The House of Representatives on May 12 approved legislation that would force EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw their controversial “Waters of the U.S.” proposal within 30 days.
Sponsored by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Penn.), the “Regulatory Integrity Protection Act” (H.R. 1732) would direct EPA and the Army Corps to undertake an extensive consultation with stakeholders before developing a new proposed rule to define the scope of the Clean Water Act.
The House approved the measure by a vote of 261 – 155, with 24 Democrats joining all Republicans in support of the bill. But the tally places the bill well short of a two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto promised by the White House should the bill make it to the President’s desk.
“State and local governments and the regulated community all have voiced significant concerns about the EPA’s failure to properly consult with them or consider the impacts in the development of this proposal,” Chairman Shuster said in a statement following the bill’s passage. “[H.R. 1732] simply stops this rulemaking, and requires the EPA to go back and do it right – consult with state and local governments and other stakeholders in developing a new regulation.”
H.R. 1732 has been sent to the Senate, where Republicans recently offered a slightly different bill that would require EPA and the Army Corps to revise their proposal to specifically exclude several types of water bodies and water infrastructure – including municipal water systems – from Clean Water Act coverage.