By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Tuesday, November 3 U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) voted for the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, which he cosponsored.
Senator Shelby said in a statement, “The EPA’s rule redefining ‘waters of the United States’ is yet another land grab by this Administration, which would place control of waterways across the country in the hands of Washington bureaucrats. This rule stands as further evidence that the Obama Administration is more focused on achieving an unprecedented expansion of federal power than actually ensuring access to clean water.”
Sen. Shelby continued, “Once again, Senate Democrats have chosen bureaucratic red-tape over common sense reforms. However, I will continue to support efforts to block the implementation of this job-destroying rule as well as the EPA’s broad, unchecked regulatory power under this Administration.”
Senator Joe Donnelly (D from Indiana) said, “I am pleased the Federal Water Quality Protection Act received strong bipartisan support in the Senate, but I am disappointed we did not have enough votes to move forward in considering our bill. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, a Hoosier farmer or small business owner in Indiana, or a bureaucrat at the EPA, we all want clean water. Congress should act to clarify the coverage of the Clean Water Act, or the issue will continue to be litigated in the courts for years to come. I am willing to do this work, and I will continue to push for Congress to pass a constructive, permanent solution to the WOTUS rule.”
Sen. Donnelly said, “No one wants cleaner water or better land conditions than the families who live on American farms,” said Donnelly. “That is why it is incredibly important that the EPA rewrite the Waters of the United States rule with input from the people who live and work on the land and alongside these waters every day. I am proud to work on this bipartisan legislation because Democrats and Republicans can agree that the EPA needs to consult with states, small businesses, and farmers on something so critical as defining ‘Waters of the U.S.’ in a common sense way—something they failed to do the first time.”
The motion to proceed to the Federal Water Quality Protection Act failed by a vote of 57-41, falling short of the 60-vote threshold that is required under the arcane rules of the Senate. Many conservatives feel that the Senate should go to a simple majority rules now that they control the Senate.
The Act would have overturned President Barack Obama’s massive expansion of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) power by redefining, “Waters of the United States” from navigable waters to all water.
Senator Shelby has served the people of Alabama in the U.S. Senate since his election in 1986. Prior to that Shelby served in the U.S. House and the Alabama legislature. Sen. Shelby is seeking his sixth term in the Senate in next year’s election.
