Owens Bill to Bring Transparency to EPA Clears the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

WASHINGTON — The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the Water Quality Criteria Development and Transparency Act, legislation led by Congressman Burgess Owens (R-UT) to shine a light on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) opaque water quality standards process and restore accountability in environmental rulemaking. This legislation is part of the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act, a comprehensive package to modernize environmental permitting, cut red tape, and put communities back in charge. 

“For too long, the EPA has issued water rules with no transparency and no regard for the families, farmers, and job creators impacted most,” said Rep. Owens. “My Water Quality Criteria Development and Transparency Act gives them a real voice in the process, because water policy should be driven by facts and accountability, not unelected bureaucrats behind closed doors. I’m proud to see this commonsense bill clear the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and will keep fighting to get it across the finish line.” 

“Thanks to the reform proposed by Congressman Owens, this legislation will increase transparency in the regulatory process, ensure that the voices of the public and the regulated community are heard in the EPA’s development of water quality guidelines, and put in place reasonable limits on judicial reviews of rulemakings to prevent the process from getting bogged down,” said T&I Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO). “I want to thank Congressman Owens for his continued leadership on this issue and for introducing his common-sense legislation.”

The Water Quality Criteria Development and Transparency Act makes two key reforms: 

• Subjects EPA’s Section 304(a) water quality criteria to notice-and-comment rulemaking, ensuring that local communities, industries, and other stakeholders can meaningfully weigh in before new federal standards are adopted.
• Provides limited judicial review to protect against regulatory overreach and ensure EPA actions are legally sound and publicly justified.

The full legislative text is available here. 

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