Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that would strike section 427 from the underlying bill.

My amendment would preserve the Army Corps of Engineers' and the Environmental Protection Agency's final rule that revises regulations and defines the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act. More than 1 million public comments were submitted during this process, a majority of which support the waters of the United States rule. In issuing the final rule, the agencies' intention was to clarify questions of the Clean Water Act's jurisdiction, consistent with the agencies' scientific and technical expertise.

One in three Americans rely on public drinking water systems not previously protected by the Clean Water Act. This rule changes that.

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the crumbling drinking water infrastructure in neighborhoods and communities around the country reinforces the need to protect our streams, ponds, and wetlands. These challenges impact millions of lives and disproportionately affect poor and minority communities.

Our country faces a very difficult choice. We can either overlook the challenges facing our existing water infrastructure and the millions of lives it affects and the billions of dollars that it costs us, or we can all work together to find solutions that ensure that all Americans have access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water.

The waters of the United States rule is a commonsense reform designed to secure our water sources, while guaranteeing protections to millions of Americans.

This rule represents a commitment to protecting and restoring the national water resources that are vital for our health, environment, and economy.

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