On the recordMay 18, 2015
Mr. Speaker, in 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a rule that would significantly broaden the Federal Government's power to regulate waters and adjacent lands under the Clean Water Act. The Waters of the United States rule would give the Federal Government jurisdiction over puddles, roadside ditches, irrigation ditches, and storm and wastewater systems. Federal agencies frequently place burdensome regulations on the American public, and this rule is no exception. Fortunately, last week, the House passed H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, which would require the agencies to start over and develop a new rule in consultation with State and local governments and other stakeholders. This commonsense legislation prevents an out-of-touch administration from threatening the livelihood of North Carolina's farmers and saddling local governments with exorbitant compliance costs. ____________________
