Proponents say the intent of the bill is to restore state's rights and curb the regulatory power of the Environmental Protection Agency to create regulations that kill jobs and harm the economy.

by Don Parmeter, Minnesota Free Market Institute
Touted as a state's rights measure, a bill that would sharply curtail EPA's
authority under the Clean Water Act, was passed by the U.S. House of
Representatives last night. The bill (H.R. 2018) was co-authored by Rep.
John Mica (R-FL), and Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV). Mica is chairman of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Rahall is the committee's
ranking democrat. The vote on the bill was 239-184.
Proponents say the intent of the bill is to restore state's rights and curb the
regulatory power of the Environmental Protection Agency to create regulations
that kill jobs and harm the economy.
The White House has threatened to veto the bill, which will now be referred to
the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by California Senator
Barbara Boxer. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is a member of the
committee, and along with Montana Senator Max Baucus, co-author of a modified
version of the Oberstar/Feingold Clean Water Restoration Act, approved by
Senator Boxer's Committee in June of 2009. An attempt by Boxer to attach
the Baucus-Klobuchar measure to a federal lands omnibus bill during the
lame duck session in December of last year, failed.

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