WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), said this about the Senate’s attempt to override President Obama’s veto of Congress’ rejection of the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Waters of the U.S.” regulation:

“It’s economically harmful for the EPA to expand its jurisdiction to 92% of the land in Wisconsin and begin regulating intermittent streams and temporary puddles as if they were navigable waters.  Yet that is what the Obama administration does with its ‘Waters of the U.S.’ regulations. This regulatory overreach is particularly ludicrous in light of the EPA's complete mishandling of its legitimate regulatory authority over lead contamination in the water supply of Flint, Mich., and their botched clean-up of the Gold King mine that spilled 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater into the Animas River in Colorado.

“We can all agree on reasonable regulations that prevent the pollution of our lakes and rivers. But that is no excuse for the EPA to claim excessive jurisdiction over Wisconsin lands. This regulation is not about clean water.  It is an unconscionable power grab by the federal government that could force Wisconsin farmers and other landowners to pay exorbitant permitting fees and potentially subject them to pointless litigation. That is why Congress came together to stop the implementation of this rule and to keep regulations reasonable. President Obama rejected reasonableness with his veto, and the Senate should have overridden that veto."