Republicans in the Senate are looking for Democratic votes to override a presidential veto of a GOP backed measure that would have prevented the EPA from regulating most of the waters in the US.
The legislation is aimed at a new EPA rule that would give the agency jurisdiction over small streams and tributaries that comprise about 80% of the water in the US.
The Hill:
The Senate will vote Thursday on a long-shot effort to override President Obama’s veto that preserved his contentious water pollution rule.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) filed for the vote Wednesday, less than a day after Obama announced that he had vetoed the GOP’s attempt to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation.
The rule, dubbed the Clean Water Rule or “Waters of the United States,” would extend federal power under the Clean Water Act to small bodies of water such as streams and wetlands. It is highly controversial, with Republicans calling it a massive power grab and Democrats saying it’s needed to protect vulnerable waterways from pollution.
McConnell slammed Obama for his veto earlier Wednesday.