WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 12, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today released the following statement after the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a nationwide stay to block the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) enforcement of its final Waters of the United State (WOTUS) rule.
“I applaud the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decision today that, for the moment, protects states from the implementation of the EPA’s final WOTUS rule,” Upton said. “We all want clean water, but this ill-advised government overreach is completely out-of-touch with the reality and the negative impact would reverberate throughout Southwest Michigan and hurt the very backbone of our economy – farming. I’ve listened to farmers and their families in recent weeks all across our six counties and this rule is issue number one for every single one of them. It’s estimated that the rule would affect 1,623,089 acres and 80,971 stream miles in Michigan. The appeals court recognized that WOTUS was flawed and has stopped it. It’s time for the Administration to thoroughly reconsider its plan.”
Under the current wording, WOTUS would have vastly expanded the federal government’s authority to regulate small bodies of water, and would have applied to ditches and small, isolated bodies of water, including low-lying farm field or crop areas.
In May, Upton and his House colleagues voted to advance H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 which would protect U.S. waters and stop the EPA’s rule.
Tom Wilbur/Lynn Turner (202 225 3761/269-385-0039)
