McCaul, Colleagues Urge EPA and Army Corps to Rescind New WOTUS Definition

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) joined Reps. David Rouzer (R-N.C.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and 189 of their colleagues in urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers to rescind their recent Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and postpone any additional agency action until the U.S. Supreme Court issues an opinion on the EPA’s full scope of authority.

The members wrote, “Rural communities in the West and across the country are dedicated to clean water and do not deserve to be punished by the continued legal uncertainty that this new final rule promulgates. Violations of the Clean Water Act carry significant criminal and civil penalties meaning that farmers, ranchers, and small business owners could face jail time and thousands of dollars in fines a day for making changes to their property.”

They continued, “The American people deserve certainty and an assurance that existing rules and regulations will not fluctuate with the threat of criminal penalties and significant financial hardship for failing to abide by the ever-changing rules. This new WOTUS definition will only increase regulatory uncertainty and worsen conditions for farmers, ranchers, job creators, and landowners. Given this, we urge you to rescind the rule and postpone any subsequent agency action on WOTUS to allow the Supreme Court to issue an opinion on Sackett v EPA.”

Read full text of the letter here.

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