|
Washington –
Working
to
stop
the
regulatory
nightmares
caused
by
President
Obama's
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA),
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
today
voted
for
both
the
Federal
Water
Quality
Protection
Act
(S.
1140)
and
a
joint
Resolution
of
Disapproval
to
prevent
the
expanded
“Waters
of
the
United
States”
(WOTUS)
rule
(S.J.
Res.
22).
“Today,
the
U.S.
Senate
took
an
important
step
to
protect
farmers,
ranchers,
manufacturers,
homeowners
and
small
businesses
in
South
Carolina
and
across
the
country
from
the
Obama
administration’s
reckless
attempt
to
expand
their
powers
into
private
ponds,
creeks,
ditches
and
numerous
state
and
local
waters,”
said
Senator
Scott.
“The
EPA’s
actions,
if
not
stopped,
will
cause
significant
economic
harm
in
every
corner
of
the
country.
That’s
why
thirty-one
states,
including
South
Carolina,
have
filed
lawsuits
against
the
WOTUS
rule
and
why
Congress
immediately
began
to
take
action
to
stop
it.
South
Carolina
families
simply
cannot
afford
the
confusion,
uncertainty
and
unnecessary
red
tape
caused
by
an
out
of
control
EPA.
I
will
continue
to
oppose
the
Obama
administration’s
land
and
water
grabs,
because
South
Carolinians
should
not
have
to
pick
between
outrageous
compliance
costs
and
new
fines
or
their
land
and
their
livelihoods.”
This
summer,
the
EPA
issued
a
final
WOTUS
rule
that
expanded
the
scope
of
federal
authority
over
land
and
water
at
the
expense
of
states.
EPA’s
rule
would
regulate
nearly
all
water,
including
man-made
water
management
systems,
water
that
infiltrates
into
the
ground
or
moves
overland,
and
any
other
water
that
the
EPA
decides
has
a
“significant
nexus”
to
downstream
water
based
on
use
by
animals,
insects,
and
birds,
and
on
water
storage
considerations.
Following
its
announcement,
nearly
90
plaintiffs including
31
states,
including
South
Carolina,
and
other
groups
filed lawsuits.
S.
1140
directs
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
and
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
to
issue
a
revised
“waters
of
the
United
States”
(WOTUS)
rule
that
protects
traditional
navigable
water
and
wetlands
from
water
pollution,
while
also
protecting
farmers,
ranchers
and
private
landowners.
S.J.
Res.
22
would
nullify
this
ill-conceived
rule, sending
a
message
to
the
EPA that
they
failed
to
address
the
concerns
raised
by
farmers,
ranchers,
manufacturers
and
small
businesses
in
South
Carolina
and
across
the
country.
It
requires
a
simple
majority
to
pass.
### |