GOP Holds off on new water bill
Posted on June 19, 2009
Filed Under Water Law News |
WASHINGTON - A federal bill to extend protection to non-navigable waters adopted Thursday by a Senate committee, but quickly hit a brick wall in the full Senate, where Republicans said they are blocking even a debate on the measure according to attorney David Peters.
Attorney David Peters says the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the bill on a party line 12-7 vote. Democrats were revised in response to criticism from agriculture and other groups that could interfere with private property rights, but the changes did not attract GOP support.
Sen E. Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y., who chaired the Senate at the time, missed the vote in committee, but relayed his “yes” by the president, Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
The legislature has proposed the bill to annul the two decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States in 2001 and 2006, which restricts the scope of the federal Clean Water Act, adopted in 1972. The developers said they wanted to be sure that wetlands, streams and other surface waters are not immune to significant federal regulation, and they seek only to return to the federal law of agency interpretation before the courts.
Comments
Leave a Reply