[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 20, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S129-S130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

                                 ______
                                 

    REPORT OF THE VETO OF S.J. RES. 22, PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL 
DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE 
 SUBMITTED BY THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 
 AGENCY RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF ``WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES'' 
UNDER THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT, RECEIVED ON JANUARY 19, 
                              2016--PM 37

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was ordered to be printed in the Record, spread in full 
upon the Journal, and held at the desk:

To the Senate of the United States:
  I am returning herewith without my approval S.J. Res. 22, a 
resolution that would nullify a rule issued by the Environmental 
Protection Agency and the

[[Page S130]]

Department of the Army to clarify the jurisdictional boundaries of the 
Clean Water Act. The rule, which is a product of extensive public 
involvement and years of work, is critical to our efforts to protect 
the Nation's waters and keep them clean; is responsive to calls for 
rulemaking from the Congress, industry, and community stakeholders; and 
is consistent with decisions of the United States Supreme Court.
  We must protect the waters that are vital for the health of our 
communities and the success of our businesses, agriculture, and energy 
development. As I have noted before, too many of our waters have been 
left vulnerable. Pollution from upstream sources ends up in the rivers, 
lakes, reservoirs, and coastal waters near which most Americans live 
and on which they depend for their drinking water, recreation, and 
economic development. Clarifying the scope of the Clean Water Act helps 
to protect these resources and safeguard public health. Because this 
resolution seeks to block the progress represented by this rule and 
deny businesses and communities the regulatory certainty and clarity 
needed to invest in projects that rely on clean water, I cannot support 
it. I am therefore vetoing this resolution.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, January 19, 2016.

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