[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3802-3803]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House 
Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry, which I

[[Page 3803]]

chair, held a hearing to review the definition of the ``waters of the 
United States'' proposed rule and its impact on rural America.
  Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act established a Federal-State 
partnership to protect our Nation's navigable waterways; however, 
despite strong opposition from Congress and the public, the Obama 
administration has taken upon itself to redefine the Clean Water Act's 
jurisdictional waters. The EPA's proposed rule could have serious 
consequences for rural America and the Nation's economy.
  Yesterday, members of the House Committee on Agriculture asserted 
that the administration has acted on its own, without input from the 
States and stakeholders, to broaden the scope of the Clean Water Act, 
threatening the livelihood of farmers, ranchers, and rural America.
  It is my hope that yesterday's hearing will spur the administration 
to pull the rule and consult with the States and stakeholders first or 
repropose the rule and allow a new round of public comment.
  Mr. Speaker, there is too much on the line to continue down the 
current path.

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