by Ben Nuelle
145 members of congress sign a bipartisan letter accusing the EPA of misusing taxpayer dollars.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX), and Rep. Brad Ashford (D-NE) were joined by 142 members on a bipartisan letter to the Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy.
The letter demands McCarthy to explain EPA Region 10?s funding of whatsupstream.com.
The site is an advocacy campaign in Washington State attempting to influence legislators for greater regulation of farmers and ranchers.
Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington state.
?The biggest reasons we wrote the letter to shine light on this situation and make sure people are aware of continuing and it?s not just an assertion, I think it is a very clear case of breaking the law of using public funds in this way of lobbying of propaganda.?
House Ag Chair Mike Conaway says it?s difficult to trust the EPA when this isn?t the first time something like this has happened.
?Given EPA?s multi-year history now of not being trustworthy by not listening to the folks who are affected by the rules, not properly folding in the public comments of the Waters of the U.S. rule we?ve asked over and over to start over with the rule and do a better job. It will be very difficult to trust the agency.?
U.S. Representatives from Iowa who signed the letter include Republicans Rod Blum, Steve King and David Young.
