“The bill says, ‘Time out, EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,'” said Ohio Rep Bob Gibbs, one of many Republicans to fault the EPA rule as regulatory over-reach. Farm groups say it could lead to federal regulation of farm ditches, which EPA denies. The White House says the rule would respond to two Supreme Court rulings by clarifying the scope of the Clean Water Act. And, it said, the House bill would create a two-year delay in the work.
“The solution is to set tighter definitions and clearer rules,” said Rep Jared Huffman, California Democrat. “This (bill) will keep regulatory uncertainty in place.” The bill, HR 5078, passed, 262-152, on a relatively partisan rollcall; all but one Republican voted for the bill while 151 Democrats against it. “We will ditch this rule,” said president Bob Stallman of the 6 million-member American Farm Bureau Federation.