Congressman Stearns Turns Against EPA Water Rules — Was It Cash or Tea?
We were very surprised to learn that Congressman Cliff Stearns will hold a field hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on August 9th at 10 am at the University of Central Florida Alumni Center in Orlando. Stearns, who chairs the subcommittee, chose to title this hearing as "EPA's Takeover of Florida's Nutrient Water Quality Standard Setting: Impact on Communities and Job Creation."
This is quite an about face from Stearns, the only Republican in the Florida congressional delegation who voted a few months ago (Feb. 18, 2011) against the Rooney Amendment to the House Continuing Budget Resolution. The Rooney amendment, rejected by the Senate, would have stopped EPA from enforcing the Clean Water Act in Florida. Here's what Stearns told the Florida Times Union at the time of his bold vote:
"I am very concerned about preserving the Silver River in my hometown [Ocala] as well as the Ocklawaha and the St. Johns rivers in my district...Although I don't want to see the EPA develop these burdensome and expensive regulations, I do want the EPA and the State of Florida to work together in developing an economical solution to protecting our waters."
Sierra Club praised Stearns for showing "significant courage, risking retaliation not only from the polluters' cabal and agricultural interests in his rural district in North Florida, but also from the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives which attached dozens of anti-environmental riders to the Continuing Resolution."
Fast forward to Aug. 2 when Stearns announced his upcoming field hearing in Orlando. Stearns sang a different tune in his new press release:
"Although the EPA originally accepted the standards set by Florida, under outside pressure the EPA decided to impose its own standards; numerous studies in Florida indicate that the Washington-imposed standards will have a devastating impact on Florida's job creation, economy, and certain agencies."
It looks like the retaliation Sierra Club predicted was, indeed, too intense for Stearns. He caved to the pressure, and one can only wonder what did the trick. Was it campaign contributions, robo calls from the tea party or a threat from deep-pocketed polluters that they would find a serious opponent to run against him in the next election?
See below for Stearns' announcement of his field hearing. It's clear he's now taking sides and no longer sees a role for EPA to make sure that the Silver River, St. John's River, and Ocklawaha River are cleaned up and protected.
—Frank Jackalone, Senior Organizing Manager, Sierra Club
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Press Release
Stearns Holding Official Congressional Hearing in Orlando on EPA Standards on Florida's Nutrient Water Quality
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Looking into Standards' Impact on Job Creation and on Communities — August 9, 2011
WASHINGTON, August 2, 2011 — Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, will hold a hearing in Orlando on the economic impact of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) standards on Florida's nutrient water quality. "Although the EPA originally accepted the standards set by Florida, under outside pressure the EPA decided to impose its own standards; numerous studies in Florida indicate that the Washington-imposed standards will have a devastating impact on Florida's job creation, economy, and certain agencies. In this rare field hearing we will hear from witnesses how these EPA standards will affect Florida and from the EPA on why it is imposing its standards."
This field hearing is titled "EPA's Takeover of Florida's Nutrient Water Quality Standard Setting: Impact on Communities and Job Creation," and will be held at the University of Central Florida Alumni Center, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Building 126, in Orlando on August 9th at 10:00AM. This hearing is the sixth held by the subcommittee in its regulatory reform series. "Instead of bringing the witnesses to Washington, D.C., I am bringing the hearing to Florida so that we can hear from those directly affected by these standards," added Stearns.