The Swamp Stomp

Volume 15, Issue 38

A Republican congressman introduced a resolution on September 11, 2015 calling for the impeachment of EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, claiming she made false statements to Congress when she testified on the Clean Water Rule, according to Fox News.

“McCarthy not only broke the law by lying to Congress, but in doing so she also lied to the American people in order to force misguided and overreaching regulations, which have no scientific basis, down our throats,” said Rep. Paul Gosar, the Arizona congressman behind the resolution.

According to the Associated Press, Gosar accused McCarthy of perjuring herself several times while discussing details about the rule’s legal justification. A federal court ruling blocked the rule in 13 states already, but the EPA plans on going forward in the other 37 states.

One example that Gosar cited was on Feb. 4, when McCarthy said the EPA was “not expanding jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act, we are not eliminating any exemptions or exclusions in this proposal, we are in fact narrowing the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act consistent with sound science and the law.”

Gosar said that the Clean Water Rule, “will kill hundreds of thousands of jobs and cause untold economic harm to communities throughout the country.” Critics of the rule claim that its implementation would put every body of water, down to a puddle, on private land under federal oversight, says Fox News.

However, the EPA said that the rule will only affect bodies of water with a direct and significant connection to larger bodies already under the jurisdiction of the EPA, according to Fox News.

The Dallas Morning News said that Gosar has the support of 18 other representatives, but the Republican members of the House are far from unified on the resolution.

A spokesman for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, “There’s no plan to impeach Gina McCarthy.” McCarthy, a California Republican, is not related to Gina McCarthy, the Associated Press said.

EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia said the impeachment resolution, “has zero merit and is nothing more than political theater.”  She also called Gina McCarthy,  “a dedicated public servant who performs her duties with the utmost respect for the law.”

“Protecting public health and the environment for all Americans should not be a political issue,” said Purchia.