Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), and Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Greg Stanton (D-AZ) released the following statements after the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed four bills.
“I applaud the bipartisan bills that advanced during today’s markup,” Ranking Member Larsen said. “The Think Differently Transportation Act, co-led by Donald M. Payne, Jr., is an important step to ensure full ADA compliance in Amtrak stations across the nation. The Wildfire Response Improvement Act, introduced by Rep. Greg Stanton, will improve FEMA’s preparation for and response to wildfires. Unfortunately, the Republican majority also continued their ill-advised attacks on the Clean Water Act. There are genuinely pressing matters facing our nation’s waters and I look forward to investing in our water resources infrastructure in a bipartisan manner by enacting a new Water Resources Development Act this year.”
“Public transportation should be available to all Americans,” Ranking Member Donald M. Payne, Jr. said. “This bill would review Amtrak trains and stations to guarantee they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, this information will help Amtrak with future compliance. It is an important bill to introduce given all the new infrastructure projects for Amtrak thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and I am proud to work with Representative Molinaro on it.”
“As we enter another dangerous fire season under historic drought conditions, it’s more important than ever that the federal government supports our communities as they respond to and recover from disasters,” Vice Ranking Member Stanton said. “Our bipartisan bill will directly help state and local governments respond to wildfires, and I’m grateful for my colleagues’ strong support.”
Additional information on Republican bills that threaten Clean Water Act protections:
H.R. 5089, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2023, introduced by Rep. Rouzer (NC), would exempts the discharge of pesticides into U.S. waters from the permitting requirements of the Clean Water Act, subjecting rivers, lakes, and streams to dangerous pollutants.
ANS to H.R. 7023, Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act, introduced by Rep. Rouzer (NC), would limit EPA’s ability to issue water quality standards, protect industrial polluters from responsibility for discharging dangerous pollutants, eliminate EPA’s authority to permanently veto a project, and minimizing review of large and potentially harmful projects.
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