EPA Moves to Block States, Tribes from Protecting Waterways

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed rule today to strip a powerful tool under the Clean Water Act states and tribes have used to prevent federally permitted projects from harming their waterways.

The following is a statement by Jon Devine, director, federal water policy in the Nature Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“This proposal would leave states and tribes at the mercy of project developers and federal agencies that couldn't care less about protecting water resources, or lack the expertise to do so. It's also another example of the Trump EPA's hypocrisy: When EPA wants to worsen water pollution, it claims it's returning power to local authorities. But when those local authorities try to exercise their rights to make waterways healthier, EPA steps in and says no. Polluters win, again."

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