Architect of the Capitol
The Text of a New Bill Has Just One Line: 'To Terminate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency'
Below the title, it simply says, "The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018."
The text of a bill introduced in the US House of Representatives in early February to dramatically change the way the government regulates environmental issues was finally posted online for public viewing, and it gets right to the point. The statement of purpose for H. R. 861 is only one line long: “To terminate the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Below that is the single directive the bill would require, if passed: “The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”
While it would be illegal for president Donald Trump to unilaterally abolish the EPA—which he has said he’d like to to—it is technically within the power of Congress to do so. The president does plan to sign executive orders to limit the EPA’s climate change-related work as soon as his nominee to run the agency, Scott Pruitt, is confirmed, according to sources within the Trump administration.
H.R. 861 was introduced to the House by Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida who took office in January. It’s co-sponsored by Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, who introduced another one-line bill last week, to “terminate the Department of Education.” The text of H.R. 899 is not yet posted online, but on his website Massie promises it has only eight words: “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”
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