Lawler's record on Clean Water

(no bipartisanship, anti-environment)

On March 21, 2024 Lawler voted for HR 7023 “Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act.” The vote was on a party line and despite the innocent sounding title, this bill modifies requirements under the Clean Water Act, including requirements concerning water quality criteria, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, the permit program for discharging dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, and the meaning of waters of the United States. Environmental groups such as Southern Environmental Law Center opposed the bill because among other things “the bill would shield dischargers from Clean Water Act liability, even if they are aware of certain pollutants in their waste streams but do not disclose it to pollution control officials, who do not have reason to expect such contaminants.”

More recently, on July 27, 2024 Lawler voted again along party lines for HR 8998 “Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Appropriations Act, 2024.” The bill cuts the EPA’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds by $678 million (a 25% reduction from the current 2.4 billion funding.) A letter from 83 environmental organizations, led by the League of Conservation Voters and Trust for Public Land in part states, “This bill is infused with so many outrageous policy attacks on our environment that it is impractical to list them individually“. Ranking Member DeLauro floor remarks highlight the serious negative implications of this bill.

While not directly related to clean water protection, Lawler's party line vote on March 22, 2024, in favor of HR 1023, the “Cutting Green Corruption and Taxes Act,” underscores his disregard for environmental protection in favor of fossil fuel interests. This bill repeals Section 134 of the Clean Air Act, which allocates funds specifically for greenhouse gas reduction. By eliminating Section 134, the bill also terminates the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which incentivized operators to reduce methane pollution. Additionally, the bill offsets the lost government revenue from the reduction program by cutting $27 billion in grants meant for community clean energy projects, undermining all the associated environmental benefits.