Noem: EPA Must be Held Accountable for Breaking the Law

Statement

Representative Kristi Noem today released the following statement, after the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the EPA violated federal law in promoting the agency's controversial "waters of the United States" rule on social media:

"The "waters of the U.S.' rule could be the largest federal land grab in our lifetimes. Ranchers have raised concerns. Farmers have raised concerns. Homeowners, construction teams, and state governments have all raised concerns, and yet, the EPA has pushed the rule forward," said Noem. "When they couldn't find enough supporters, the EPA resorted to what the GAO calls "covert propaganda' to create the illusion of grassroots backing. Not only did that violate the public trust, but they broke the law. The EPA must be held accountable for their actions."

The GAO found that the EPA's use of Thunderclap, an application that allows a social media message to be simultaneously shared across multiple Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts, was an unauthorized use of the EPA's appropriations. It also found the agency in violation of a grassroots lobbying prohibition.

Source