WATER Act

Bill: 117-hr-2660
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Latta, Robert E. [R-OH-5]
Introduced: 2021-04-19
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Environmental regulatory procedures

Water quality

Water use and supply
Latest action: action_date: 2021-04-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-04-19
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Withstanding Attempts to Encroach on our Resources Act of 2021 or the WATER Act</b></p> <p>This bill specifies which bodies of water fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act and are thereby under federal jurisdiction. Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for the definition of <i>waters of the United States</i>, commonly known as WOTUS, included in the 2020 <i>Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Definition of &quot;Waters of the United States.&quot;</i> The 2020 rule replaced a 2015 rule that included a more expansive definition of WOTUS.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2660 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 19, 2021 Mr. Latta (for himself, Mr. Perry , Mr. Arrington , Mrs. Wagner , Mr. Johnson of South Dakota , Mr. Stivers , Mr. Carl , Mr. Cloud , Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania , Ms. Mace , Mrs. Hinson , Mr. Walberg , Mr. Burgess , Mr. McKinley , Mrs. McClain , Mr. Jackson , and Mr. Pence ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to codify the definition of the term waters of the United States , and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Withstanding Attempts to Encroach on our Resources Act of 2021 or the WATER Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) In June 2015, the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule (hereinafter referred to as the 2015 WOTUS rule ) to revise regulations defining the scope of waters protected and regulated under the Clean Water Act. (2) The 2015 WOTUS rule significantly expanded the scope of Federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act over virtually all waters and wet areas in the United States. (3) On April 21, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers revisited the 2015 WOTUS rule and finalized a revised definition of the term waters of the United States to address legal, economic, and jurisdictional concerns surrounding the previous definition. (4) The 2015 WOTUS rule infringed on the rights of property owners, particularly in agricultural communities, and represented an alarming regulatory overreach of the executive branch into policies that should be addressed by the legislative branch through the legislative process. 3. Definition Section 502(7) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1362(7) ) is amended by striking , including the territorial seas. and inserting (as such term is defined in section 120.2 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on June 22, 2020). .