WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and his House colleagues voted to pass H.J. Res. 27, a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) on the Biden Administration’s flawed and burdensome “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule.
Earlier today, Rep. Newhouse and 10 members of the Congressional Western Caucus spoke in support of H.J. Res. 27 on the House floor.
“WOTUS is nothing more than a power grab which would impose tighter controls over waters the Clean Water Act never intended to regulate. Rural communities in the West and across the country are dedicated to clean water and they are the ones being punished by the continued legal uncertainty this new final rule promulgates. While I am disappointed in this administration’s dismissal of our rural communities, I will never stop fighting for them,” said Rep. Newhouse. “I urge the Senate to join us in passing this resolution to push back on this administration’s egregious overreach and fight for our food supply, our private property rights, and our country.”
Read the joint resolution here.
Background:
In January, Rep. Newhouse led 194 other House Republicans in a letter blasting the Biden Administration for its premature and reckless “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) final rule. The Members demanded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rescind the rule and postpone any subsequent agency action on WOTUS to allow the Supreme Court to issue an opinion on Sackett v EPA. Click here to read more.
On December 30, 2022, Chairman Newhouse and 22 Members of the Congressional Western Caucus spoke out against the Biden Administration releasing a final WOTUS rule—on the last business day of the year—before the Supreme Court has decided Sackett v. EPA.
In April 2022, Chairman Newhouse, Rep. Miller-Meeks, and Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13) submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court for Sackett v. EPA outlining the importance of environmental federalism and how a poorly-defined Clean Water Act hinders environmental protections.
On March 9, 2022, Chairman Newhouse, Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (MO-06), and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member David Rouzer (NC-07) led over 200 House Republicans – including every Member of the Western Caucus – in calling for the Biden Administration to drop its plan to expand the scope of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) until Sackett v. EPA is decided by the Supreme Court. Click here to learn more.
In January 2022, Chairman Newhouse and Rep. Miller-Meeks called on the Administration to halt the rulemaking process, based on the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the Sackett case.
Chairman Newhouse hosted Rep. Davis, Illinois Farm Bureau President Rich Guebert, and Charles Yates of the Pacific Legal Foundation, one of the contributing lawyers in the Sackett v. EPA case, to discuss the impacts WOTUS has on rural communities and potential implications of the Supreme Court decision. Click here to listen.
When the Biden Administration announced their intention to revise and remand the Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule, Chairman Newhouse, Rep. Miller-Meeks, Senator Steve Daines (MT), and Senator Joni Ernst (IA) led Western Caucus Members in a bicameral letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham to express their serious concerns and demand answers about the Administration’s plans to reopen the definition of “waters of the United States.” Click here to read the letter and learn more.
In November of 2021, Western Caucus Members from across the country issued statements in response to the Administration’s proposed rule. Click here to read more.