Biden EPA Restores Clean Water Safeguards for Streams, Rivers, and Wetlands
Revives Protections from Pollution, Other Harms Gutted By Previous Administration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – 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."
Additional Resources
What’s New in Clean Water (Jon Devine blog, Oct. 2021)
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.