Barr Announces Support for U.S. Senator Rand Pauls Defense of Environment and Property Act

Press Release

Today, Andy Barr announced his support for S. 2122, Senator Rand Paul's Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2012.

"It is time we apply common sense to federal regulations," said Barr. "Ben Chandler and Barack Obama like to talk a lot about "fairness,' but there's nothing fair about the Chandler-Obama backed EPA smothering the American people in regulation and threatening law-abiding citizens with property confiscation and onerous fines."

The Defense of Environment and Property Act was introduced in response to the January 9, 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Sackett v. EPA in which the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers threatened to impose tens of thousands of dollars in fines on an Idaho married couple after the EPA designated their property a "wetland." The legislation would reassert state authority over land and water use, create a common sense definition of navigable waters, and protect property owners against federal government overreach.

"Unlike Congressman Ben Chandler, who opposes simple regulatory reforms like the REINS Act (1), the Regulatory Accountability Act (2), and the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act (3), I will work to enact commonsense regulatory reforms that protect the rights of states and individuals from an out of control federal bureaucracy," said Barr. "I am proud to stand with one of Kentucky's great defenders of liberty -- Senator Rand Paul -- in opposing the Obama-Chandler war on property rights."

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