The White House is trying to protect its “waters of the United States” rule during negotiations over a government-wide funding bill for fiscal 2016, a senior House appropriator says.

 

Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole said a policy rider that would block implementation of the WOTUS rule has significant Democratic support, but when asked if the White House was resisting the provision, he said, “They're not as flexible as they need to be.”

 

“To me that's a no-brainer, because it has lots of Democratic support,” Cole said of the WOTUS rider, which redefines which ditches, wetlands, streams and other features fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. The rule is “an incredible overreach” for “anybody from the development industry, anybody who is farming, rural,” Cole said, noting that courts have suspended enforcement of the rule.

 

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