[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7071]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  REGULATORY INTEGRITY PROTECTION ACT

  (Mr. SMITH of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, and applaud its passage 
by the House of Representatives. This bill prohibits the EPA from using 
its Waters of the U.S. rule to expand its authority beyond, way beyond, 
congressional intent.
  Waters of the U.S. is yet another executive overreach by this 
administration. The Clean Water Act intentionally limited the EPA's 
jurisdiction to navigable waters, yet Waters of the U.S. would expand 
Federal jurisdiction to include virtually all water flows--from ditches 
to prairie potholes--even on private land.
  Nebraskans are concerned Waters of the U.S. could severely harm our 
ag economy by increasing costs and uncertainty for producers.
  America's farmers and ranchers are already great stewards of the land 
and take numerous steps to protect our natural resources. By blocking 
the Waters of the U.S. rule, H.R. 1732 stops the administration's 
latest power grab and supports ag producers across the country.

                          ____________________