The legislation was endorsed by industry, state, and local government groups, but was opposed by environmental groups and the Clinton Administration. During its consideration of the bill, the House adopted more than a dozen amendments but rejected others offered by Democrats and moderate Republicans that sought to modify aspects of the committee s legislation. The House-passed bill was subsequently labeled by environmentalists as the Dirty Water Bill, and many observers contended that legislative efforts to reform clean water programs had overreached and resulted in controversy, not consensus. Supporters of the bill disputed the environmentalists characterization of H.R. 961 and said that they also support strong clean water programs, but favor approaching pollution control in a more collaborative and less commanding way based on better priority-setting, considering costs and benefits of controls, and devolving authority to state and local governments. Affecting Clean Water Act Reauthorization Legislative prospects for the CWA in the 105th Congress are uncertain, in part because the issues and controversies which were unresolved in the 104th Congress may recur.
Some issues are specific to the clean water statute.
Others are broader than this law and broader even than other environmental laws. Support for greater consideration of the costs and benefits of regulation is similarly not exclusive to environmental standards and rules. Along with other reforms, they were included in the House Republican Contract with America. Another enactment, P.L. 104-121, authorized congressional review of major federal agency regulations. In the 105th Congress, renewed attention to these broad issues is likely, but the form of that attention is uncertain.