Federal Regulatory Certainty for Water Act
Latest action · Apr 11, 2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 10, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Regulatory Certainty for Water Act
This bill nullifies the Clean Water Rule that was issued on May 27, 2015, by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The rule describes the scope of the Clean Water Act.
Under this bill, the Clean Water Act applies to waters of the United States that are (1) navigable-in-fact; or (2) permanent or continuously flowing bodies of water that form geographical features commonly known as streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes that are connected to waters that are navigable-in-fact.
Under this bill, the Act does not apply to (1) waters that do not physically abut those waters of the United States through an actual and continuous surface water connection; (2) man-made or natural structures or channels through which water flows intermittently or ephemerally; or (3) wetlands (including playa lakes, prairie potholes, wet meadows, wet prairies, and vernal pools) that lack that continuous surface water connection.
The aggregation of wetlands or waters may not be used to determine whether the wetlands or waters are navigable waters.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Apr 10, 2019 |
| Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee | Referred Apr 11, 2019 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 11, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
- Apr 10, 2019Introduced in House
- Apr 10, 2019Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 62, April 10, 2019, page H3259.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46927 | Redefining Waters of the United States (WOTUS): Recent Developments | Report | Jul 8, 2022 |
| IF11339 | Waters of the United States (WOTUS): Repealing and Revising the 2015 Clean Water Rule | Resource | Oct 23, 2019 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1261 | Federal Regulatory Certainty for Water Act | Reintroduction of | Mar 1, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To clarify the definition of navigable waters, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Federal Regulatory Certainty for Water Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Environmental Protection.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 10, 2019Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
