Sen. Fields comments on EPA’s Waters of the United States Rule

Sen. Eddie Fields on Friday said the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rules regarding what constitutes the Waters of the United States are another example of federal overreach from the agency.

“This is yet another example of the EPA trying to bypass the states and the policymaking process to implement extreme environmental policy,” said Fields, R-Wynona. “This rule will limit the personal property rights of landowners and restrict the ability of state governments to respond quickly to critical water infrastructure needs. I am grateful that Attorney General Scott Pruitt has announced that he will challenge the EPA’s rule, and I encourage state leaders to stand united against the overreach of President Obama’s EPA. I also applaud our congressional delegation for their united opposition to this rule.”

The EPA’s final Waters of the United States rule broadens the definition of “navigable” waters under the Clean Water Act, to include tributaries to navigable, interstate waters.

“This redefinition means that streams, creeks and even small ponds are potentially subject to the EPA’s burdensome and arbitrary regulatory apparatus,” Fields said. “Oklahomans have a better understanding of our waters than any Washington bureaucrat, and we have a vested interest in maintaining and protecting our bodies of water. We have an obligation to fight this attempt to expand the regulatory reach of the EPA around the state governments and landowners.”