{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fulcher.house.gov/2021/07/12/id-583a5b1a-79c2-4465-8dda-1fc09abc4b77/", "Rep. Fulcher, Western Caucus Demand Answers From Biden Administration on Return to Obama-era WOTUS", "2021-07-12", "2021", "2021-07", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Russ Fulcher", "F000469", "fulcher.house.gov", "fulcher", "https://fulcher.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Contact:\n\nAlexah Rogge\n\n202-225-6611\n\nalexah.rogge@mail.house.gov\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressional Western Caucus and Senate Western Caucus Members, led by Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Chairman Steve Daines (MT), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), and Senator Joni Ernst (IA), sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham to express serious concerns with the Biden Administration\u2019s decision to remand the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and reopen the definition of \u201cwaters of the United States.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese steps demonstrate a misguided and out of touch approach toward addressing the needs of local communities across the country,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cThe NWPR was an immense step forward in rectifying the regulatory overreach that was attempted in 2015, and your agencies\u2019 vague announcement and opaque process fails to ensure our communities will not \u2013 once again \u2013 be subject to further uncertainty and government overreach.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers outline the unprecedented overreach of the failed Obama-era 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and highlight the impacts that returning to a drastic expansion of federal jurisdiction over non-navigable waters will have on rural communities across the United States.\n\n\u201cOur farmers, ranchers, landowners, and small businesses have demonstrated a deep commitment to stewarding our waterways and lands, which is why this radical overreach was met with bipartisan opposition and concern that was even echoed by Administrator Regan during his confirmation process,\u201d they wrote.\n\nThey continued, \u201cConfusion, regulatory uncertainty, and litigation have surrounded the scope of federal authority of our nation\u2019s navigable waterways for decades. With your recent actions, the Biden Administration is trampling upon this progress and further jeopardizing rural Americans\u2019 confidence that this Administration is working in their best interest\u2026 Rural communities in the West and across the country are dedicated to clean water and do not deserve to be punished by far-reaching, burdensome federal regulations.\u201d\n\nThe letter, which includes a list of questions for Administrator Regan and Acting Assistant Secretary Pinkham, underscores Rep. Miller-Meeks\u2019 legislation, introduced with the support of 114 Members of Congress, expressing the sense of the House that clean water is a national priority and that the NWPR should not be withdrawn or vacated.\n\nFull text of the letter can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:03:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fulcher.house.gov/2021/07/12/id-583a5b1a-79c2-4465-8dda-1fc09abc4b77/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.290815882384777, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}