Palmer: EPA Water Rule is Example of Executive Overreach

Statement

Congressman Gary Palmer, a member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Interior, opposes the EPA's most recent "Waters of the US" rule, released Wednesday and recently renamed the "Clean Water Rule", and says the following:

"Returning to Constitutional Governance is one of my highest priorities. The EPA is an organization that makes a habit out of claiming authority beyond that which it has under the Constitution and the laws established by Congress. This rule is an example of that fact.

"This expansive rule would allow the EPA to place onerous regulations on almost any body of water. While the EPA claimed to listen to the extensive public outcry over this proposal by making cosmetic changes, the rule is still well beyond EPA's rightful authority. I have voted to roll back this rule by supporting H.R.1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, which would block its implementation, and I hope further action will be taken to stop this rule from being implemented."

In addition to this, the EPA has been widely criticized by actors across the political spectrum, including the New York Times, for actively manufacturing public regulatory comments in favor of this rule, possibly violating laws that prohibit executive agencies from conducting "grass roots" lobbying.

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