Chair DeFazio Applauds Biden Administration for Restoring the Rule of Law to Protect Clean Water

Washington, DC – Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced its final rule defining the Waters of the Unites States (WOTUS), which would formally remove the illegal Trump-era Dirty Water Rule from federal regulations and replace it with familiar, bipartisan regulations that have dictated the protection of clean water for decades. 
 
“Stewarding our nation’s lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands has been one of my most profound responsibilities during my time in Congress. As such, I am pleased to see President Biden finally remove the last remains of the ill-conceived and patently illegal Trump-Era Dirty Water Rule, which was a giveaway to polluters and jeopardized the health of our communities and environment. This final rule will restore decades-old, bipartisan protections for our waters under the Clean Water Act that are consistent with what Congress always intended and based on common-sense and science-backed decision-making,” Chair DeFazio said. “Still, the real fight remains as the conservative Supreme Court looks to ignore the law and rollback critical clean water protections in the case of Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It remains as important as ever to hold the Court accountable to upholding one of the nation’s most effective environmental laws.”  
 
Additional Background: 
 
In June 2022, DeFazio and Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Tom Carper (D-DE) submitted an amicus brief alongside 165 current and former Members of Congress to the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Sackett v. EPA. To learn more, click here.
 
In February 2022, DeFazio, Chair of the Subcommittee on Water and the Environment Grace F. Napolitano, Chair of the Joint Economic Committee Don Beyer (D-VA), and 117 representatives wrote to the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) urging them to swiftly restore science-based safeguards to protect America’s waters and wetlands. To learn more, click here. 
 
In September 2021, DeFazio, Napolitano, Beyer, and 139 U.S. House Representatives, sent a letter to the EPA and the Corps applauding the repeal of the Dirty Water Rule. To learn more, click here. 
 
In August 2021, DeFazio and Napolitano released statements after a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona overturned the Dirty Water Rule. To learn more, click here.
 
In June 2021, DeFazio and Napolitano released statements after the EPA announced that it was withdrawing the Dirty Water Rule, beginning an extensive stakeholder engagement process, and getting to work on a replacement rule. To learn more, click here.
 
In February 2021, DeFazio and Napolitano sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to repeal the Dirty Water Rule. To learn more, click here.
 
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