House appropriators advance bill slashing EPA funding

{mosads}Overall the 2013 Interior and Environment bill gets $28 billion in funding — a cut of $1.2 billion below 2012 levels.

It contains a number of environmental riders, including one stopping EPA from expanding its ability to regulate “navigable waters” under the Clean Water Act.
 
Subcommittee ranking member Jim Moran (D-Va.) said the bill would “cause serious harm to our environment,” and vowed to repeat last year’s feat when he was able to join with Senate Democrats to remove dozens of environmental riders.

“Protecting the public’s health did not cause the recession and suspension of these laws will not sustain a recovery,” he said. 

No amendments were debated during the markup, but vigorous discussion can be expected in the full committee. Most of the hearing was taken up with tributes to full committee ranking member Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), who is retiring. Dicks spent 36 years on the subcommittee, and it was his last meeting. 

— Correction: An earlier version of this post said that the bill has a rider on New Source Performance Standards. Information that this rider is in the unpublished report was incorrect, per committee staff.