Power-Grabbing Pelosi Seeks Control Over Ponds, Streams, Lakes

A group of 28 Republican lawmakers from Western states is fighting efforts by Democrats in the House and Senate to quietly expand the scope of the Clean Water Act, the federal government's main tool for regulating the quality of the nation's waterways.

The lawmakers sent a letter Tuesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada opposing efforts to rush through Congress the Clean Water Restoration Act, a bill that would allow the federal government to protect all waters of the U.S. from pollution, not just the "navigable" waters covered in current law.

The letter says that the lawmakers would vote against any legislation that contains the expansion.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the legislation in June, and the House may consider a similar measure before the end of the year.