Committee chairmen demand answers from EPA on WOTUS rule

House Agriculture Committee chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), along with fellow House committee chairs Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Lamar Smith (R-TX) sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency administrator last week asking her to produce documents to reveal whether the agency had considered the potential negative impact of the proposed “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule on American farmers and ranchers.

“The committees are interested in ensuring that in the course of promulgating the definition of ‘Waters of the United States,’ all stakeholder voices are being heard and taken into consideration,” the chairmen wrote to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “As part of this oversight initiative, we are writing to request documents and information related to the proposed rule.”

The letter from Conaway, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair Chaffetz, and House Science, Space and Technology Committee chair Smith demands information and all copies of e-mails or other forms of communication regarding the WOTUS rule dating back to January 2010. The request specifically targets the EPA’s interactions with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Regulatory Affairs and the Small Business Administration. The agency was given a deadline of April 10 at 5 p.m. to provide the requested information.
  
“Congress is obligated to ensure the integrity and transparency of the rule-making process,” the letter continued. “The American people, including farmers and ranchers, have a right to be assured their voices are being heard by the administration.”