Congressman Andy Barr released the following statement today after the House passed H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014, which prevents overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency, reinforces the Clean Water Act of 1972, and upholds the federal-state partnership to regulate America's waters:
"Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers issued a rule vastly expanding the definition of waters regulated by the Clean Water Act to cover every stream, pond, wetland, and even dry ditches (they could potentially fill with rain water!) across this country. The result of this blatant regulatory overreach would require any private citizen seeking to divert a stream or a pond on their own land, any construction firm building a road, or any farmer irrigating their crops to obtain a complicated permit which could take months or years to acquire, or face tens of thousands of dollars in fines per each they are in violation of this flawed, one-size-fits-all rule.
"That’s why I am glad to support today’s House-passage of H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, which is a commonsense bill to prevent this disastrous rulemaking and require the federal government to consult with and consider the suggestions of our state and local representative before drafting a new rule regulating our nation’s waters."
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