Like many Idahoans, I am deeply concerned that, under the Obama Administration, the EPA drastically expanded its regulatory authority. The EPA spent years pumping out new regulations every week, without Congress’s consent, that impacted nearly every facet of Americans’ lives—from whom you could hire to remodel your house to what kind of car you could drive.
I believe that the EPA has an important role to play in protecting public health, and over the past four decades our country has made great strides in cleaning up air and water and recognizing the impacts that our actions have on the environment. I am alarmed however, at efforts by the former Administration to drastically expand its regulatory authority beyond what Congress intended and implement regulations that will result in little to no health or environmental benefit at a great cost to our economy. I strongly believe that government should be responsive to the people, not force on them policies that they don’t support.
During the 115th Congress, I intend to continue my oversight role over the EPA as a member of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee. It is important to continue finding ways to provide relief from the past Administration’s regulations – such as language I helped author to allow EPA and the Army Corps to withdraw the harmful waters of the United States rule - while ensuring EPA has the resources they need to help communities provide clean air and water to their citizens. EPA should be a partner to communities in their efforts to achieve a cleaner environment, not a top down agency that imposes unrealistic and burdensome regulations on the very people they should be helping.
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