Representative Jackie Walorski (IN-02) issued the following statement after the House voted to disapprove the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule by passing a bill that would nullify the rule:
“President Obama continues to ignore the will of hardworking Hoosiers by expanding government regulation over ponds, ditches, and streams across Indiana. This rule will have serious consequences for our economy, threaten jobs, and significantly restrict the ability of Hoosiers to make decisions about their property. I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that farmers, manufacturers, and others aren’t jeopardized by an overzealous bureaucracy and champion commonsense legislation that protects Hoosiers from excessive EPA regulations.”
S. J. Res. 22, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the definition of “waters of the United States” under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. The resolution passed the House by a vote of 253-166 and now heads to the president’s desk.
Congress enacted the Clean Water Act in 1972 to establish a federal-state partnership to protect our nation’s waterways. Despite the partnership established under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the limits to federal authority, the Obama administration has decided to increase the federal government’s scope of federal jurisdiction under the CWA. Last year, Walorski supported the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act (H.R. 1732), which required the EPA to withdraw the rule and mandated the EPA work with local entities to develop a new set of fair standards.
