Conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives asserted their determination to reshape environmental policy with the passage of a Clean Water Act reauthorization bill (HR 961) in mid-May.
The effort, which has been criticized as too extreme by EPA, environmental groups, and some moderate Republicans, marks conservatives' first overhaul of a major environmental law. The bill includes a number of provisions that would ease compliance for businesses and make it harder for EPA to pass future stringent water quality standards.