House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: Government regulations on water and the environment are detrimental to farmers, businesses and families

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "Water is a resource that we need more of -- a lot more of. Mother Nature simply hasn’t produced enough to our state for several years now. But what rain and snow we are blessed with in the North is not traveling the course set by the forward-thinking planners that came before us when they established the most sophisticated water system in the country, and perhaps even the world.

Currently, government regulations are standing in the way of this important resource reaching our communities; preventing our farmers, businesses, and families from living their lives and enjoy opportunities for prosperity based on hard work.

 "The California water problem is well known in our community, state, and increasingly so across the country. In Congress we are continuing to work towards a solution that rebalances the regulatory priorities that are overwhelmingly burdensome to people and families for the sake of protecting fish from potential harm. But the formidable foe of government bureaucracy and regulatory overreach has reared its head again in the water debate. This latest case focuses on regulating the water that we do have on our property from small lakes, ponds, streams, and even ditches. In fact, it even regulates water we don't have.

 Earlier this week the Obama Administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final ruling for what is referred to as "Waters of the United States" This regulation builds upon the Clean Water Act and expands the areas of jurisdiction that the EPA can regulate in compliance with the law.

 "We all know about the Clean Water Act and we all support protecting our waterways from pollution that could impact our health. But this new rule is an overreach and intrusion on private property that will have no bearing on protecting public health. How do we know this? Well, the new rule intended to protect "navigable waterways" could include waterways with no water. In Taft, the EPA had determined Sandy Creek as a waterway and was trying to impose a permitting regulation on this land before any development could occur. The problem was that Sandy Creek had been dry for thirty years. I had to drive an EPA official out to this dry ditch and show them that there is no way this falls under their jurisdiction. Finally, the EPA relented.

 "Under this new rule, farmers, energy producers, and anyone else that supports their way of life off the land is crying foul this regulation would impose undue economic hardship. What's worse is that their voices have not only gone unheard, the EPA has acted as a special interest group to persuade people to support this regulation. This tramples on the regulatory process as it was intended and produces negative consequences for the American people.

Just a few weeks ago, the House passed legislation to prevent the EPA from implementing this rule and send it back to the drawing board. Every Republican supported it as did 24 Democrats. This bipartisan bill now heads over to the Senate where millions of Americans hope for swift consideration.

 "Our community needs the water it has paid for and deserves from the North. What we can't afford is even more regulatory obstacles from this Administration on water we do (and at times don't) have. Republicans in Congress are determined to stop it and allow our economy and community to continue to grow.

McCarthy: small businesses struggle under the weight of over regulation, and the work going on to find a cure for Valley Fever

  Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill.


"Small businesses are the engine of our local economy, and we need a strong and vibrant business climate to spur job creation. Today, I sat down with local small business owners at Kern Door  From burdensome regulations, rising health costs that will be exacerbated by Obamacare, frivolous lawsuits, and overtaxation, our local small businesses just want to be left alone from government. We discussed the importance for a national energy policy that moves our nation to energy independence, tax reform that allows our country to compete against other countries, and regulatory reform that reins in government bureaucracy.
Company listening to their challenges and concerns that they are currently facing.


 "Today, I also spent the day working alongside a technician of Kern Door installing a local garage door opener at a local home in southwest Bakersfield.  Kern Door has been in business since 1986 under the leadership of Ray Ice and his family. To see the hard work and dedication of his employees, the entire experience brought back the days when I owned and operated Kevin O’s Deli. To hear and see the challenges that Ray experiences on a daily basis is an important reminder that we need to simplify the lives of our small business owners.


"Also this week, I joined Congressman David Schweikert, who helped form the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, in visiting the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona to see the cutting edge research being done by Dr. John Galgiani and other scientists to develop a vaccine and a possible cure to Valley Fever.  Many may not know that three counties in Arizona and Kern County make up more than 90% of Valley Fever cases across America.


"We toured the Bio-Secure Level 3 research laboratory there and discussed the possible breakthroughs in detecting and preventing Valley Fever. There is promise in a drug called Nikkomycin Z to cure Valley Fever and the need for a drug trial to test its effectiveness.  There is also work being done in modifying the genetic makeup of Valley Fever spores that has promise in producing a viable vaccine. We also discussed strengthening the partnership between Arizona and California to develop best practices in diagnosis and treatment of Valley Fever.


 "After our discussions with Valley Fever advocates in Arizona, who will also be participating in our Valley Fever Symposium in Bakersfield in September, I continue to be optimistic that with continued collaboration and partnerships, that great strides can be made in fighting this growing disease.


"All the current advances in scientific research on Valley Fever began with the work in Bakersfield and Kern County.  And no one deserves more credit than the late Dr. Hans Einstein.  There is a People and Pets Walk for Valley Fever Saturday and they will honor the life of Dr. Hans Einstein afterwards. I encourage everyone in the community to attend.

McCarthy: House acts to rein in excessive government regulations and a new bill would streamline the regulatory process for commercial spacecraft

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Bakersfield Republican and House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly report from Capitol Hill:

 "We all know the burdens that costly regulations have on our everyday lives.  Excessive red tape is costing our economy billions and making it harder for small businesses to expand and grow.

"Too often, federal agencies act unilaterally on rules and regulations without considering how they harm the economy and undercut American businesses from creating jobs.  This administrative abuse against our local small business owners is troubling as our economy continues to limp along and over 11 million Americans remain out of work.  Today, we acted to hold federal agencies accountable and require transparency to their rulemaking process so that any costly rule that will have negative economic impacts or will result in the loss of jobs cannot be implemented without congressional approval.  Today’s vote ensures that the American people and businesses affected by federal regulations will have their voices heard.

 "This week, Congress reintroduced and passed H.R. 367, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2013 (REINS Act) that simply asks to have an up or down vote on costly regulations. No major regulations should be instituted by a federal agency without the vote of Congress.  This legislation would ensure there are proper checks and balances to hold federal agencies accountable.

"Also today, I introduced the Suborbital and Orbital Advancement and Regulatory Streamlining (SOARS) Act. The bill would streamline the regulatory process for commercial spacecraft, ensuring that the commercial spaceflight industry can continue to innovate quickly and safely, creating high-quality local jobs in the process.  I have seen firsthand how the talented people of East Kern County have grown this industry through technological advancement, and this legislation would help ensure they are not hindered in creating jobs here locally.

This bill would:

• Ensure that innovative launch and reentry vehicles have a “one-stop shop” for regulatory oversight, instead of dealing with two or more separate sets of regulatory requirements.

• Fixes a technical issue with current law to allow vehicle manufacturers to use individual vehicles as test platforms while other individual vehicles are being used in commercial service. Current law requires all vehicles of the same design either to be used for one purpose or the other.

• Creates a demonstration project to evaluate the benefits of using experimental aircraft to support launch and reentry activities.

• Promote safety and innovation by unifying regulatory oversight, allowing companies to test safety improvements rapidly, and providing opportunities to develop new approaches to supporting launch and reentry activities.

The recent July jobs report shows a sluggish economy with 11.5 million Americans still out of work. These pieces of legislation are real solutions to ensure that our local economy can thrive by creating an environment where innovation and job creation can occur without the excessive burdens of onerous government regulations.