Today, Congressman Jason Smith voiced his continued opposition to the Obama administration’s Waters of the U.S. rule (WOTUS), which was finalized today.
This rule could potentially allow the EPA to redefine “navigable waterway” and regulate nearly every area of the ground that gets wet or has flow during rainfall. This could include ponds, puddles, temporary or small wetlands, irrigation ditches or similar collections of water, and it would be especially detrimental to rural Americans.
“The administration is telling us that this rule won’t affect property owners and farmers, and that’s an absolute lie,” said Congressman Smith. “The Obama administration has misled the American people too many times to get the benefit of the doubt on something this important.”
Congressman Smith has been leading the fight to protect individual property rights from the Obama administration’s constant overreach. In April, Congressman Smith added language to H.R. 2028 to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from using any funds to implement WOTUS, and the bill passed the House with bipartisan support. In May, he voted for the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 (H.R. 1732), which would stop WOTUS from being implemented; it also passed the House with bipartisan support.
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