The Senate Environment and Public Works committee marked up the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, S. 1140, reports the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). If passed by Congress, the legislation will halt the water rule and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be forced to start over with the rule.
According to NSSGA, during the markup, Democrats and Republicans discussed what they considered to be the true implications of this rule. Senator Boxer (D-Calif.) said S. 1140 “would create more confusion for businesses and landowners by taking away new exemptions and sending EPA and the Corps back to square one,” while Chairman Inhofe (R-Okla.) said the rule would “set up the right process and the right principles to make sure that the agencies can protect water quality without taking control over huge swaths of private property.”
Mike Johnson, NSSGA president and CEO, also commented on the effect the rule would have on the aggregates industry.
“This legislation is incredibly important for our industry and our country – the EPA has created a rule that vastly expands their jurisdiction and the complexity of the permitting process. Ultimately, the taxpayers will pay the price as public works projects will have a significantly higher cost.”
