Copyright: Kajano
The House passed the “Regulatory Integrity and Protection Act” on May 12, which would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps to withdraw their “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) proposed rule. The current proposal is so overly broad that even artificial ponds and ditches would be federally regulated. This would dramatically expand the number of developers subject to federal permitting requirements.
NMHC/NAA are strongly supporting the bill and NMHC also ran ads in both The Hill and Politico recently.
The troubled-rule is currently under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). A group representing a cross section of the nation’s economy met with OMB officials this week. They shared in-depth data on the significant impact the rule would have on federally-sponsored projects ranging from solar energy farms to military bases to ski resorts in national forests.
President Obama is threatening to veto the measure. Unless the Administration changes course and requires further revisions to the proposal, a final rule is expected to be issued this month.
A Senate Committee will hold a hearing on “The Federal Water Quality Protection Act” next week. The bill has procedural requirements similar in scope to those in the House bill. It also includes specific directions about congressional intent in relationship to jurisdictional waters.