Senate bill aims to lure Dems unhappy with Obama water rule

Senate critics of President Obama's hot-button water rule unveiled legislation today that would send U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers back to the drawing board. The bipartisan "Federal Water Quality Protection Act" was crafted with hopes of wooing moderate Democrats who've been getting an earful on the rule back home but are reluctant to oppose the president. Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) filed S. 1140 with the backing of Democrats Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia and eight Republican co-sponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The bill would require the agencies to propose a new rule defining which streams and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act. The law's reach has been muddled for 15 years by two confusing Supreme Court decisions. Under the legislation, the new rule would have to adhere to a series of principles relating to what types of waters can and cannot be covered, and what types of factors can be used to justify federal oversight. The measure would also require that the proposal be subject to a broader range of regulatory reviews than the current rule went through, including ones for impacts on small businesses and unfunded mandates...more