Dear Friend,

Here are a few updates on events from this week both in Washington and in North Carolina.

Hearing from the EPA on WOTUS and PFAS

I opened this week’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing outlining my concerns with the Biden Administration’s announced effort to rewrite the Trump Administration’s rule defining “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS).

The WOTUS rule we have in place now works.  It is fair to our nation’s farmers, ranchers, construction businesses, city planners, and everyone else.   A return to anything close to the 2015 WOTUS rule would be a failure, and the regulatory burden placed on average Americans and the effect on the economy would be highly detrimental.

During Wednesday’s hearing, I also highlighted an issue important to me and many other North Carolinians, which is PFAS.  We need a rational, scientifically informed approach to address this concern, and I’m eager to hear a progress report from the EPA on the status of their PFAS Action Plan.  You can watch my opening statement here.

In case you missed it, I recently joined One America News to highlight how overly burdensome regulations, such as a return to the 2015 WOTUS rule, will only hinder economic recovery.  Click here to watch.

Passing Critical Legislation to Invest in Rural Broadband

I joined my Republican and Democrat colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee in unanimously passing H.R. 4374, the Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act.  This bill sets the stage for significant investment in rural broadband to help end the digital divide and spur economic growth in our small and rural communities.