeks. In fact, the Federal Government would have the authority to regulate water on 97 percent of the land in Iowa. Let me repeat that: 97 percent of the land in Iowa. This left farmers, ranchers, landowners, and businesses to face confusion and burdensome restrictions on how to use their own property.…”