Rep. Graves Votes Down EPA Water Regulation Proposal

From Office of U.S. Rep. Tom Graves

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) voted for and the House passed a bill to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers from enacting a joint rule that would significantly broaden the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act and result in a major expansion of federal government power over land across America.

“The EPA is attempting to redefine water ways and extend its regulatory reach into lands that rarely see water flow across them, in some cases only during catastrophic flooding,” said Rep. Graves, who is a cosponsor of the bill that passed today. “Such a major expansion of regulatory power could negatively affect any industry that comes into contact with these so-called water ways, from farming to manufacturing to real estate development.

“America can have clean water without Washington regulators invading every parcel of private land. The House-passed bill stops the EPA power grab, but reasonably keeps the Clean Water Act’s 40-year, federal-state partnership in place and requires the EPA and Army Corps to work with state and local officials to develop recommendations for further identifying protected waters.”

For more information on The Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 (H.R. 5078), please see the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s report by clicking here:http://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/wotusepa1.pdf

The bill text is available here: https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/5078

Note: This is a submitted press release from the office of U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, who repesents District 14, which includes Paulding County.