House panel hears opposing views on H.R. 3898 permit reforms; sponsors call it modernization, critics call it water‑protections rollback

On July 14 the House Rules Committee heard testimony and questioning about H.R. 3898, a package of Clean Water Act permitting reforms reported by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Representative Rick Collins, sponsor and Transportation Committee member, urged the Rules Committee to grant a rule for floor consideration; Representative Scholten testified in opposition.

Representative Collins described H.R. 3898 as “a comprehensive common sense package of reforms to strengthen and modernize the Clean Water Act’s permitting process.” He told the committee the bill would “stop the weaponization of the Section 401 process,” codify exemptions to the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and direct the Army Corps of Engineers to address backlogs of Section 404 permit applications. Collins said the package would “increase regulatory certainty while simultaneously…