The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a new rule to strengthen protections for the nation’s streams, lakes, and wetlands from pollution and other harms. The proposal will restore the power of states and Tribal Nations to protect their waters under the Clean Water Act, which had been gutted by the previous administration.
Jon Devine, director of federal water policy for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), made the following statement: "Federally-permitted projects, such as hydro dams, wetland fills, and fossil fuel pipelines, can threaten water bodies’ health in numerous ways. These projects risk oil spills, choke aquatic life with sediment runoff, destroy flood- and pollution-trapping wetlands, and deprive fish populations of the water they need to survive. By proposing to undo the Trump administration’s illegal and reckless restrictions on states’ and Tribal Nations’ authority to prevent these harms, EPA is taking an important step for the health of the nation’s waters."
