For too long, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has strayed from its intended purpose and instead has become a red tape factory with little to no accountability.
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For too long, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has strayed from its intended purpose and instead has become a red tape factory with little to no accountability. Thankfully, the Trump administration is working to reverse this harmful trend.
Farmers and ranchers have been hit especially hard by the endless onslaught of EPA regulations, even though they are careful stewards of our land and water. Their livelihood depends on responsible usage of these resources, and the Nebraskans I talk with take this responsibility seriously. We all want clean air and clean water, which can and should be combined with the goals of economic growth and competitiveness.
One of the clearest examples of the agency’s new direction under the Trump administration is the proposal released by the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to repeal the Obama administration’s Waters of the U.S. rule, or WOTUS. This rule was one of the most flagrant abuses of regulatory power in modern history and threatened the future of agriculture. It would have given the EPA sweeping jurisdiction to regulate everything from ditches to prairie potholes, even on private land.
When the Obama administration finalized WOTUS in 2015, I introduced the House resolution to block the rule using the Congressional Review Act, or CRA. The Senate version of my resolution passed both chambers of Congress but was unsurprisingly vetoed by President Obama.