Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2019 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, HR 6147 with Congressman Scott Perry’s support and policy amendments.

The $35.3 billion proposal establishes funding to combat wild fires on public lands, the operation of the National Park Service (including Gettysburg National Military Park), the Smithsonian Institutions, improvements to drinking water systems, accelerated clean-up of nuclear Superfund sites and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“The proposal funded many worthwhile programs, and requires the EPA to refocus on its core mission, while limiting bureaucratic overreach another step in the process of reining in our federal spending. I’m hopeful the Senate consider this bill and keep the adjustments to get federal spending in check,” said Perry.

Perry also offered an amendment adopted before the bill’s passage that prohibits the EPA from funding a portion of the Clean Air Act. Specifically, the amendment ensures American sovereignty over our environmental regulations, and eliminates “back doors” for nonelected federal bureaucrats to undermine state and local governments. The existing provision allowed the EPA to mandate state emissions levels at whatever it deems appropriate if it finds that U.S. emissions endanger a foreign nation or a nation which has a reciprocal agreement to prevent/control these emissions in their own nation. The Perry Amendment allows the states to work with the EPA to regulate pollution without interference.

“If the U.S. government wants to pursue such a policy—one that is constitutionally suspect—it should be done through explicit congressional delegation of authority on a case-by-case basis, rather than delegated to nonelected EPA bureaucrats,” said Perry. “The amendment’s just part of rolling back the era of detrimental aggressive “big government” regulations and reestablishing local control of environmental standards for the benefit of our communities.”

The proposal now awaits Senate consideration.