Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition of H.J. Res. 27, which would roll back important clean water protections.

Colleagues, for over 50 years, the Clean Water Act has served as an essential pollution prevention tool and helped us clean up our nation's streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

Clean water is a human right. And it is our shared responsibility to ensure we protect human health and our environment for future generations. Whether you live in the heartland near the Great Lakes, or out west near the incredible Colorado River, we all benefit from the federal protections of our waters. As one of the architects of the Clean Water Act, John Dingell, wrote and made clear the intent was to protect ``all the `waters of the United States.' ''

Wetlands, rivers, lakes, and streams must be protected and due to the 2019 repeal of this rule, there have been hundreds of development projects that were able to move forward with limited regulation, putting our water systems at risk. I would like to thank the Biden administration for their leadership on its rule to establish a revised definition of the ``Waters of the United States'' to protect our most vital natural resource--water.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to oppose this resolution and protect clean water for all Americans.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source