House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, announced he is an original sponsor of legislation introduced April 13 by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., and the Transportation Committee’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, to stop the Environmental Protection Agency’s “waters of the U.S.” proposed rule.
On March 17, the Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee heard testimony on the devastating impact this rule would have on rural America.
“The United States Supreme Court twice rebuked EPA for overstepping its bounds but, unfortunately, the Obama administration’s response was to double down,” Conaway said. “In its current form, this rule continues EPA’s massive overreach, leading to exorbitant permitting costs, red tape, and even effective loss of property use for landowners. This could happen even when the land or water in question has no impact on navigable or interstate waters meant to be protected under the law, including virtually every farm ditch and pond in this country. I’m proud to be a cosponsor of The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 to stop EPA’s power grab.”