[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 28, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE EPA IS OVERSTEPPING ITS BOUNDS

  (Mrs. CAPITO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. CAPITO. I rise today to bring attention once again to this 
administration's assault on our domestic energy production.
  For the past 3 years, I've been saying many times from this very 
podium that the EPA is overstepping its bounds and regulating where it 
cannot legislate and costing us American jobs.
  Last Friday evening, the U.S. District Court for the District of 
Columbia overruled the EPA's veto of the Spruce Mine's Clean Water Act 
permit. The decision stated--and this is a quote from the judge--that 
the EPA's veto was ``unprecedented'' and it had acted in a manner that 
was ``arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with the law.'' 
Could there be a clearer sign that we've been subjected to an overreach 
of Executive power?
  This decision is a win for West Virginia, but we have a long way to 
go because the administration's so-called energy policies have led to 
higher gas prices and higher heating prices.
  We're blessed to have abundant natural resources in this country, 
particularly in my State of West Virginia, but this becomes irrelevant 
if this administration continues to hold these domestic resources 
hostage. All-of-the-above means following the law.

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