Thompson Cosponsored Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 Passes House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Glenn ‘GT' Thompson (PA-05) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, by a vote of 261 to 155.

"With passage of the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, we take a positive step in preventing the Administration's proposed ‘Waters of the United States' rule, which would create more problems and confusion for our economy and environment than it claims to solve. This bill instructs the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to go back to the drawing board, consult with stakeholders and produce a workable solution. I thank House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster on helping move this initiative forward."

The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 will direct the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the controversial Waters of the United States proposed ruling. H.R. 1732 will also require consultation with state and local governments and industries prior to redrafting a new proposal.

In March, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry, which Thompson chairs, held its second hearing to review the proposed rule and its impact on rural America. At the hearing, various public witnesses and Members of the Committee asserted that the Obama Administration had acted on its own, without input from the states and stakeholders, to broaden the scope of the Clean Water Act threatening the livelihood of farmers, ranchers and rural America.

On May 1, 2015, Thompson addressed the House of Representatives in support of the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015.

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