Hudson Votes to Block EPA's Waters of the U.S. Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement after Congress passed a bill to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule:

S.J.Res. 22 expresses Congressional disapproval under the Congressional Review Act over the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA’s WOTUS rule. The joint resolution deems that the WOTUS rule would have no force or effect, and prohibits the rule from begin reissued in substantially the same form. The resolution passed the Senate on November 4, 2015 and now heads to the president’s desk.

In May, Rep. Hudson voted to support the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, H.R. 1732. This House-passed bill would require the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw consideration of WOTUS, a proposed rule that seeks to redefine navigable waters and drastically expand the Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction to irrigation ditches, ponds, creeks, and streams as well as other waters traditionally regulated by states.

In October, a federal court issued a nationwide stay on the WOTUS rule, suspending the rule’s implementation nationwide. If implemented, this misguided power grab would give limitless federal control over nearly all state and local waters and have devastating economic consequences for farmers, property owners and communities in North Carolina.

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