Rep. Paul Gosar Will File Articles of Impeachment Against EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

Representative Paul Gosar (R-Az.) on 9th September announced that he will introduce articles of impeachment of EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for high crimes and misdemeanors. The draft resolution finds that on three occasions McCarthy committed perjury or made false statements at committee hearings of the Congress. He is circulating a Dear Colleague letter that asks other Members of the House to co-sponsor his resolution.

The press release from Rep. Gosar’s office provides details on the occasions McCarthy lied to Congress about the EPA’s “Waters of the U. S. Rule.”  The final WOTUS rule, which was published on 29th June and went into effect on 28th August, vastly expands federal jurisdiction over wetlands under section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  Most of Arizona is desert, but much of it could now be classified as wetlands because rain storms every few years cause water to pour down dry gullies and ravines.

There are other related issues that the House may want to consider when it takes up Gosar’s articles of impeachment.  Many are detailed in Chris Horner’s report published by the Energy and Environment Legal Institute on “Improper Collusion Between Environmental Pressure Groups and the Environmental Protection Agency As Revealed by Freedom of Information Act Requests.”