Senator Chuck Grassley made the following statement after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a nationwide stay against the enforcement of the controversial Waters of the U.S. regulation.
Grassley is a cosponsor of a bipartisan bill in the Senate to require that the Waters of the United States rule be completely revised with stakeholder input. He also is a cosponsor of legislation that would clearly define the scope of Clean Water Act jurisdiction in the law rather than leaving it to the EPA. In addition, both the Senate and House of Representatives Appropriations committees have passed bills that deny funding for the EPA to carry out this rule. In addition, Grassley cosponsored a resolution of disapproval of the Waters of the U.S. rule.
Here is Grassley's comment.
"This is great news. Previous court cases have led to uncertainty about the scope of EPA's authority, but the only certainty in this rule is that this power grab would have granted the EPA untold amount of authority. Considering the indifferent attitude that the EPA took toward agriculture in crafting this rule, Iowans had every reason to be concerned about the impact the rule could have on the state's economy. As written, the rule could result in significant red tape and expense for Iowa farmers as they make routine decisions about how best to use their land, even ironically hampering projects to improve water quality."
