Thornberry responds to EPA's final water regulation

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized the "Waters of the United States" regulation, which may have serious consequences for private landowners:

"My staff is conducting a thorough review of the final rule, but I have little confidence that the EPA has addressed the concerns that many people, businesses, and other organizations have raised with this particular regulation. Folks who live and work in our part of Texas, especially the farmers and ranchers, understand the importance of clean water and work hard to be good stewards of the land, but we also understand that personal property and water rights are fundamental to the American way of life, a family's business, and many people's livelihoods.

"This Administration, the EPA in particular, has shown total disregard for the rights of private citizens. No landowner should have to worry about whether the federal government will get in the way of their business because of the bar ditch behind their house. Since 2013, I have introduced and the House has passed two bills that offered simple, commonsense ways to protect private landowners from regulatory overreach by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers."

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