Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I strongly oppose this motion to recommit.

First of all, it has nothing to do with drought. Second, it is just a backdoor attempt to allow the EPA to take control of all the waters in America. In addition to that, my colleagues from California have tried, time and time again, to work with their colleagues on the other side of the aisle to solve this drought problem in California, but my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have refused to work together. Again, this has nothing to do with drought.

The purpose of H.R. 1732 is to uphold the Federal-State partnership in regulating the Nation's waters by maintaining the balance between the States and the Federal Government in carrying out the Clean Water Act.

H.R. 1732 restricts the administration's current administrative efforts to expand Federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act and requires the Agency to engage in federalism consultation with their State and local partners to implement the Clean Water Act.

However, this motion is designed to undermine the legislation by giving the EPA unfettered discretion in making State water quality determinations in order to allow the EPA to continue to implement this flawed rule.

In effect, the amendment says that the underlying bill will not apply virtually anywhere the EPA decides that the bill should not apply. This amendment would further erode the Federal and State partnership that H.R. 1732 seeks to preserve.

Let me remind my colleagues that 32 States have said revise or eliminate this rule. My colleagues, all day, have talked about we haven't seen the final rule, but we have seen the proposed rule, and the proposed rule is going to be very similar to the final rule. We have seen this happen time and time again.

We have to stop this rule. I urge my colleagues, all 435 Members of this body, to take notice. This is another attempt by the executive branch to take Congress' constitutional authority away from us. We should all take this as a serious challenge.

For too long, this body has allowed the executive branch to take our authority granted to us by the constitution. I say, whether it is a Republican or Democrat administration, we have to stop that.

The bill, H.R. 1732, is a step in the right direction. It is a good bill that maintains the balance of regulation and of our Nation's water.

We must preserve the Federal-State partnership that exists under the Clean Water Act, which has been for 40 years, until this administration's attempting to impose an overbearing EPA on our States.

I urge a ``no'' vote.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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