In a letter to President Obama, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) voiced concern about the proposed expansion of the EPA’s jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act on Wednesday.
Shuster and Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) said a proposal to expand the EPA’s regulatory reach beyond “navigable waterways,” as defined in the Clean Water Act, would strip property rights from those who own land with backyard ponds or wetlands.
“Unilaterally broadening the scope of the Clean Water Act and the federal government’s reach into our everyday lives would adversely affect the nation’s economy, threaten jobs, invite costly litigation and significantly restrict the ability of landowners to make decisions about their property and the rights of state and local governments to plan for their own development…,” the legislators said.
The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers submitted a draft rule to clarify what bodies of water are included in federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act in September.
The EPA said clarifying what waterways are covered under the Clean Water Act would reduce costs, minimize delays in permits and protect waters that are vital to public health. A report, “Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters,” will shape the rulemaking process.
Shuster and Gibbs said the draft rule manipulates legal standards and is based on flawed economic and scientific findings.
“Regulation of the nation’s waters must be done in a manner that responsibly protects the environment without an unnecessary and costly expansion of the federal government in order to prevent unreasonable and burdensome regulations and to protect small businesses, farmers, and families,” the congressmen said.