WASHINGTON – In Lincoln this morning, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) chaired a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. The hearing was focused on the impact of the proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which would expand federal regulation of water across Nebraska. Fischer examined the views of a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from the agriculture community, homebuilders, natural resource districts, and state and local governments. She released the following photo after this morning’s hearing:   

Senator Deb Fischer chairs a hearing of the Senate EPW Committee this morning in Lincoln.

From left to right: Senator Fischer; Mary Ann Borgeson, Chairwoman, Douglas County Commission, and Board Member, Nebraska Association of County Officials; Barbara Cooksley, President-Elect Nebraska Cattlemen; Don Wisnieski, President, Nebraska State Homebuilders Association; John Crabtree, Center for Rural Affairs; Wesley Sheets, Izaak Walton League of America; Don Blankenau, on behalf of the Nebraska Association of Resource Districts and the League of Nebraska Municipalities.  

Click here or on the photo for a high-resolution version of the image. 

In the spring of 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers released a proposal to change the definition of WOTUS under the Clean Water Act. The rule would broaden the definition beyond “navigable” waters and extend the federal government’s regulatory reach over almost any body of water, from farm ditches to residential ponds.

Senator Fischer has led a number of efforts in the Senate to enhance public input on the rule. She has repeatedly urged EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to scrap the rule all together and has also cosponsored legislation to withdraw the proposed regulation.

 **Click here for more photos from the hearing.**

**Click Here to watch a video of the field hearing**