Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit to challenge the new federal regulations under the Clean Water Act.
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In a news release Monday, Paxton accuses the Obama Administration of illegally attempting to expand the jurisdiction and regulatory power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in such a way as to threatens private property ownership.
The EPA’s final rule was published Monday and is very broad. it leaves much open to interpretation including whether ditches, dry creek beds, gullies and isolated ponds formed after a big rain could be considered a “water of the United States.”
“The EPA’s new water rule is not about clean water – it’s about power,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This sweeping new rule is a blatant overstep of federal authority and could have a devastating effect on virtually any property owner, from farmers to ranchers to small businesses. Texans shouldn’t need permission from the federal government to use their own land, and the EPA’s attempt to erode private property rights must be put to a stop.”
Paxton is also sceptical of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (“Carbon Rule”) and warned that it would have an impact on the livelihoods and quality of life of Texans and would result in higher electricity costs and less reliability for Texans, all while doing little to nothing to affect the environment. Attorney General Paxton last month announced Texas intends to challenge the Carbon Rule when it is finalized by the EPA later this summer.
Read more at texasattorneygeneral.org