Lawmaker to propose abolishing EPA

A House Republican is working on legislation that if passed would completely abolish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Freshman Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) outlined his plan in a letter to colleagues obtain by The Hill and first reported by The Huffington Post.

“Today, the American people are drowning in rules and regulations promulgated by unelected bureaucrats; and the Environmental Protection Agency has become an extraordinary offender,” Gaetz wrote in the letter soliciting support from lawmakers.

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“Our small businesses cannot afford to cover the costs associated with compliance, too often leading to closed doors and unemployed Americans,” he continued. “It is time to take back our legislative power from the EPA and abolish it permanently.”

It would be the first piece of legislation sponsored by Gaetz, who represents the tip of Florida’s panhandle and was previously a state lawmaker.

The EPA was created 46 years ago and has a budget of more than $8 billion. It is responsible for enforcing numerous landmark laws like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Superfund Act.

President Trump once said on the campaign trail that he wanted to abolish the EPA, but later expressed support for at least some of its functions.

His nominee to lead the EPA, Scott Pruitt, has said that he supports the agency’s existence, but it has gone too far under former President Barack Obama.

Gaetz did not specify which federal authority would be responsible for enforcing the laws that currently fall within the EPA’s jurisdiction, or if the laws would also be repealed.