Rep. Gosar Joins Chairman Shuster in Introducing New Bill to Stop EPA's Water Grab

Statement

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after joining the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Bill Shuster (PA-09) in introducing the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act:

"I applaud Chairman Shuster's leadership and I'm proud to join him in introducing legislation that will protect precious water resources for millions of Americans from an overreaching federal government.
The blatant attempt by the Obama Administration to unilaterally expand their jurisdiction over more water through the WOTUS proposed rule violates not only previous Supreme Court rulings, but also undermines the federal-state partnership that has been incredibly successful to date.

"This continued push to expand bureaucratic control over our water would be especially harmful for Arizona jobs and rural economies. This legislation builds on the momentum we were able to establish with my Regulatory Overreach Protection Act and formally requires the withdrawal of the proposed rule that was recently sent to OMB for review.

"It is unthinkable that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not consult with the people most impacted by this overreaching rule before offering such a sweeping proposal. Leaving states, local officials and local stakeholders out of the discussion is the primary reason WOTUS is so flawed. Americans can't afford to let our precious water resources fall victim to the Obama Administration's ever expanding and harmful big government takeover. I am pleased to see the Committee of jurisdiction taking action to address this overreach and I'm honored that the Chairman reached out and asked me to join this effort."

Upon introducing the bill, Chairman Shuster added, "The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act will ensure the state and federal partnership remains strong and allows for a transparent rulemaking process in the future."

Source