Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis Votes to Stop EPA Seizure of Wyoming Waters

U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis voted for and the House passed H.R. 5078: the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 Tuesday.

The bill halts the Environmental Protection Agency’s rulemaking to redefine the “waters of the United States” over which the agency has jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. Lummis says the rule would give the federal government unprecedented and nearly unlimited jurisdiction over waters currently managed by the states, contrary to repeated Supreme Court rulings that there are limits to federal authority under the Clean Water Act.

In addition to stopping this rule proposed earlier this year with little state or local input, the bill halts another EPA rule imposing new burdens on the ability of agricultural producers to claim longstanding exemptions from Clean Water Act requirements. Instead, H.R. 5078 requires the EPA to actually consult with state and local officials to develop recommendations for what water is or is not covered by the Clean Water Act, reserving the final judgment on the matter to Congress.