Dive Brief:
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The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to force the Environmental Protection Agency to kill a proposed rule that would expand the definition of “waters” that are subject to the federal Clean Water Act.
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Builders, farmers and others had objected to the rule, saying the proposed definition would include ponds, creeks and ditches on private property and would burden landowners with a requirement to get federal permits before they could work around them.
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“The poorly crafted and overreaching Waters of the U.S. rule adds a great deal of ambiguity and uncertainty for contractors and we hope the Obama administration sees today’s action as a bipartisan referendum against this bad rule,” Geoff Burr, vice president of government affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors, said in a statement after the House vote.
Dive Insight:
The vote means the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers will have to start from scratch in their effort to update Clean Water Act rules. ABC and other construction advocates have said too great an expansion of the kinds of water regulated by the government could stop building projects and cost jobs.
National Association of Home Builders Chairman Tom Woods agreed, saying the House action prevented “a federal land grab that would raise housing costs and harm conservation, water quality, job growth and economic development."
