Republican lawmakers this month proposed a pair of bills aimed at dismantling EPA, but both lack the support of GOP leaders and are not expected to advance.
H.R. 861, a brief, one-line bill offered by freshman Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) would terminate EPA operations and shut down the agency on December 31, 2018. But while the bill has attracted some press attention nationwide, it is not supported by House Republican leaders and therefore is not expected to see any action in the chamber. For example, Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), who chairs the House subcommittee with oversight of EPA’s air and water programs, told Politico this month that “EPA has a role” to play in environmental oversight, and that he does not support efforts to shut down the agency. Rep. Shimkus is scheduled to speak at AMWA’s 2017 Water Policy Conference on March 28.
Another bill offered this month (H.R. 958) would keep EPA operational but shutter its regional offices, eliminate its grant programs, and bar funding for climate change-related efforts, including the Climate Ready Water Utilities Initiative. Sponsored by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Tex.), the bill failed to gain any traction on Capitol Hill when it was originally introduced in 2015. The measure is expected to meet the same fate this year.