MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Government rules to clarify which streams, tributaries and wetlands should be protected from development and pollution are fueling political anger in the country’s heartland.

The Environmental Protection Agency rules proposed last year have become a top issue of concern for many farmers and landowners who call them overreach. The EPA says its water rules simply clarify and don’t expand what smaller bodies of water are regulated under the Clean Water Act.

Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 by a vote of 261 to 155. This legislation, cosponsored by Congressman Tim Huelskamp (KS-01), would stop the burdensome Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule from being implemented. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation.

EPA officials have acknowledged they may not have written the proposal clearly enough, and said final rules expected in the coming months will better define which waters would fall under the law.