Final passage of the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (H.R. 2822) will be delayed until next month, after House Republican leaders decided to recess early for the July 4th break to allow members to travel to Charleston, South Carolina, to attend funerals from last week's church massacre. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) had planned to bring the $30.17 billion up for debate starting Thursday, with passage expected before the House departed for the weeklong July 4th recess. H.R. 2822 would permanently prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from developing or implementing any changes to its definition of “navigable waters” under the Clean Water Act. The bill also includes a ban on implementing the proposal to alter the federal Acknowledgement Rule and Appeals process for recognizing new Indian tribes, an issue that RCRC submitted comments on expressing concerns over previously.
