House passes bill to stop Clean Water Act expansion

September 10, 2014 | By REED HOPPER

We have discussed recent efforts by the Corps of Engineers and EPA to expand the scope of the Clean Water Act beyond statutory, and even constitutional, limits in one of the largest power grabs in U.S. history.  See here and here.

In response to this agency overreach, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, by a vote of 262-152.  As explained here:

This legislation prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers from finalizing and enforcing a proposed rule that would redefine “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act, or using the rule as a basis for future administrative actions. It is the authority of Congress, not the administration, to change the scope of the Clean Water Act.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the Senate.

 

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