On March 9, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted in favor of H.J. Res. 207, moving to invalidate the Clean Water Restoration Rule (the “Restoration Rule”) under the Congressional Review Act (“CRA”). The Biden Administration passed the Restoration Rule in early 2023 to define which types of waters within the United States—such as rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands—will receive protection from pollution under the Clean Water Act.
Now that 227 Representatives in the House have voted against the Restoration Rule, the United States Senate will likely vote on Wednesday, March 15th on whether to send the Resolution to the White House.
Lawyers for Good Government’s (“L4GG’s”) Director of Climate Change and Environmental Justice, Jillian Blanchard, issued the following statement: “We recognize that water is an essential resource to all, and it is often the most overburdened communities and ecosystems that are most impacted by water pollution. The CRA is a dangerous tool that should not be used to invalidate the Clean Water Restoration Rule, which essentially reinstates crucial wetland and waters protections that were eviscerated under the Trump Administration. Clean water is crucial to our ecosystems, our water supply, and our very way of life. Voting to remove the Restoration Rule using the CRA will take a sledgehammer to these protections and prevent the EPA from addressing the issue in the future. This vote is critical and threatens our right to clean drinking water and healthy waterways.”
Additionally, L4GG joined with 110 other organizations to urge the Senate to oppose the joint resolution of disapproval targeting the Clean Water Restoration Rule. You can view the opposition letter here.