EPA, Republicans continue to battle over proposed water rules and what they mean

The battle between Republican politicians and the Environmental Protection Agency over the agency's proposed water rules under the Clean Water Act continues to be volleyed back and forth. In response to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) series of maps that he said "prove that the EPA is out to take over massive privately owned areas," EPA spokesman Tom Reynolds responded with a blog post about what he said were “myths and misunderstandings” about the rules, Timothy Cama reports for The Hill.

Reynolds wrote: “This law has nothing to do with land use or private property rights, and our proposal does not do anything to change that. The idea that EPA can use the Clean Water Act to execute a land grab or intrude on private property rights is simply false." He said of the maps, “These maps show generally the location of many streams, wetlands, rivers, lakes and other water bodies. They serve as a tool for visualizing how water flows across our nation and in regions of the country. EPA has never and is not now relying on maps to determine jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act." (Read more)