Press Releases

U.S. Congressman Rick Allen (R-Ga.-12) today released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers released its final “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule. The rule significantly expands the federal government’s authority under the Clean Water Act to regulate state and local waters.

“The Obama Administration’s new rule is a direct effort to expand the federal government’s control over our nation’s waters. This overreach undermines the rights of states, local governments and landowners, while creating costly bureaucratic red tape that hurts economic growth and jobs, particularly in the agriculture industry. The House has already passed legislation I cosponsored to stop the rule from taking effect. This legislation would also require the federal agencies to develop a new proposal in consultation with states, local officials and stakeholders, which should have been done in the first place. Instead, the Administration chose to ignore their input and the public’s. I will continue to work in Congress to voice their concerns, fight against this overreach, and protect the role of states and citizens in managing their water resources.”

Allen is a cosponsor of The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, which the House passed earlier this month and is now awaiting action in the Senate. The legislation allows the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers 30 days to withdraw the WOTUS rule. It also directs the agencies to create a revised rule under a more transparent process that includes input from states, local officials and affected stakeholders.

Congressman Allen recently spoke on the House floor against the Administration’s attempted overreach in proposing its WOTUS rule and urged his colleagues to pass The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act. Video of his remarks is available HERE.