Rep. Chabot Challenges EPA Power Grabs, Federal Mandates

Chabot’s legislation dovetails with a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Assault on State Sovereignty.” The report documents “EPA power grabs,” which have increased dramatically in just the past few years. William Yeatman, an assistant director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) who authored the report, says the EPA has largely usurped what should be state functions. “In the spirit of cooperative federalism, Congress intended for states and the EPA to work together to ensure environmental protection of the nation,” he wrote. “Instead of collaboration, however, the EPA since 2009 has adopted a confrontational relationship with the states. With increasing frequency, the agency is disapproving state initiatives to comply with the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. Outright takeovers of state regulatory programs have skyrocketed, too. Perhaps worst of all, the EPA is using a technique known as “sue and settle” to eliminate states from the environmental policymaking process, replacing them with environmental organizations.”