A House Republican is working on legislation that if passed would completely abolish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Freshman Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) outlined his plan in a letter to colleagues obtain by The Hill and first reported by The Huffington Post.

“Today, the American people are drowning in rules and regulations promulgated by unelected bureaucrats; and the Environmental Protection Agency has become an extraordinary offender,” Gaetz wrote in the letter soliciting support from lawmakers.

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“Our small businesses cannot afford to cover the costs associated with compliance, too often leading to closed doors and unemployed Americans,” he continued. “It is time to take back our legislative power from the EPA and abolish it permanently.”

It would be the first piece of legislation sponsored by Gaetz, who represents the tip of Florida’s panhandle and was previously a state lawmaker.

The EPA was created 46 years ago and has a budget of more than $8 billion. It is responsible for enforcing numerous landmark laws like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Superfund Act.

President Trump once said on the campaign trail that he wanted to abolish the EPA, but later expressed support for at least some of its functions.

His nominee to lead the EPA, Scott Pruitt, has said that he supports the agency’s existence, but it has gone too far under former President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaBiden makes supporters nervous; his gaffes could derail him Difference between primaries and caucuses matters in this election Harris apologizes and says she didn't hear questioner call Trump policies 'mentally retarded' MORE.

Gaetz did not specify which federal authority would be responsible for enforcing the laws that currently fall within the EPA’s jurisdiction, or if the laws would also be repealed.</s>A Republican congressman from Florida has introduced legislation aimed at eliminating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a federal agency created in 1970 by President Richard Nixon and tasked with protecting human health and the environment.

No text has yet been published for H.R. 861, introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Matt Gaetz on 3 February 2017, aside from its title calling for the agency's "termination." (Gaetz's office told Snopes.com in an e-mail that they did not yet have the final draft of the bill, but they provided us with an interim copy which currently states that "The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018.")

The freshman lawmaker had previously told the Pensacola News Journal that if passed, the EPA's functions would fall under individual state jurisdictions:

When it was originally created, states and local communities didn’t have the technology or expertise to protect the environment. We’ve come a long way in the last 50 years. Time and again, I’ve seen constituents unknowingly subject themselves to the oppressive jurisdiction of the EPA by doing simple things.

Gaetz has also said on Twitter that the bill would not impact the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has monitored rising sea levels in his state that have been attributed to climate change.

According to the Huffington Post, Gaetz was more critical of the agency in an e-mail he sent to Republican colleagues, saying that "the American people are drowning in rules and regulations promulgated by unelected bureaucrats. And the Environmental Protection Agency has become an extraordinary offender."

Gaetz's bill has been co-sponsored by three other GOP congressmen: Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Rep. Steven Palazzo of Mississippi.

In January 2017, President Donald Trump's administration reportedly implemented a funding and grant freeze against the EPA while also limiting the agency's external communications. Trump's appointee to head the agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, has publicly expressed skepticism regarding climate change and has sued the EPA multiple times to combat regulations governing the gas and oil industries.</s>Last Friday, February 3rd, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R, FL-01) introduced a bill in the House or Representatives. The bill is transparently called “H.R. 861 – To Terminate the Environmental Protection Agency” (EPA). Here is the link to the bill.

The Environmental Protection Agency had a 2016 annual budget of $8.139 billion and a staff of 15,376; without clarification (it’s so new that the full body of the bill isn’t available yet), this bill seems that it would eliminate all of it.

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It has three co-sponsors: Rep. Thomas Massie (R, KY-04); Rep. Steven Palazzo (R, MS-04); and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R, GA-11). Once the bill leaves committee, it will be introduced to the House floor.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</s>Statement from the Department of the Environment on the restructuring of the Environmental Protection Agency

(Georgetown Guyana – February 7, 2017) This is the first in a series of briefs from the Department of the Environment which are aimed at keeping the public kept informed on how the Department is progressing with its mandate of ensuring that the national environmental priorities of Government are effected.

In October 2016, the Government separated the responsibilities of the environment from the Ministry of Natural Resources and established the Department of the Environment to coordinate the activities of Agencies with an environmental mandate such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Protected Areas Commission (PAC), Wildlife Division, National Parks Commission and also the Offices of Climate Change and Project Management.

More importantly, the Department of the Environment was established to integrate the work of these agencies, offices and programmes to catalyse actions that will help the Government to provide a more efficient service through a Green State that will seek to provide a better life for all Guyanese.

Since the establishment of the Department, the Government, with technical advice from international, regional and local expertise, has been looking at how the Department can be configured to be more efficient and to achieve the policies of Government.

Emphasis is currently being placed on the EPA, which has responsibility for ensuring environmental compliance and protection. Because of the importance of this agency, it is being given priority for reform to make it more efficient, cost effective and ready for providing support to investors in the various fields of endeavour.

In this regard, the EPA cannot continue to operate in its current form. The modus operandi must change to effectively achieve the policy objectives of Government. Therefore, the Department will over the course of the next few months, work with the staff and other national, regional and international advisors to develop an architectural and legal framework that is best suited to achieve the policies of Government.
• Department of the Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Natural Resources, National Parks Commission, Offices of Climate Change, PAC, Wildlife Division
U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz proposes a bill to eliminate the United States Environmental Protection Agency.