Many are thinking that since S. 787 has not come to the Senate floor for a vote it is a dead issue. Please stop thinking this! Yes we won't probably see a vote in 2009 but it is NOT a dead issue.
On Friday Senator Barraasso, (R-WY) sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi citing concerns over job loss and regulatory overreach in expressing their strong objections to the Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA) (S. 787).
The letter, signed by 11 Western Senators and 17 Western House Members, stated, “In the West… where the frontier spirit of smaller government and individual liberty are still sacred traditions, there is overwhelming objection to this bill. We strongly object to any attempt to move this legislation, either as a stand alone bill or as an attachment to a bill, in the Senate or House of Representatives. More specifically, we cannot imagine any bill so important that we could support it with the Clean Water Restoration Act attached.”
The letter stated, “this legislation would grant the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, virtually unlimited regulatory control over all wet areas within a state. This bill attempts to trump state’s rights and pre-empts state and local governments from making local land and water use decisions. This bill will also build an even more expensive, cumbersome bureaucracy which will increase delays in securing permits and will slow or stop vital economic activities all across the country. Commercial and residential real estate development, agriculture, electric transmission, transportation and mining will all be effected. Thousands of jobs will be lost.”
Please call the below Senators & Representatives and thank them for their continued vigilance <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> on this issue.
The following Representatives and Senators participated in the letter:
Senators:
John Barrasso (WY), Bob Bennett (UT), Mike Crapo (ID), John Ensign (NV), Mike Enzi (WY), Orrin Hatch (UT), Jon Kyl (AZ), Lisa Murkowski (AK), James Risch (ID), Pat Roberts (KS), John Thune (SD)
House Members:
Rob Bishop(UT-01), Jason Chaffetz (UT-03), Mike Coffman (CO-06), Michael Conaway (TX-11), Jeff Flake (AZ-06), Dean Heller (NV-02), Wally Herger (CA-02), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large), Tom McClintock (CA-04), Denny Rehberg (MT-At large), John Shadegg (AZ-03), Mike Simpson (ID-02), Lee Terry (NE-02), Mac Thornberry (TX-13), Greg Walden (OR-02), Don Young (AK-At large)
