The Senate on Wednesday, March 29 approved to overturn the Biden administration鈥檚 expanded protections for waterways. President Joe Biden he will likely veto the measure, which also passed the House in mid-March.
The , or WOTUS, defines which waterways are federally protected under the Clean Water Act. Definitions have changed over the years鈥攖he Obama administration's rule , and the Trump administration's . By largely restoring the definition in place before 2015, this is designed to be "durable," as EPA Administrator Michael Regan has said.
Still, conservative lawmakers鈥攁nd a few Mountain West moderate Democrats鈥攁rgue the changes are overreaching and can hinder farmers, ranchers and business owners. The Senate voted 53-43 to overturn the EPA鈥檚 rule, which took effect March 20.
鈥淥ur farmers and ranchers do not need the federal government telling them what they can and cannot do on their private land,鈥� Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo, said .
Joining the 49 Republicans in the Senate were Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz, and four Democrats, including Nevada Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, Montana Sen. Jon Tester and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin.
鈥淎fter listening to Montana farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders, it鈥檚 clear this rule isn鈥檛 right for Montana. Clean water is simply too important to our state鈥檚 economy and the health of our communities to get this wrong,鈥� Tester said .
Proponents of the new WOTUS rule say it's a compromise that provides exceptions for businesses while fighting against pollution.
鈥淭he Biden rule requires us to be good neighbors and stewards of our planet while also providing flexibility for those who need it,鈥� said Tom Carper, D-Del., during .
Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is the reach of the Clean Water Act in , a case out of Idaho. Separately, Idaho and Texas argued in a lawsuit that the new WOTUS rule shouldn't be implemented until the Supreme Court makes its decision. A federal judge in Texas agreed, resulting in a March 19 that kept the rule from going into effect in only those two states.
With President Biden certain to veto Congress鈥� resolution, the votes were largely symbolic. But environmental advocates argue that the integrity of the country's bedrock water protection law has already been compromised.
鈥淎 majority of Senators elected to represent the American people have chosen to side with corporate polluters and play politics with one of our most critical natural resources. This is inexcusable,鈥� said Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous .
The vote in the House of Representatives was 227-198 to overturn the rule. Nine Democrats sided with conservatives lawmakers and voted in favor of the resolution, while one Republican voted against it.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau is provided in part by the .
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