[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1530
                       DISMANTLING THE WOTUS RULE

  (Mr. ALLEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, waters of the United States, or WOTUS, has 
been a thorn in the side of Americans, especially our farmers, since 
its introduction. WOTUS is a rule issued under the Clean Water Act by 
the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers designed to redefine the scope of 
waters protected and regulated by the Federal Government.
  WOTUS would grant the Federal Government regulatory power over 
virtually any place where water flows in the United States; that 
includes ditches, puddles, streams, or any manmade constructions, you 
name it. If enacted, it would undermine the rights of States, local 
governments and landowners, and create more red tape, preventing 
economic growth and jobs, particularly in the agriculture industry. If 
it sounds ridiculous, that is because it is.
  WOTUS was flawed from the beginning. It has been held up in the 
courts since 2015.
  To ensure WOTUS never sees the light of day and completely eliminate 
the potential of it becoming a reality, I introduced legislation to 
repeal this harmful rule.
  I look forward to working with President Trump and my colleagues on 
this very important issue.

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