U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3) joined 38 members of the House of Representatives and Senate in sending an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals to urge the Court to acknowledge the intent of the Clean Water Act by highlighting where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has violated the law and overstepped states’ rights.

Under the Clean Water Act, Congress granted states the authority to implement their own water quality goals. Unfortunately, the EPA has overreached its authority and is attempting to micromanage states’ plans simply because it disagrees with them. Should this precedent be allowed to continue, it could have grave impacts on the water resources that so many Missourians rely on.   

 “I was extremely pleased to be one of the 39 Members of Congress who sent the amicus brief to the Court of Appeals because it sends a clear message that it is time to stop the bureaucrats in the EPA from further harming our and  disregarding the impact of their actions on the lives of hard-working Americans,” Luetkemeyer said. “We can no longer allow bureaucrats in Washington to dictate to state and local governments how to they should protect their own water resources.”

In addition to opposing this EPA initiative, Luetkemeyer signed a letter to the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers urging them to withdraw and rework the proposed rule to revise “Waters of the United States.” The proposed rule by the EPA would expand the scope of the Clean Water Act on small businesses and farmers by effectively taking out the word “navigable” from “navigable waters” and thereby extending the Act to any body of water connected to a traditionally navigable stream at any point in time.