Alan Simpson: “I appreciate the gentleman for yielding. Yes, it is true that this was written in 1977. The law has stayed the same…”

“I appreciate the gentleman for yielding. Yes, it is true that this was written in 1977. The law has stayed the same since 1977. That doesn't mean that the interpretation of the law by agencies has been the same since then, and that interpretation has changed over time. In recent years, the Corps and the EPA have changed the implementation of these provisions to significantly reduce the application of the statutory exemptions. This language in the underlying bill is intended to get us back to the original intent of the law. That is all it is meant to do is get back to the original intent of the law. If the gentleman is correct and they are interpreting the law the same as they have for 40 years, then this wouldn't be necessary. But the fact is that is not the case. They have been changing the way they implement this law. This is meant to get us back to the original intent, and, therefore, I must oppose the amendment that would strike this language. Mr. LaMALFA. How much time do I have remaining, Mr. Chairman? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California has 5 seconds remaining. Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”