The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Options and 114th Congress Responses

Congressional research reportDec 29, 2016

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule:

Legislative Options and 114th Congress

Responses

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December 29, 2016

Congressional Research Service

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R43943

The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Summary

On May 27, 2015, the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) and the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) finalized a rule revising regulations that define the scope of waters protected under

the Clean Water Act (CWA). Discharges to waters under CWA jurisdiction, such as the addition of

pollutants from factories or sewage treatment plants and the dredging and filling of spoil material

through mining or excavation, require a CWA permit. The rule was proposed in 2014 in light of

Supreme Court rulings that created uncertainty about the geographic limits of waters that are and

are not protected by the CWA.

According to EPA and the Corps, their intent in proposing the rule was to clarify CWA

jurisdiction, not expand it. Nevertheless, the rule has been extremely controversial, especially

with groups representing property owners, land developers, and agriculture, who contend that it

represents a massive federal overreach beyond the agencies’ statutory authority. Most state and

local officials are supportive of clarifying the extent of CWA-regulated waters, but some are

concerned that the rule could impose costs on states and localities as their own actions become

subject to new requirements. Most environmental advocacy groups welcomed the proposal,

which would more clearly define U.S. waters that are subject to CWA protections, but beyond that

general support, some in these groups favor an even stronger rule. The final rule contains a

number of changes to respond to criticisms of the proposal, but the revisions may not satisfy all

critics of the rule. The rule became effective August 28, 2015, replacing EPA-Corps guidance that

has governed permitting decisions since the Supreme Court’s rulings. However, a federal appeals

court issued a nationwide stay of the rule that has been in effect since October 2015.

Despite the court’s stay of the rule, some in Congress favor halting EPA and the Corps’ current

approach to defining “waters of the United States.” To do so legislatively, at least four options

were reflected in bills in the 114th Congress.



The Congressional Review Act. If Congress passes a joint resolution

disapproving a covered rule under procedures provided by the act, and the

resolution becomes law, the rule cannot take effect or continue in effect. The

agency may not reissue either that rule or any substantially similar one, except

under authority of a subsequently enacted law. The Senate and House passed

such a joint resolution (S.J.Res. 22), but President Obama vetoed it on January

19. On January 21, a procedural vote in the Senate to override the veto failed.

Appropriations bill limitations. A provision in an appropriations bill can be a

mechanism to block or redirect an agency’s course of action by limiting or

preventing agency funds from being used for the rule. Bills with such limitations

were reported in 2015 and 2016, but none of these bills were enacted.

Standalone targeted legislation. Other legislation can take several forms, such

as a bill similar to limits in an appropriations bill to prohibit EPA and the Corps

from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the proposed rule. Another approach

could be legislation to address substantive aspects of the rule that have been

criticized. The House passed one such bill (H.R. 1732) in 2015. Similar

legislation was reported in the Senate, but failed to advance (S. 1140).

Broad amendments to the Clean Water Act. Legislation to affirm or clarify

Congress’s intention regarding CWA jurisdiction would have broad implications

for the CWA, since questions of jurisdiction are fundamental to all of the act’s

regulatory requirements.

Congressional Research Service

The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

These options and related legislative activity in the 114th Congress are discussed in this report.

Each option faced a steep path to enactment, because of the Obama Administration’s opposition

to legislation to halt or weaken a major regulatory initiative such as the “waters of the United

States” rule. With a change in administration in January 2017, the 115th Congress and the new

administration seem likely to revisit the “waters of the United States” issue and controversies, but

how that will occur is unclear for now.

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Background ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Congressional Options .................................................................................................................... 4

Congressional Review Act ........................................................................................................ 4

Appropriations Bills .................................................................................................................. 6

Standalone Legislation .............................................................................................................. 7

Other Clean Water Act Amendments ........................................................................................ 9

Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................11

Contacts

Author Contact Information .......................................................................................................... 12

Congressional Research Service

The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Introduction

On May 27, 2015, the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) and the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) finalized a rule revising regulations that define the scope of waters protected under

the Clean Water Act (CWA). Discharges to waters under CWA jurisdiction, such as the addition of

pollutants from factories or sewage treatment plants and the dredging and filling of spoil material

through mining or excavation, require a CWA permit. The rule was proposed in 2014 in light of

Supreme Court rulings that created uncertainty about the geographic limits of waters that are and

are not protected by the CWA.

The revised rule became effective on August 28, 2015, 60 days after publication in the Federal

challenges to the rule were filed in federal district and appeals courts around the country. On

October 9, 2015, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati issued an order granting a request by 18

states to stay the new rule nationwide, pending further developments. On June 14, 2016, this

court set the briefing schedule in the litigation; the court’s schedule likely would lead to oral

arguments in February 2017 or later. As a result of these judicial actions, until legal proceedings

are concluded, the new rule is not in effect, and prior regulations and agency guidance will

govern determinations of CWA jurisdiction.

According to EPA and the Corps, the agencies’ intent was to clarify CWA jurisdiction, not expand

it. Nevertheless, the rule has been extremely controversial, especially with groups representing

property owners, land developers, and the agriculture sector, who contend that it represents a

massive federal overreach beyond the agencies’ statutory authority. Most state and local officials

are supportive of clarifying the extent of CWA-regulated waters, but some are concerned that the

rule could impose costs on states and localities as their own actions (e.g., transportation or public

infrastructure projects) become subject to new requirements. Most environmental advocacy

groups welcomed the intent of the proposal to more clearly define U.S. waters that are subject to

CWA protections, but beyond that general support, some favored even a stronger rule.

Many critics in Congress and elsewhere urged that the proposed rule be withdrawn, but EPA and

the Corps pointed out that doing so would leave in place the status quo—with determinations of

CWA jurisdiction being made pursuant to existing regulations, coupled with non-binding agency

guidance, and many of these determinations involving time-consuming case-specific evaluation.

Still, even though the 2015 rule has been stayed by a federal court, some in Congress favor

halting the agencies’ approach to defining “waters of the United States” and leaving the status

quo in place or giving EPA and the Corps new directions on defining CWA jurisdiction. This

report discusses several options that Congress has considered that were reflected in bills in the

114th Congress.

Background2

The CWA protects “navigable waters,” a term defined in the act to mean “the waters of the United

States, including the territorial seas.”3 Waters need not be truly navigable to be subject to CWA

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, and Environmental Protection Agency, “Clean Water Rule: Definition

of ‘Waters of the United States,’ Final Rule,” 80 Federal Register 37054-37127, June 29, 2015.

The CWA and the proposed and final rules are more fully discussed in CRS Report R43455, EPA and the Army

Corps’ Rule to Define “Waters of the United States,” by (name redacted) . It includes a table that compares the

current regulatory language that defines “waters of the United States” with language in the proposed and final rules.

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

jurisdiction. The act’s single definition of “navigable waters” applies to the entire law, including

the federal prohibition on pollutant discharges except in compliance with the act (§301), permit

requirements (§§402 and 404), water quality standards and measures to attain them (§303), oil

spill liability and oil spill prevention and control measures (§311), and enforcement (§309). The

CWA gave the agencies the authority to define the term “waters of the United States” more fully

in regulations, which EPA and the Corps have done several times, most recently in 1986. While

EPA is primarily responsible for implementing the CWA, EPA and the Corps share

implementation of the dredge and fill permitting program in Section 404.

The courts, including the Supreme Court, generally upheld the agencies’ implementation until

Supreme Court rulings in 2001 and 2006 (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, (SWANCC) 531 U.S. 159 (2001); and Rapanos v. United States, 547

U.S. 716 (2006), respectively). Those rulings interpreted the regulatory scope of the CWA more

narrowly than the agencies and lower courts were then doing, and created uncertainty about the

appropriate scope of waters protected under the CWA.4

In 2003 and 2008, the agencies issued guidance intended to lessen confusion over the Court’s

rulings. The non-binding guidance sought to identify, in light of those rulings, categories of

waters that remain jurisdictional, categories not jurisdictional, and categories that require a casespecific analysis to determine if CWA jurisdiction applies. The Obama Administration proposed

revised guidance in 2011; it was not finalized, but it was the substantive basis for the 2014

proposed rule. In proposing to amend the regulatory definition of “waters of the United States”

rather than issue another guidance document, EPA and the Corps were not only acting to reduce

the confusion created by SWANCC and Rapanos. They also appeared to be picking up on the

suggestion of several of the justices in Rapanos that an amended rule would be helpful.

The 2015 final rule retains much of the structure of the agencies’ existing definition of “waters of

the United States.”5 It focuses particularly on clarifying the regulatory status of surface waters

located in isolated places in a landscape and streams that flow only part of the year, along with

nearby wetlands—the types of waters with ambiguous jurisdictional status following the Supreme

Court’s rulings. Like the 2003 and 2008 guidance documents and the 2014 proposal, it identifies

categories of waters that are and are not jurisdictional, as well as categories of waters and

wetlands that require a case-specific evaluation.



Under the final rule, all tributaries to the nation’s traditional navigable waters,

interstate waters, the territorial seas, or impoundments of these waters would be

jurisdictional per se. All of these waters are jurisdictional under existing rules,

but the term “tributary” is newly defined in the rule.

Waters—including wetlands, ponds, lakes, oxbows, and similar waters—that are

adjacent to traditional navigable waters, interstate waters, the territorial seas,

jurisdictional tributaries, or impoundments of these waters would be

jurisdictional by rule. The final rule for the first time puts some boundaries on

what is considered “adjacent.”

(...continued)

CWA §502(7); 33 U.S.C. §1362(7).

For discussion of the legal background, see CRS Report RL33263, The Wetlands Coverage of the Clean Water Act

(CWA): Rapanos and Beyond, by (name redacted) and (name redacted).

The definition of “waters of the United States” is found at 33 C.F.R. §328.3 (Corps) and 40 C.F.R. §122.2 (EPA). The

term is similarly defined in other EPA regulations, as is the term “navigable waters.”

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress



Some waters—but fewer than under current practice—would remain subject to a

case-specific evaluation of whether or not they meet the legal standards for

federal jurisdiction established by the Supreme Court. The final rule establishes

two defined sets of additional waters that will be a “water of the United States” if

they are determined to have a significant nexus to a jurisdictional waters.

The final rule identifies a number of types of waters to be excluded from CWA

jurisdiction. Some are restatements of exclusions under current rules (e.g., prior

converted cropland); some have been excluded by practice and would be

expressly excluded by rule for the first time (e.g., groundwater, some ditches).

Some exclusions were added to the final rule based on public comments (e.g.,

stormwater management systems and groundwater recharge basins). The rule

makes no change and does not affect existing statutory exclusions: permit

exemptions for normal farming, ranching, and silviculture practice and for

maintenance of drainage ditches (CWA §404(f)(1)), as well as for agricultural

stormwater discharges and irrigation return flows (CWA §402(l)).

The agencies’ intention was to clarify questions of CWA jurisdiction, in view of the Supreme

Court’s rulings and consistent with the agencies’ scientific and technical expertise. Much of the

controversy since the Court’s rulings has centered on the many instances that have required

applicants for CWA permits to seek a time-consuming case-specific evaluation to determine if

CWA jurisdiction applies to their activity, due to uncertainty over the geographic scope of the act.

In the rule, the Corps and EPA intended to clarify jurisdictional questions by clearly articulating

categories of waters that are and are not protected by the CWA and thus limiting the types of

waters that still require case-specific analysis. However, critical response to the proposal from

industry, agriculture, many states, and some local governments was that the rule was vague and

ambiguous and could be interpreted to enlarge the regulatory jurisdiction of the CWA beyond

what the statute and the courts allow.

Officials of the Corps and EPA vigorously defended the proposed rule. But they acknowledged

that it raised questions that required clarification in the final rule. In an April 2015 blog post, the

EPA Administrator and the Assistant Secretary for the Army said that the agencies responded to

criticisms of the proposal with changes in the final rule, which was then undergoing interagency

review. The blog post said that the final rule would make changes such as: defining tributaries

more clearly; better defining how protected waters are significant; limiting protection of ditches

to those that function like tributaries and can carry pollution downstream; and preserving CWA

exclusions and exemptions for agriculture.6 The final rule announced on May 27, 2015, does

reflect a number of changes from the proposal, especially to provide more bright line boundaries

and simplify definitions that identify waters that are protected under the CWA.7 The agencies’

intention has been to clarify the rules and make jurisdictional determinations more predictable,

less ambiguous, and more timely. Based on press reports of stakeholders’ early reactions to the

final rule, it appears that some believe that the agencies largely succeeded in that objective, while

others believe that they did not.8

Gina McCarthy and Jo-Ellen Darcy, “Your Input Is Shaping the Clean Water Rule,” EPA Connect, The Official Blog

of EPA’s Leadership, April 6, 2015, http://blog.epa.gov/epaconnect/2015/04/your-input-is-shaping-the-clean-waterrule/#more-3470.

See CRS Report R43455, EPA and the Army Corps’ Rule to Define “Waters of the United States” for discussion.

See, for example, Amena H. Saiyid, “Obama Says Water Jurisdiction Rule Provides Clarity, Certainty; Critics Claim

Overreach,” Daily Environment Report, May 28, 2015, p. A-1.

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Congressional interest in the rule has been strong since the proposal was announced in 2014. On

February 4, 2015, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a joint hearing on impacts of the proposed rule

on state and local governments, hearing from public and EPA and Corps witnesses. Other

hearings have been held by Senate and House committees in the 114th Congress. The proposal

also was discussed at House committee hearings during the 113th Congress. As described below, a

number of bills were introduced in the 114th Congress, most of them intended either to prohibit

the agencies from finalizing the 2014 proposed rule or to detail procedures for a new rulemaking.

Congressional Options

As noted earlier, some in Congress have long favored halting EPA and the Corps’ current

approach to defining “waters of the United States.” To do so legislatively, there are at least four

options available to change the agencies’ course: a resolution of disapproval under the

Congressional Review Act, appropriations bill provisions, standalone legislation, and broad

amendments to the Clean Water Act.

Congressional Review Act9

The Congressional Review Act (CRA), enacted in 1996, establishes special congressional

procedures for disapproving a broad range of regulatory rules issued by federal agencies.10 Before

any rule covered by the act can take effect, the federal agency that promulgates it must submit it

to both houses of Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).11 If Congress

passes a joint resolution disapproving the rule under procedures provided by the act, and the

resolution becomes law,12 the rule cannot take effect or continue in effect. Also, the agency may

not reissue either that rule or any substantially similar one, except under authority of a

subsequently enacted law.13

Joint resolutions of disapproval of the final clean water rule have been introduced in the House

(H.J.Res. 59) and the Senate (S.J.Res. 22). On November 4, the Senate passed S.J.Res. 22, by a

53-44 vote, and the House passed S.J.Res. 22 on January 13, 2016, by a 253-166 vote. However,

President Obama vetoed the joint resolution on January 19. On January 21, the Senate failed to

invoke cloture on a motion to proceed to override the veto (52-40), and the veto message was

indefinitely postponed by the Senate by unanimous consent.

This section, discussing the effect of the Congressional Review Act, the procedures under which a disapproval

resolution can be taken up in the Senate, floor consideration in the Senate, and final congressional action, is adapted

from CRS Report RL31160, Disapproval of Regulations by Congress: Procedure Under the Congressional Review Act,

by (name redacted); and CRS Report R43992, The Congressional Review Act: Frequently Asked Questions, by (name

redacted), (name redacted), and (name redacted)

5 U.S.C. §§801-808. The CRA applies to a “rule,” as defined in 5 U.S.C. §804(3).

Under the CRA, GAO is required to report on major rules, summarizing and assessing the procedural steps taken by

the agencies. GAO completed its review of the final clean water rule on July 16. See Robert J. Cramer, Managing

Associate General Counsel, GAO, letter to the Honorable Jim Inhofe, the Honorable Barbara Boxer, the Honorable Bill

Shuster, and the Honorable Peter A. DeFazio, July 16, 2015, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-750R#mt=ereport.

For the resolution to become law, the President must sign it or allow it to become law without his signature, or

Congress must override a presidential veto.

The CRA has been discussed as a tool for overturning EPA’s regulatory actions on greenhouse gas emissions. See

CRS Report R41212, EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases: Congressional Responses and Options, by (name red

acted)

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

The CRA applies to major rules, non-major rules, final rules, and interim final rules. The

definition of “rule” is sufficiently broad that it may define as “rules” agency actions that are not

subject to traditional notice and comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act,

such as guidance documents and policy memoranda. A joint resolution of disapproval must be

introduced within a specific time frame: during a 60-days-of-continuous-session period beginning

on the day the rule is received by Congress.14

The path to enactment of a CRA joint resolution is a steep one. In the nearly two decades since

the CRA was enacted, only one resolution has ever been enacted.15 The path is particularly steep

if the President opposes the resolution’s enactment, as was the case with a resolution

disapproving the EPA-Corps rule to define “waters of the United States,” which, as noted, the

President vetoed on January 19, 2016.16 Overriding a veto of a joint resolution, like any other bill,

requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate.17

The potential advantage of the CRA lies primarily in the procedures under which a resolution of

disapproval can be considered in the Senate. Pursuant to the act, an expedited procedure for

Senate consideration of a joint resolution of disapproval may be used at any time within 60 days

of Senate session after the rule in question has been submitted to Congress and published in the

Federal Register.18 The expedited procedure provides that, if the committee to which a

disapproval resolution has been referred has not reported it by 20 calendar days after the rule has

been received by Congress and published in the Federal Register, the committee may be

discharged if 30 Senators submit a petition for that purpose. The resolution is then placed on the

Senate Calendar.

Under the expedited procedure, once a disapproval resolution is on the Senate Calendar, a motion

to proceed to consider it is in order. Several provisions of the expedited procedure protect against

various potential obstacles to the Senate’s ability to take up a disapproval resolution. The Senate

has treated a motion to consider a disapproval resolution under the CRA as not debatable, so that

this motion cannot be filibustered through extended debate. After the Senate takes up the

disapproval resolution itself, the expedited procedure of the CRA limits debate to 10 hours and

prohibits amendments.19

The act sets no deadline for final congressional action on a disapproval resolution, so a resolution

could theoretically be brought to the Senate floor even after the expiration of the deadline for the

Days-of-continuous-session periods count every calendar day, including weekends and holidays, and only exclude

days that either chamber (or both) is gone for more than three days, that is, pursuant to an adjournment resolution.

See P.L. 107-5 (2001) (disapproving an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule regarding ergonomics

published at 65 Federal Register 68261).

Executive Office of the President, Veto Message from the President—S.J. Res 22, January 19, 2016,

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/19/president-obama-vetoes-sj-22.

In addition to the one disapproval resolution that has been enacted since 1996, the Senate has considered such a

resolution fewer than 15 times. A few of these passed the Senate, but none were enacted. In the other instances, the

Senate debated the question of calling up the resolution or the resolution itself, and rejected the question.

For purposes of CRA review, the final clean water rule was received by Congress on June 8. See Executive

Communication EC-1843, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 161 (June 8, 2015), p. S3858.

These provisions help to ensure that the Senate disapproval resolution will remain identical, at least in substantive

effect, to a House joint resolution disapproving the same rule, and that no filibuster is possible on the resolution itself.

In addition, once the motion to proceed is adopted, the resolution becomes “the unfinished business of the Senate until

disposed of,” and a non-debatable motion may be offered to limit the time for debate further. Finally, the act provides

that at the conclusion of debate, the Senate automatically proceeds to vote on the resolution.

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

use of the CRA’s expedited procedures. To obtain floor consideration, the bill’s supporters would

then have to follow the Senate’s normal procedures, however.

There are no expedited procedures for initial House consideration of a joint resolution of

disapproval. A resolution could reach the House floor through its ordinary procedures, that is,

generally by being reported by the committee of jurisdiction (in the case of CWA rules, the

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee). If the committee of jurisdiction does not report a

disapproval resolution submitted in the House, a resolution could still reach the floor pursuant to

a special rule reported by the Committee on Rules (and adopted by the House), by a motion to

suspend the rules and pass it (requiring a two-thirds vote), or by discharge of the committee

(requiring a majority of the House [218 Members] to sign a petition).

The CRA establishes no expedited procedure for further congressional action if the President

vetoes a disapproval resolution. In such a case, Congress would need to attempt an override of a

veto using its normal procedures for doing so.

As noted above, if a joint resolution of disapproval becomes law, the rule at issue cannot take

effect or continue in effect, and neither that rule nor a substantially similar one may be

promulgated, except under authority of a subsequently enacted law. While that outcome would

please most critics of the “waters of the United States” rule, it also would leave the regulated

community in the situation that many of them have faulted—subject to 1986 rules that are being

interpreted pursuant to non-binding agency guidance that frequently requires case-specific

evaluation to determine if CWA jurisdiction applies.

Appropriations Bills

Including a provision in an appropriations bill is a second option for halting or redirecting the

“waters of the United States” rule by limiting or preventing agency funds from being used for the

rule. Congress has considered legislation to do so in the recent past, but so far, congressional

opponents of the rule have not succeeded in using appropriations measures to halt or delay it.

In the 114th Congress, on May 1, 2015, the House approved the FY2016 Energy and Water

Appropriations bill (H.R. 2028) with a provision that would bar the Corps from developing,

adopting, implementing, or enforcing any change to rules or guidance in effect on October 1,

2012, pertaining to the CWA definition of “waters of the United States.” On June 18, 2015, the

House Appropriations Committee approved the FY2016 Interior and Environment Appropriations

bill (H.R. 2822) with a similar provision to bar EPA from developing, adopting, implementing, or

enforcing any change to rules or guidance pertaining to the CWA definition of “waters of the

United States.” The House began debate on H.R. 2822 in July 2015, but did not take final action.

The Administration indicated that the President would veto both of these bills, based in part to

objections to this provision.20 The Senate Appropriations Committee included a similar provision

in legislation providing FY2016 appropriations for EPA (S. 1645), which the committee approved

in June 2015. The full Senate did not consider this bill.

Full-year FY2016 appropriations for EPA and the Corps were provided in the Consolidated

Appropriations Act, 2016, signed by the President on December 18 (P.L. 114-113). The

legislation did not include any provisions concerning the “waters of the United States” rule.

Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, Statement of Administration Policy on H.R.

2028, Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2016, April 28, 2015, and Statement of Administration

Policy on H.R. 2822, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016, June

23, 2015.

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Similar provisions were included in FY2017 appropriations bills, including H.R. 5055, a bill

providing funding for the Army Corps. The House debated this bill in May 2016, but the measure

was defeated in the House on May 26 (112-305), due to controversies about other provisions.

Provisions to block the rule were included in bills to fund EPA in FY2017 that were reported by

the House Appropriations Committee (H.R. 5538) and the Senate Appropriations Committee (S.

3068), but neither bill received floor consideration.21

Congress did not reach final agreement on legislation to fund the Corps or EPA before the start of

FY2017, on October 1, 2016. However, on September 28, the House and Senate passed a 10week continuing resolution that extended FY2016 funding levels for these and most other federal

agencies, minus a 0.496% across-the-board reduction, through December 9, 2016 (P.L. 114-223).

A second continuing resolution, passed in December 2016, extended FY2016 funding levels,

minus a 0.1901% across-the-board reduction, from December 10, 2016, through April 28, 2017

(P.L. 114-254). Neither of these stopgap funding bills included legislative language that would

affect the “waters of the United States” rule.

In comparison to a CRA resolution of disapproval, addressing an issue through an amendment to

an appropriations bill may be considered easier, since the overall appropriations bill to which it

would be included would presumably contain other elements making it “must pass” legislation, or

more difficult for the President to veto. EPA and the Corps issued the final rule on May 27, 2015,

before enactment of any FY2016 appropriations bills. A funding prohibition included in an

FY2016 appropriations bill would not have halted finalizing the rule, but it still could attempt to

block funds for implementation.

In recent years, controversies over a variety of environmental issues have led to inclusion of

provisions in bills reported by the House Appropriations Committee or passed by the House to

restrict funds for particular EPA programs, among other agencies. Few of these environmental

provisions have been enacted, however, in part due to opposition in the Senate.22 Some observers

predicted a somewhat easier path for congressional consideration of such restrictions in the 114th

Congress, with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. However, a bill would still

have needed the President’s signature, or the votes of two-thirds majorities in both chambers to

override his veto.

Standalone Legislation

A third option is standalone targeted legislation to redirect development of a “waters of the

United States” rule, either by amending the CWA or in a free-standing bill. Such a bill could be

The 113th Congress also considered appropriations bills with provisions concerning a revised “waters of the United

States” rule. H.R. 4923, the FY2015 Energy and Water Appropriations Act, passed the House on July 10, 2014. It

included a provision to restrict new rules to redefine “waters of the United States.” Also, the FY2015 Interior and

Environment Appropriations Act, providing funds for EPA and other agencies (H.R. 5171), contained a provision to

similarly block EPA action on the “waters” rule. The House Appropriations Committee approved that bill in July 2014.

However, neither of these provisions was included in legislation that provided full-year funding for EPA and the Corps,

the Consolidated and Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2015, enacted in December 2014 (P.L. 113-235).

Previous to the release of the proposed rule in 2014, the House passed appropriations bills in 2012 and 2013 with

restrictions to prohibit the Corps from finalizing revised “waters of the United States” guidance that the Corps and EPA

had proposed in 2011, which also was controversial with many stakeholder groups (H.R. 5325, providing FY2013

appropriations; and H.R. 2609, for FY2014 funds). In 2012, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 6091,

FY2013 Interior and Environment Appropriations, which included a provision to bar EPA from finalizing the same

revised guidance. None of these limitations were enacted.

See CRS Report R43709, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): FY2015 Appropriations, by (name redacted) .

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The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

similar to a limitation in an appropriations bill with provisions to bar or prohibit EPA and/or the

Corps from finalizing, adopting, implementing, or enforcing the “waters of the United States”

rule, the 2011 proposed revised guidance, or any similar rule. One such bill in the 114th Congress

was H.R. 594.23 It also would have directed the Corps and EPA to consult with state and local

officials on CWA jurisdiction issues and develop a report on results of such consultation.24

Another bill in the 114th Congress was H.R. 2599. It would have prohibited the obligation of

unobligated funds from the office of the EPA Administrator until she withdraws the “waters of the

United States” rule.

In the 114th Congress, H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, was approved by the

House on May 12, 2015, 261-155.25 It would have required EPA and the Corps to develop a new

rule, taking into consideration public comments on the 2014 proposal and supporting documents,

and, in doing so, to provide for consultation with state and local officials and other stakeholders.

Under the bill, when proposing a new rule, the agencies would have to describe the consultations

in detail and explain how the new proposal responds to public comments and consultations.

During debate on the measure, the House adopted an amendment that would give states two years

to come into compliance with a new rule without losing authority over their state permitting

programs. The Obama Administration opposed H.R. 1732 and said that the President would veto

the bill.

In the Senate, the Federal Water Quality Protection Act (S. 1140) was approved by the Senate

Environment and Public Works Committee on June 10, 2015. On November 3, 2015, the Senate

voted 57-41 to take up S. 1140, thus falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster

on the motion to proceed to the bill’s consideration. (On November 4, 2015, the Senate did pass

S.J.Res. 22, a Congressional Review Act resolution disapproving the rule, as discussed above.)

Like H.R. 1732, S. 1140 would have required the agencies to develop a new rule, taking into

consideration public comments on the 2014 proposal. The bill would have required the agencies

to ensure that procedures established under executive orders and laws such as the Regulatory

Flexibility Act, Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, and others are followed during the rulemaking.

Unlike the House bill, S. 1140 identified certain principles that must be adhered to in developing

a new rule, especially identifying waters that should be included in defining “waters of the United

States” (e.g., reaches of streams with surface hydrological connection to traditional navigable

waters with flow in a normal year of sufficient volume, duration, and frequency that pollutants in

the stream would degrade water quality of the traditional navigable water) and waters that should

not be so included (e.g., groundwater, isolated ponds, and prior converted cropland). The

principles in the bill reflected an overall narrow interpretation of the extent of CWA jurisdiction—

for example, setting the jurisdictional limits of a stream’s reach to waters that have a continuous

surface hydrologic connection sufficient to deliver pollutants that would degrade the water quality

of a traditional navigable water, as proposed in S. 1140, generally would follow the test of

jurisdiction stated by Justice Scalia in the Rapanos case.26 Under the legislation, a rule not

adhering to principles in the bill would have no force or effect.

Another 114th Congress proposal that includes a provision similar to H.R. 594 as part of a larger measure is S.

791/H.R. 1487.

In the 113th Congress, similar legislation was introduced in the Senate (S. 2496). Also in the 113th Congress, several

non-appropriation bills would have restricted EPA and the Corps from finalizing the guidance document that was

proposed in 2011 but not issued (it was, however, the substantive basis for the 2014 proposed rule). Bills included H.R.

1829, H.R. 5077, S. 861, S. 1006, and S. 1514. There was no action on any of them.

The House passed a similar bill in the 113th Congress, H.R. 5078.

See CRS Report RL33263, The Wetlands Coverage of the Clean Water Act (CWA): Rapanos and Beyond, by Robert

(continued...)

Congressional Research Service

The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Another approach was reflected in S. 1178. It would have required EPA and the Army Corps to

establish a commission, with membership appointed by the agencies and the Senate and House, to

develop criteria for defining whether a waterbody or wetland has a significant nexus to a

traditional navigable water. It would have barred the agencies from developing, finalizing,

implementing, or enforcing the 2014 proposed rule or a substantially similar rule prior to

receiving a report from the commission. This bill responded in part to criticism that the science

underlying the rule was not thoroughly peer-reviewed and subject to public comment before the

rule was proposed in 2014. (For discussion, see CRS Report R43455, EPA and the Army Corps’

Rule to Define “Waters of the United States”.)

The obstacles for targeted bills are similar to those for an appropriations bill, but with the

additional complication of needing to be included in non-appropriations legislation that is “must

pass” or difficult for the President to veto, or that can receive two-thirds votes in both chambers

to override a veto.

Targeted legislation might seek to address substantive aspects of the proposed rule that were

widely criticized. For example, many stakeholder groups contended that key definitions in the

2014 proposed rule—such as “tributary,” “floodplain,” and “significant nexus”27—were

ambiguous, and other terms—such as “upland,” “gullies,” and “rills”—were entirely undefined.

Critics said that ambiguities could lead to agency interpretations that greatly expand the

regulatory scope of CWA jurisdiction. However, such criticisms of the proposed rule for the most

part were general in nature, rather than specific as to precise language that would clarify terms

and definitions. For Congress to legislate solutions and codify remedies in the CWA is a challenge

requiring technical expertise that legislators generally delegate to agencies and departments,

which implement laws, but one that many in Congress believe the agencies failed to meet in this

case.28

Other Clean Water Act Amendments

A fourth option could be legislation to amend the Clean Water Act more broadly. The statute has

not been comprehensively amended since 1987 (the Water Quality Act of 1987, P.L. 100-4). Since

the 2001 SWANCC and 2006 Rapanos rulings of the Supreme Court, many stakeholders have

(...continued)

Meltz and (name redacted) .

The concept of significant nexus is critical because courts have ruled that, to establish CWA jurisdiction of waters,

there needs to be “some measure of the significance of the connection for downstream water quality,” as Justice

Kennedy stated in the 2006 Rapanos case.

Another legislative option that is sometimes raised in consideration of changing major policy is budget

reconciliation, which is a budget enforcement tool under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Its chief purpose is “to

enhance Congress’s ability to change current law in order to bring revenue and spending levels in conformity with the

policies of the budget resolution.” (See CRS Report RL30458, The Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of

Legislative Action, by (name redacted) .) Generally reconciliation has been used to enact spending reductions in order

to reduce the deficit, but occasionally for revenue increases and to increase spending in particular areas. The

reconciliation process for the most part has applied to mandatory spending programs, not discretionary programs.

Reconciliation legislation has been used in the past as a vehicle for enacting significant policy legislation that has

budgetary implications. (See CRS Report R40480, Budget Reconciliation Measures Enacted Into Law: 1980-2010, by

(name redacted) .) The challenge for using budget reconciliation in the context of the “waters of the United States”

issue is that the rule has limited budgetary implication, beyond agency resources to develop, implement, and enforce

regulations (e.g., the Corps’ regulatory budget in FY2015 is $200 million), making it difficult to identify the rule as a

source for large budgetary savings. Moreover, spending for these activities is discretionary, not mandatory. For more

information on the content constraints of reconciliation legislation, see CRS Report R43885, Points of Order Limiting

the Contents of Reconciliation Legislation: In Brief, by (name redacted) .

Congressional Research Service

The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

argued that what is needed is legislative action to affirm Congress’s intention regarding CWA

jurisdiction, not guidance or new rules. This type of legislation would have broad implications for

the CWA, since questions of CWA jurisdiction are fundamental to all of the act’s regulatory

requirements.

Bills to address CWA jurisdictional issues, but taking different approaches, have been introduced

in several Congresses since 2001. Versions of one proposal (the Clean Water Authority

Restoration Act) were introduced in the 107th, 108th, 109th, 110th, and 111th Congresses. It would

have provided a broad statutory definition of “waters of the United States”; would have clarified

that the CWA is intended to protect U.S. waters from pollution, not just maintain their

navigability; and would have included a set of findings to assert constitutional authority over

waters and wetlands. In the 111th Congress, one of these bills was reported in the Senate (S. 787),

but no further action occurred.29

Other legislation intended to restrict regulatory jurisdiction was introduced in the 108th and 109th

Congresses (the Federal Wetlands Jurisdiction Act, which was H.R. 2658 in the 109th Congress).

Rather than broadening the statutory definition of “navigable waters,” which is the key statutory

term for determining jurisdiction, it would have narrowed the definition. It would have defined

certain isolated wetlands that are not adjacent to navigable waters, or non-navigable tributaries

and other areas (such as waters connected to jurisdictional waters by ephemeral waters, ditches or

pipelines), as not being subject to federal regulatory jurisdiction. There was no legislative action

on these bills.

In the 114th Congress, legislation titled the Defense of Environment and Property Act was

introduced (S. 980). This bill would have clarified the term “navigable waters” in the CWA by

defining the term so as to be consistent with Justice Scalia’s plurality opinion in the 2006

Rapanos decision, which was the narrowest of the three major opinions in the case.30 Similar bills

were introduced in the 112th and 113th Congresses; there also was no legislative action on them.

Another such bill in the 114th Congress was H.R. 2705, which would have repealed the final rule

that was announced in May 2015. Similar to S. 980, this bill would have revised the CWA

definition of “navigable waters” narrowly to mean waters that are navigable-in-fact or are

permanent or continuously flowing bodies of water that are connected to navigable-in-fact waters.

Enacting legislation to either broaden or restrict CWA jurisdiction would likely require EPA and

the Corps to issue new regulations, leading to another lengthy rulemaking process and potentially

to more legal challenges in the future.

So far, congressional consensus on legislation to redefine CWA jurisdiction has been elusive.

While President Obama might have signed a bill such as the Clean Water Authority Restoration

Act introduced in the past, passage of such legislation by the Senate and House in the 114th

Congress was unlikely. On the other hand, if the House and Senate were to pass legislation to

narrowly define CWA jurisdiction, President Obama likely would have vetoed it, as he did with

the CRA resolution. As with the other options previously discussed, a bill would need the

President’s signature, or the votes of two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override his veto.

For background on S. 787, see archived CRS Report R41225, Legislative Approaches to Defining “Waters of the

United States”, by (name redacted) .

Under this bill, CWA jurisdictional waters are waters that are navigable-in-fact or are permanent, standing,

continuously flowing waters that connect to navigable-in-fact waters. See CRS Report RL33263, The Wetlands

Coverage of the Clean Water Act (CWA): Rapanos and Beyond, by (name redacted) and (name redacted), for discussion

of Justice Scalia’s opinion in Rapanos.

Congressional Research Service

The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Conclusion

This report has discussed four legislative options that Congress could consider to halt or redirect

EPA and the Corps’ “waters of the United States” rule and that were reflected in bills in the 114th

Congress: the Congressional Review Act, appropriations bill limitations, standalone legislation,

and broad amendments to the Clean Water Act.

It is noteworthy that several of the options—a CRA resolution, appropriations bill limitations, and

some current forms of standalone legislation—would not only have blocked EPA and the Corps

from adopting, implementing or enforcing the 2015 rule, but also would have prohibited them

from developing a similar rule. As described previously, blocking both the rule and future action

(e.g., H.R. 594, H.J.Res. 59, and S.J.Res. 22), limiting the agencies through appropriations, or

requiring the agencies to restart the rulemaking process (e.g., H.R. 1732 and S. 1140) would leave

in place the status quo, with determinations of CWA jurisdiction being made pursuant to existing

regulations, non-binding agency guidance issued in 2003 and 2008, and jurisdictional

determinations done by 38 separate Corps district offices that in many cases require timeconsuming, case-specific evaluation by regulatory staff.

As described above, on October 9, 2015, a federal appeals court placed a nationwide stay on the

clean water rule. The effect of the court’s order is to achieve, at least temporarily, the goal of

some of the legislation discussed in this report—to leave the status quo in place for

determinations of CWA jurisdiction. Many critics of the 2015 rule endorse that result. Other

critics favor passage of legislation that would provide direction to EPA and the Corps to develop a

different rule, because legal challenges to the 2015 rule may take years to resolve.

Stakeholder groups involved in the “waters of the United States” debate find agreement on few

aspects of the issue. Some support the 2015 rule, some prefer the status quo rather than a rule that

they consider unclear, and some have concerns with the rule but do support clarifying the extent

of CWA-regulated waters. The 114th Congress legislative activity in the Senate on S.J.Res. 22 and

S. 1140 and in the House on H.R. 1732 suggests that, even with the final rule on hold nationwide

for now and judicial proceedings that could continue for quite some time, there is continuing

interest in Congress to change the agencies’ course of action.

With a change in administration in January 2017, the 115th Congress and the new administration

seem likely to revisit the “waters of the United States” issue and controversies. The new

administration’s legislative priorities, as well as plans for addressing the ongoing litigation of the

2015 rule or for initiating a new CWA jurisdiction rule are unclear for now. For Congress,

although a resolution of disapproval under the CRA is no longer an available option to halt the

rule,31 Congress could pursue the other legislative options to halt or redirect the rule discussed

here.

See CRS Insight IN10437, Agency Final Rules Submitted on or After June 13, 2016, May Be Subject to Disapproval

by the 115th Congress, by (name redacted) and (name redacted)

Congressional Research Service

The “Waters of the United States” Rule: Legislative Responses in the 114th Congress

Author Contact Information

(name redacted)

Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy

[redacted]@crs.loc.gov , 7-....

Congressional Research Service

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