House passes bill to stop WOTUS
September 10, 2014 | 06:10 AM
The House late Tuesday passed a bill that would stop the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing the Waters of the United States rule, but the measure is given little chance of consideration in the Senate, much less being signed by President Barack Obama.
The bill would also prevent implementation of the interpretive rule for agriculture that EPA has released.
The vote was 262 to 152, with 227 Republicans voting for it, one Republican (Chris Smith of New Jersey) voting against it, 35 Democrats voting for it and 151 Democrats against it. (See below.)
House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., was one of the Democrats who voted for the bill. In a statement on the House floor, Peterson urged his colleagues to do the same.
"This legislation is necessary because, in my view, the EPA does not seem to understand the real-world effects these regulations will have on farmers across the country,” Peterson said in his floor statement.
"We still don’t have any clear definition of a wetland, an issue dating back to the ’80s and ’90s,” Peterson said. “Maps used by USDA were unclear and often mislabeled wetlands. This rule would only add more uncertainty.
“In my state, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has done a great job working with farmers to encourage voluntary conservation efforts. This rule would severely disrupt these positive efforts.”
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., praised the bill’s passage.
“Whether it's trying to regulate farm dust out of existence, milk as oil, or now treat ditches like major water tributaries, the EPA has demonstrated a hunger for power and a lack of understanding of how its actions impact America’s farmers and ranchers,” Lucas said in a statement.
“The agency’s latest action would trigger an onslaught of additional permitting and regulatory requirements for our agricultural producers to protect not our great natural resources, but rather our backyard ponds.”
American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman also praised the House action.
“Passage of H.R. 5078 isn’t just a clear rejection of the overreach that lies in the EPA’s proposed Waters of the U.S. rule,” Stallman said.
“Today’s action is an unmistakable signal that the tide is turning against those who ignore the constitutional separation of powers in the United States. We will ditch this rule.”
The National Pork Producers Council, which last week released online maps of federal data on waters, claimed credit for helping pass the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla.
Even though Republicans have said they will target senators because the Senate has not taken up the bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has shown no inclination to bring it up during the September session.
The White House issued a statement that the president’s advisers would urge him to veto the bill if it came to him.
Democratic members voting for the bill:
The bill would also prevent implementation of the interpretive rule for agriculture that EPA has released.
The vote was 262 to 152, with 227 Republicans voting for it, one Republican (Chris Smith of New Jersey) voting against it, 35 Democrats voting for it and 151 Democrats against it. (See below.)
House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., was one of the Democrats who voted for the bill. In a statement on the House floor, Peterson urged his colleagues to do the same.
"This legislation is necessary because, in my view, the EPA does not seem to understand the real-world effects these regulations will have on farmers across the country,” Peterson said in his floor statement.
"We still don’t have any clear definition of a wetland, an issue dating back to the ’80s and ’90s,” Peterson said. “Maps used by USDA were unclear and often mislabeled wetlands. This rule would only add more uncertainty.
“In my state, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has done a great job working with farmers to encourage voluntary conservation efforts. This rule would severely disrupt these positive efforts.”
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., praised the bill’s passage.
“Whether it's trying to regulate farm dust out of existence, milk as oil, or now treat ditches like major water tributaries, the EPA has demonstrated a hunger for power and a lack of understanding of how its actions impact America’s farmers and ranchers,” Lucas said in a statement.
“The agency’s latest action would trigger an onslaught of additional permitting and regulatory requirements for our agricultural producers to protect not our great natural resources, but rather our backyard ponds.”
American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman also praised the House action.
“Passage of H.R. 5078 isn’t just a clear rejection of the overreach that lies in the EPA’s proposed Waters of the U.S. rule,” Stallman said.
“Today’s action is an unmistakable signal that the tide is turning against those who ignore the constitutional separation of powers in the United States. We will ditch this rule.”
The National Pork Producers Council, which last week released online maps of federal data on waters, claimed credit for helping pass the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla.
Even though Republicans have said they will target senators because the Senate has not taken up the bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has shown no inclination to bring it up during the September session.
The White House issued a statement that the president’s advisers would urge him to veto the bill if it came to him.
Democratic members voting for the bill:
- Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz.
- Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga.
- Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.
- Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill.
- Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo.
- Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.
- Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif.
- Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas
- Rep. William Enyart, D-Ill.
- Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif.
- Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio
- Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Texas
- Rep. John Garamendi , D-Calif.
- Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla.
- Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas
- Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.
- Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.
- Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill.
- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick , D-Ariz.
- Rep. David Loebsack, D-Iowa
- Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah
- Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C.
- Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Calif.
- Rep. William Owens, D-N.Y.
- Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.
- Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va.
- Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La.
- Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif.
- Rep. Kurt, Schrader, D-Ore.
- Rep. David Scott, D-Ga.
- Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.
- Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
- Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas
- Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas
- Rep. Timothy Walz, D-Minn.
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