Statement By Senator John McCain On Federal Court Halting EPA's "Clean Water Rule" Nationwide

Press Release

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement on a ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that stops the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "Clean Water Rule" from taking effect nationwide:

"Today's ruling halting the EPA's so-called "Clean Water Rule' nationwide is a victory for small businesses and landowners in Arizona and across the country. This decision expands an injunction that was issued by a federal trial judge last month that prevented the rule from being implemented in Arizona along with 12 other states that sued the EPA over the rule's lack of scientific basis. Now, a federal court has ruled that the Obama Administration cannot implement this rule in any state until serious questions about its scope, impact and legality are settled in the courts.

"With this decision, the courts have clearly indicated that they share the concerns of most Americans that the EPA is attempting to bypass Congress using the federal rulemaking process to re-write the Clean Water Act. Under the rule, the EPA would expand its authority over all "waters of the United States,' including virtually all streams, stock ponds, irrigation systems and dry desert washes. I continue to hear from a number of Arizona farmers, ranchers and homebuilders who are concerned that the rule will put their jobs under the thumb of the EPA. I will continue to fight to pass legislation in the Senate that kills the EPA's rule, which will have a harmful impact on hardworking Arizonans contributing to vital sectors of our state's economy, and remain confident that the federal courts will continue to strike down the President's other illegal regulations once and for all."

Senator McCain recently cosponsored a resolution introduced by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and 45 other Senators disapproving of the EPA's Clean Water Rule. Senator McCain also sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy expressing concern about the damage that the Clean Water Rule is doing to the State of Arizona, and questioning whether the agency considered how the rule would impact local economies before implementing it. In addition, the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works recently approved the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, a bill introduced by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and cosponsored by Senators McCain and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) that would prevent the EPA from using its Clean Water Rule as a tool to control land or isolated water. Senators McCain and Flake's op-ed in The Arizona Republic also highlights the potentially devastating effects of this rule and other Obama Administration regulations on Arizona businesses and landowners.

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