(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) President Joe Biden issued a veto—the second in his administration—on a bipartisan bill limiting federal control of waterways of the United States, or WOTUS.
In doing so, the Biden administration asserted its unchecked authority to regulate “hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands, and other waterways,” essentially granting the federal government power to control both the water and surrounding areas, even on private property, according to Breitbart.
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., reacted to the veto in a Twitter post, slamming Biden for having “turned his back on Montana farmers and ranchers.”
Once again, the President turned his back on Montana farmers and ranchers.
In his latest veto, Biden rejected the bipartisan effort to repeal his disastrous WOTUS rule and end federal overreach into our dry creek beds and mud puddles.
— Matt Rosendale (@RepRosendale) April 6, 2023
“In his latest veto, Biden rejected the bipartisan effort to repeal his disastrous WOTUS rule and end federal overreach into our dry creek beds and mud puddles,” Rosendale said.
In order to gain further control of WOTUS, the Biden administration rolled back deregulation measures taken by the Trump administration.
The new regulations, announced in December by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency, require private businesses and citizens to apply for federal permits for efforts like “construction or mining.”
The congressional bill—originally introduced by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo.—had attempted to override the new administrative fiat.
Republicans and center-left Democrats such as Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., argued that Biden officials had exceeded the bounds of executive power.
Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. pointed out that the regulations were “unfair, confusing, and costly,” and “create red tape for Hoosier farmers and builders.”
Despite Biden’s veto, the WOTUS regulations may still be reined in using a favorite Trump-era tactic of the Left: judicial injuctions.
Judge Jeffrey Brown issued an injunction on the regulation for the Southern District of Texas, ruling that the regulations “pose irreparable harm.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the injunction.
“The unlawful rule would have saddled Texans across the state with crushing new regulations, slowing our state’s economic development and limiting our job growth,” he said, per Fox News.
The Biden administration’s latest land grab arrived not long after a controversial move to designate more than 500,000 acres in Nevada as a “national monument” under federal government control.
It also followed alarming comments from JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, in a recent shareholder letter, that called on the government to use eminent domain property seizures as a way to facilitate the Left’s green-energy agenda, including solar and wind projects.
After the veto, President Biden posted a tweet claiming the federal government was “protecting” waterways “from destruction and pollution.”
I just vetoed a bill that attempted to block our Administration from protecting our nation's waterways – a resource millions of Americans depend on – from destruction and pollution.
Let me be clear: Every American has a right to clean water.
This veto protects that right. pic.twitter.com/ozfOVu5HEq
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 6, 2023
His declaration affirming the need for clean water came despite the administration’s apparent indifference for the Ohio River watershed following a recent toxic spill in East Palestine, Ohio.
Residents had to wait several weeks for federal assistance and still rely on bottled water, as many of the natural waterways feeding into the river remain contaminated. Over 10 million gallons of contaminated wastewater had to be removed from the city.
Facing a new, GOP-controlled House and narrowly split Senate, Biden deployed his first veto last month to block a bipartisan bill that would have prevented government funds from being invested in woke ESG initiatives.
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
