WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley has joined 46 senators to introduce a resolution of disapproval of the rule on the Waters of the United States put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers.
A resolution of disapproval is a legislative procedure used to try to overturn regulations and rules put forth by the executive branch. If the Senate and House pass the resolution, the President must sign it to become law. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress must overturn the veto for the resolution to take effect.
“The indifferent attitude that the EPA took toward agriculture is a real concern for Iowans who know the impact agriculture has on the state’s economy. Every Iowa farmer has to be on their toes. The rule could result in significant red tape and expense for Iowa farmers as they make routine decisions about how best to use their land, even ironically hampering projects to improve water quality,” Grassley said.
Grassley is a cosponsor of a bipartisan bill in the Senate to require that the Waters of the United States rule be completely revised with stakeholder input. He also is a cosponsor of legislation that would clearly define the scope of Clean Water Act jurisdiction in the law rather than leaving it to the EPA. In addition, both the Senate and House of Representatives Appropriations committees have passed bills that deny funding for the EPA to carry out this rule.
The resolution was led by Senator Joni Ernst. Original cosponsors of the resolution include Senators Lamar Alexander, John Barrasso, Roy Blunt, John Boozman, Richard Burr, Shelly Moore Capito, Dan Coats, Thad Cochran, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Mike Crapo, Ted Cruz, Steve Daines, Mike Enzi, Deb Fischer, Jeff Flake, Cory Gardner, Lindsey Graham, Orrin Hatch, Dean Heller, John Hoeven, Johnny Isakson, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Mike Lee, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Moran, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, David Perdue, Jim Risch, Pat Roberts, Mike Rounds, Marco Rubio, Ben Sasse, Tim Scott, Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby, Dan Sullivan, John Thune, Thom Tillis, Pat Toomey, David Vitter, and Roger Wicker.
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