Morgan Griffith
Representative
Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved to rescind the Obama Administration’s overreaching rule that revised the definition of “waters of the U.S. (WOTUS)” under the Clean Water Act.
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) said, “The Obama Administration EPA stretched too far in their definition of ‘waters of the U.S.’ by vastly expanding the EPA’s authority over all the waters of the U.S., including dry branches and wet spots in your yard or farm as small as a puddle, even if water only exists there during a down pour or in the wettest part of the year.”
“I fully support Administrator Pruitt’s decision to go back and redefine when and where the EPA can regulate bodies of water. As previously defined under WOTUS by the EPA, an exceptional burden would have been placed on American farmers, businesses, and landowners. I am glad that the EPA will take the initiative to rework these regulations, instead of continuing to fight against lawsuits the EPA stood a good chance of losing. I encourage the EPA to clarify regulations that keep our water clean, without an illogical, illegal, and job-killing expansion of federal bureaucratic power.”