OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015

Floor Speech

Date: May 12, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Environment

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule is critically flawed and needs to be rewritten. After following the rule-making process very closely, I have no confidence that that the current rule will give any clarity for those who will be greatly impacted by this proposed rule. If anything, Mr. Speaker, the only clarity I can find in the proposed rule is that we will see an increase in the number of permits that the Corps of Engineers and EPA will need to issue for landowners to develop their land, and any litigation that may result.

The proposed rule would automatically regulate all tributaries that connect to a downstream water body and all streams and wetlands in floodplains or riparian areas of regulated water bodies unless they are deemed not navigable by the EPA or Army Corps. To me, that sounds like a dream for lawyers and a nightmare for everyone else. We must curb regulatory overreach and protect our economy as well as the rights of landowners.

During the public comment period, more than a million comments were submitted. Earlier this year during an Energy and Water Appropriations hearing the Corps informed us that 58 percent of the comments were in opposition to the rule, then later that month at an Interior Appropriations hearing the EPA informed us that 87% of the comments supported the rule. If the two agencies responsible for developing and implementing the rule cannot even agree on the number of comments submitted supporting the rule, how can they be trusted to implement the rule?

In the FY15 Omnibus we included Congressional direction to the EPA and the Army Corps to withdraw the flawed `Interpretive Rule' that EPA had issued in conjunction with the proposed Waters of the US rule and the Administration withdrew the `Interpretive Rule'. It's now time that we enact Congressional direction to withdraw the entire Waters of the US rule as proposed, and start fresh following the comment period.

Therefore, Mr. Chair I support this bill and I encourage all my fellow members to vote for it.

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