House committee bill blocks WOTUS rule

The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee included a rider in an annual spending bill that would block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, according to the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA).

A House appropriations subpanel gave its blessings to the $37.4 billion spending bill for energy and water programs.

NSSGA reports the House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal 2017 energy and water spending measure April 11, which also boosted the funding of the Army Corps of Engineers by $100 million and contained an additional rider that would block any changes to the definition of fill material. The WOTUS rule would extend jurisdiction of the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers over many areas previously not considered waters of the United States, and it has been the subject of more than a dozen congressional hearings.

The WOTUS rider will likely draw opposition from many Democratic members of the House, and NSSGA says this rider is expected to be stripped from the bill. NSSGA adds that it is currently suing the EPA over WOTUS based on the rule’s violation of the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. To date, 32 states and several trade associations have joined suits opposing the rule.