House votes to eliminate overreaching WOTUS Rule

The House of Representatives voted to vacate President Barack Obama's Waters of the United States Rule under the Clean Water Act that would give the federal government sweeping authority to regulate all waters or wet areas of the United States.

“The President needs to put a stop to this harmful rule once and for all," House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) said. "A majority of the American peoples’ representatives in both the House and the Senate have now voted, in a resounding manner, to scrap this rule, and the President should listen. This rule was poorly developed, and as a result it will negatively impact the economy, threaten jobs, bring on costly litigation and infringe upon the rights of landowners, states and local governments.

"State and local governments, farmers, small businesses, homebuilders, and many others have voiced significant concerns about the void in which the administration created this unreasonable, burdensome rule. We can continue to protect our nation's waters without the federal government trampling the rights of everyone beneath it.”

The Senate approved the rule in November, so it will now go to Obama’s desk where it is expected to be vetoed.