Congressional Committee bombshell: Report attacks EPA on water rule

Another blockbuster for agriculture was the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report on “Politicization of the Waters of the United States Rulemaking.”  It, unlike Mr. Comey’s  letter, is supported by an investigation and facts.  The report claims EPA director Gina McCarthy and EPA have not been telling the truth as to the impact the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule would have on agriculture. A subsequent quote proves EPA and Ms. McCarthy simply have lied to farmers. EPA’s final rule stated: ”In this final rule, the agencies clarify the scope of ‘waters of the United States’ that are protected under the Clean Water Act based on the text of the statute, Supreme Court decisions, the best available peer-reviewed science, public input, and the agencies’ technical expertise in implement [sic] the statute.”  The Committee states specifically that ”None of this was true.” The Report states, “Documents and testimony obtained by the committee show the rulemaking process, and the outcome it produced, were deeply flawed because of numerous shortcuts and process violations. Chief among those complaints was that the process was politicized, and not driven by science or economics.”