Huelskamp Votes to Put the Brakes on Obama’s EPA

Congressman Tim Huelskamp (KS-01) supported the FY2017 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. It passed the House 231-196 on Thursday afternoon.

This legislation cuts EPA funding by $164 million and removes over $43 million from the EPA’s efforts to enforce burdensome regulations. Most important, this bill includes language requested by Congressman Huelskamp to prohibit the Obama Administration from enforcing the EPA’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and puts a stop to any further efforts on Lesser Prairie Chicken regulation.

Huelskamp issued the following statement:

“The Clean Water Act was never intended to allow Washington to regulate every road ditch, farm pond, prairie pothole, swimming pool, water tank, and rain puddle. And concern over a bird should not be used to suppress our economy. We must rein in the power that is being usurped by the Obama Administration. This follows our legislation the House passed this week to restore the separation of powers that our Founders prescribed in the Constitution.”

The bill also prohibited the EPA from implementing new, expansive, scientifically-questionable greenhouse gas regulations for new and existing power plants.   

Congressman Huelskamp rebuked the EPA for their mistreatment of those in rural America: “The EPA has done so much damage to our rural way of life, by attacking my fellow farmers, ranchers, and those in our oil and gas industries that fuel our economy. I am proud to support this legislation to curtail Obama’s abuse of executive power.”