Congress moving to block EPA regulation of streams, wetlands

Congressional Republicans are pushing to block an Obama administration rule designed to protect water quality in small streams, tributaries and wetlands before it goes into effect later this year. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved legislation Wednesday that would force the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw and rewrite rules issued in May that clarify which of those smaller bodies of water are regulated under the Clean Water Act. The EPA says the rule will protect the waters from pollution and development and safeguard drinking water for 117 million Americans. Republicans in Congress say the rules are federal overreach, would expand current law and could be a costly and confusing burden for landowners and farmers. The House passed a bill last month that would also block the rules - legislation the White House threatened to veto. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has called the rule "a raw and tyrannical power grab." The Senate version of the legislation would force the EPA to further consult with local governments on the rule, do a full economic analysis and assess the impacts on small business owners. It would also lay out parameters for what could be regulated...more