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Newhouse Applauds House Passage of Legislation Blocking ‘Waters of the United States’ Rule

May 12, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after voting to support passage of H.R 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to withdraw the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. H.R. 1732 passed the House on a vote of 261—155. The bill gives EPA and the Corps 30 days to withdraw the current WOTUS rule and charges the agencies with developing a new proposal that balances the needs of agriculture, industry and the environment.

"As a third-generation farmer, providing good stewardship of our environment has always been important to me and my neighbors," said Rep. Newhouse. "Our nation's agricultural community has voluntarily innovated over the years to grow even more food in a sustainable way. Drafted without input from local stakeholders, the ‘Waters of the United States' rule is an attempted power grab to impose tighter controls over waters that the Clean Water Act never intended to regulate. WOTUS could be used to expand federal regulation over ponds, streams, or irrigation ditches in the middle of crop land, giving the EPA unprecedented say over what farmers can or can't do with their land. I applaud the House for approving legislation to stop the federal government's regulatory overreach in its tracks."