Congress Passes Disapproval Resolution on Biden’s Clean Water Rule
The U.S. Senate passed H.J. Res 27, a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) of the Biden Administration’s waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, by a vote of 53-43. The Senate vote, which occurred Wednesday, March 29, will now send the resolution to the President, who is expected to veto it. The House passed the same resolution on March 9 by a vote of 227-198. Currently, neither the Senate nor the House have the necessary two-thirds votes to override a Presidential veto.
The final WOTUS rule, as proposed by the Biden Administration, seeks to find a middle ground between the Obama Administration’s expansive 2015 WOTUS rule and the Trump Administration’s narrower 2020 WOTUS proposal by codifying the regulations that were largely in effect prior to 2015. The Biden rule is currently set to take effect on March 20.
U.S. House Holds Hearing on Implementation of the IIJA
The House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit on Tuesday, March 28th, conducted a hearing on the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), focusing on the effective execution of the law. The hearing presented the importance of oversight in implementation of the law in terms of its impact on quality of life and vital for economic competitiveness.
Opening the hearing, Subcommittee Chair Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) stated that the focus of the hearing is to examine IIJA and its implementation as written, looking at the successes of the bill and where improvements can be made. Subcommittee Ranking Member Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) stated that in her district the law has been put to work as the Biden-Harris Administration has bought zero emission buses for D.C. She stated that not only is it a success in her district but the highway dashboard shows projects all around the country have been started. Full Committee Ranking Member Congressman Rick Larsen’s (D-WA) main message was that there are great benefits to infrastructure funding, with more to come.
Among the witnesses providing testimony was Marc Williams, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT), and on the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), who stated that AASHTO and DOTs have worked to provide coordination, collaboration, and direct assistance to ensure the benefits promised by the IIJA.
Other witnesses presented perspectives on IIJA’s implementation in terms of advancing the goals of the bipartisan law. Dwayne Boyd, representing the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), stated that it is imperative that the funds authorized to NSSGA continue to flow as intended for the life of the new law. Aric Dreher, Assistant General Manager for Cianbro, a full-service contractor that delivers world-class construction services, noted that inflation's impact on construction cannot be taken lightly as it affects the overall success of the effort. Paula Hammond, Chair of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and Senior Vice President of WSP USA, stated that inflation has caused a diluted effect of the law's investments, but as we are only 16 months into the bill there are many more benefits to come for the American people.
NEMWI Tracks Bills on the Great Lakes and Water in the 118th Congress
As the new 118th Congress proceeds, an increasing number of bills have been introduced relating to the Great Lakes and water policy. Overall, there are now a total of 25 newly introduced bills, including 18 bills in the U.S. House and seven bills in the U.S. Senate.
Among the newly introduced bills in the House are H.R.1367Water System Threat Preparedness and Resilience Act, which is a bill to establish a program to increase drinking water and wastewater system threat preparedness and resilience. H.R.1444Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act of 2023, is a bill that amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to provide for the consideration of climate change.
In the Senate, S.660Water System Threat Preparedness and Resilience Act also is newly introduced. In addition, S.Res.117is a joint resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President and the Secretary of State should ensure that the Government of Canada does not permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin.
NEMWI will continue to monitor legislation relating to the Great Lakes and water policy with the Great Lakes and Water Legislative Tracker which is available here.
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