Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, as the Clerk read, this would strike section 110 of this bill. This is a legislative rider that is bad policy and does not belong in an appropriations bill. This rider, 110, permanently blocks the Army Corps of Engineers from fixing existing policies that are confusing and inconsistent and not working. It risks great harm to fresh sources of drinking water, and it jeopardizes flood protection and outdoor recreation, specifically because section 110 prohibits the Army Corps from clarifying the limits of Federal and State authority under the Clean Water Act. Mr. Chairman, two Supreme Court cases over the last decade addressed the scope of the Federal Government's authority under the Clean Water Act. The Court's rulings did not require less regulation and protections, but urged the Congress and the executive branch to provide a sound rationale and consistency to clarify the limits of Federal authority. The Corps and the EPA have now issued draft guidance clarifying Federal authority that adheres to the Court's rules. Congress, by contrast, has not. With this rider, Congress is about to make matters much worse--worse because blocking completion of the guidance and any subsequent regulations which the bill's rider would do would be bad for the public's health, bad for businesses, and bad for farmers. It's especially bad for 117 million Americans whose drinking water comes from headwaters and non-perennial streams.…”