Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (January 13, 2016) – Today the U.S. House voted with a bipartisan majority to pass S.J. Resolution 22 to repeal the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule using the Congressional Review Act. The bill has already passed the Senate and so will now head to the President’s desk.

Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large), Vice Chairman Paul Gosar (AZ-04), and caucus member Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23) issued the following statements in response:

“Both Houses of Congress with bipartisan majorities have officially rejected the EPA’s Waters of the United States rule,” said Chairman Lummis. “It is now the President’s choice to side either with hundreds of years of law, tradition, and local water stewardship or the power hungry EPA seeking to usurp state water authority. He cannot choose both. With the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers as well as responsible water use throughout the country at stake we cannot afford any more political games. It’s time to ditch this bad rule for good.”   

“If the president was serious about fulfilling his promise made at last night’s State of the Union of  ensuring that ‘workers and start-ups and small businesses [have] more of a voice, not less’…and that ‘the rules should work for them’, he would immediately put the brakes on WOTUS,” said Vice Chairman Gosar. “Small business owners, farmers, Congress, Attorney Generals from 31 different states and the American people have made it abundantly clear that we can’t afford more economic hurdles and thieveries of precious water supplies from an unaccountable federal government.”

“We care about ensuring that our farmers and landowners are protected against the whims of big government and unnecessary environmental regulations which do more harm than good,” said Rep. Reed, Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Private Property Rights. “It’s only fair that we work to bring forward common sense policies that will help create jobs and protect the constitutionally guaranteed right to private property. The passage of the proposal to block the Waters of the United States Rule brings us one step closer to stopping this big government overreach once and for all.”

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