Good News Column By John Dahlia, May 16, 2015:

A big vote in Congress this week could have sizeable implications for folks living and working here in Preston County.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved by a bipartisan vote of 261 to 155, H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act. The legislation requires, or more importantly, blocks the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers from enforcing its Water of the United States rule. Instead the EPA and the Corps have to go back to the drawing board, of sorts, and work with states and local stakeholders to come up with a reasonable solution that does not unfairly harm farmers and landowners.

U.S. Representative David B. McKinley, P.E., (WV-1) was a co-sponsor of this legislation. McKinley said if unchecked, the EPA would have the authority to regulate small ditches and puddles while placing excessive burdens on family farms and other businesses.

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