Hearing

Panel 1

The Honorable Dave Ross, Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Written Testimony

Panel 2

Ms. Maia Bellon, Director, Department of Ecology, State of Washington | Written Testimony
Ms. Becky Keogh, Secretary, Department of Arkansas Energy and Environment, State of Arkansas | Written Testimony
Mr. Ken Kopocis, Associate Professor, College of Law, American University | Written Testimony
Mr. Michael Hickey, Hoosick Falls, NY | Written Testimony
Ms. Pam Nixon, President, People Concerned About Chemical Safety | Written Testimony
Mr. Geoffrey R. Gisler, Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center | Written Testimony

Opening remarks, as prepared, of Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR):

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO):

As a sixth-generation farmer, I know firsthand the importance of being good stewards of the land and water.  Clean and reliable water is essential to protecting the public health, growing local economies, and conserving the environment.

To that end, EPA plays an important role in supporting and protecting this vital resource, but it should do so in partnership with farmers and other stakeholders.  This collaboration will yield the best results.

For example, just last week, I was able to speak at an event with Administrator Wheeler and Assistant Secretary James on the repeal of the Obama WOTUS rule.

The repeal of the Obama WOTUS rule was welcomed by farmers, small business owners, landowners, and many others – not only in my district in North Missouri, but all over the country – because of that rule’s massive federal overreach.

I am thrilled that this Administration listened to those farmers and small businesses about the extreme challenges this rule would have imposed and decided to get rid of it.  I look forward to learning about the other initiatives this Administration is undertaking, in partnership with stakeholders, to protect our water resources in a more pragmatic way.

Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR):

Thank you, Chairwoman Napolitano, for holding this hearing, and thank you to our witnesses for being here to discuss EPA’s initiatives under the Clean Water Act.  In particular, I’d like to acknowledge Assistant Administrator Dave Ross from EPA’s Office of Water for taking the time to be here today, as well as Secretary of Energy and Environment, Becky Keogh, from my home state of Arkansas.

Let me be clear, I am a staunch supporter of our environment and cannot understate the importance of protecting our Nation’s water quality.  Living in rural Arkansas, many of my friends and constituents rely on clean water for their drinking water, and homes, businesses, and farms rely on effective wastewater management and irrigation to preserve their livelihoods.  Protecting our waters is absolutely critical to communities and ecosystems at home and all around the Nation.

We have made substantial progress over the past four and a half decades improving water quality in our Nation.  But I also understand that some challenging issues still remain. 

The most effective way to address these issues is through implementing effective and pragmatic environmental policies under the Clean Water Act that balance environmental, economic, and social outcomes.  States need to be empowered and engaged as equal partners with the federal government, in working to achieve these objectives.  Neither the federal government nor a state should become overbearing and upset that balance.

Maintaining the balanced federal-state partnership that Congress originally intended under the Clean Water Act is fundamental to achieving the objectives of the Act.  This is “cooperative federalism.”

It is critical that neither the federal government nor a state takes too heavy-handed an approach.  We can and must protect and restore America’s waters and wetlands with effective and pragmatic policy and regulation that provides regulatory certainty and is devoid of armies of consultants and lawyers.  Legal and policy decisions must be informed by good science, be clear and concise, and preserve states’ traditional authorities.

I look forward to hearing testimony today from the EPA and stakeholders on how we can strike a balance between regulatory clarity and the need for robust environmental protection of waters and wetlands, and also maintain the federal-state partnership envisioned under the Clean Water Act.