Congressman Matt Gaetz is currently working on legislation that, if passed, would completely abolish the Environmental Protection Agency.
The freshman congressman from Fort Walton Beach outlined his plan in a letter to colleagues first reported by The Huffington Post.
“Today, the American people are drowning in rules and regulations promulgated by unelected bureaucrats; and the Environmental Protection Agency has become an extraordinary offender,” Gaetz wrote in the letter asking support from House lawmakers.
The EPA was created 47 years ago and has a budget of more than $8.1 billion. The federal agency employs more than 15,000 Americans and is responsible for enforcing numerous laws like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Superfund Act.
In Pensacola alone, the EPA has led and primarily funded cleanup of at least seven superfund sites that are currently being remediated as part of plans to return them back to the public for redevelopment.
It’s not clear how much support Gaetz’s bill could gain in the House. Additionally, the Senate would have to also pass legislation to seriously threaten the agency’s future.
