Water& Denounces House Bill 2660 - Withstanding Attempts to Encroach on our Resources Act of 2021

HOUSE BILL 2660 seeks to redefine and codify a limited definition of 'Waters of the United

States' (WOTUS). H.B. 2660 uses a definition of WOTUS created by the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump Administration. The 2020 definition of WOTUS limits the 2015 WOTUS Rule created by the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency under the Obama Administration. The inadequate definition of WOTUS that this bill attempts to codify would exclude wetlands throughout the United States that have previously been protected. The bill was introduced by Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH-5) on April 19, 2021, and has since been referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. We at Water& denounce the restrictive definition of WOTUS that this bill calls for and will work to ensure a more comprehensive definition of WOTUS is codified.

READ THE DETAILS OF THE BILL HERE: H.R. 2660

COMMITMENT TO CLEAN WATER is a founding pillar of Water&. In H.R. 2660, lawmakers

attempted to remove protections from Waterways throughout the United States. This bill fails to prioritize Water and aims to codify a definition for WOTUS that is incomplete. We are saddened to see that lawmakers are not recognizing the necessity of protecting Water for all of their constituents.

COMMITMENT TO UNIVERSAL TRANSPARENCY IN WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT is vital to Water&. H.R. 2660 would restrict the power of the Corps of Engineers and the

Environmental Protection Agency. The ability of the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to protect certain Waterways will now be in the hands of Congress. The WATER Act will make it easier for Waterways to be destroyed without the necessary assessments taking place.