House Approves Bill to Prevent EPA Overreach on Waters of the U.S.
This week, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 5078, the Waters of the U.S. Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, by a vote of 262-152; 35 Democrats, including 13 members of the House Agriculture Committee, joined all but one Republican in voting for the measure.
H.R. 5078 would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing its proposal to greatly expand the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act by redefining the term “water of the United States.” The EPA proposal, which remains open for comment until mid-October, would extend the agency’s regulatory authority to thousands of farms and ranches across the country.
NCFC joined with over 100 other food and agriculture groups in urging support for the bill. In a letter to House members, the groups stated, “[t]his bill is a narrow, carefully crafted proposal that is designed to accomplish one, simple goal: to require the EPA to live within the law set out by Congress and affirmed by the Supreme Court.”
Unfortunately, it does not appear that the Senate has the intention to take up the legislation in this Congress. In addition, even if the bill were to be approved by the Senate, President Obama has threatened a veto.
As the rule has not been finalized, NCFC continues to work along on the regulatory front by developing comments for submittal to EPA.
President Delays Executive Action on Immigration Until After Election
In a move that had been leaked and widely predicted, President Obama announced last weekend that he would not issue any executive order dealing with undocumented immigrants until after the mid-term election. As you may recall, earlier this summer the president had threatened to take action to slow or stop deportation of many illegal immigrants if the House of Representatives failed to act on the issue; in fact, after House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) declared that no immigration legislation would be voted on this year, Mr. Obama ordered the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a set of recommendations that fell within his executive authority.
NCFC and the other members of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) continue to meet with key stakeholders to determine what these executive orders may implement and how they could impact the ability of producers to retain and recruit workers.
House Vote on Continuing Resolution Set for Next Week
Earlier in the week, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) introduced a continuing resolution (HJ Res. 124) that would fund federal government operations past the start of fiscal year 2015 on October 1. The measure is what is known as a “clean CR” in that it generally extends programs at current funding levels and includes no so-called policy riders. As it would only fund the government through December 11, Congress would need to act on a full FY 2015 appropriations measure during a lame duck session.
While House leadership had initially hoped to vote on the CR this week, consideration was delayed by President Obama’s request that it include authorization for the U.S. government to train Syrian rebel forces in the fight against ISIS terrorists. Passage is expected next week ahead of the House going into recess for the Jewish holidays.
Upcoming Events:
- Fall NCFC Executive Council Meeting—September 25 & 26, 2014—NCFC offices, Washington, D.C.
- LTA Subcommittee Chairs/Vice Chairs Meeting—October 2 & 3, 2014—Four Seasons Hotel, Austin, Texas
- NCFC Human Resources Conference—October 23-24, 2014—Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago, Ill.
- Government Affairs Committee Meeting—November 12-14, 2014—Benson Hotel, Portland, Ore.
- 86th NCFC Annual Meeting—February 11-13, 2015—Paradise Point Hotel, San Diego, Calif.