EPA Moves to Further Cut Clean Water Act, Threatening Water Supplies for Millions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a new effort likely to result in regulatory changes that further weaken the Clean Water Act by restricting protections for streams, wetlands, and other vital waterways. 

Under the guise of aligning federal policy with the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision, the EPA is moving toward adopting an extreme interpretation of the already extreme ruling—one that will accelerate water pollution, increase flood risks, and degrade drinking water sources for millions of Americans.

The following is a statement from Andrew Wetzler, senior vice president, Nature, at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

"At the behest of industrial polluters, Trump’s EPA plainly intends to radically restrict protections for our waterways and wetlands. The Supreme Court’s Sackett decision already devastated our ability to protect millions of miles of streams and tens of millions of acres of wetlands. 

"Even though the Biden administration faithfully implemented the Court’s ruling, the Trump EPA today launched an effort to weaken the Clean Water Act further. If it follows through with this plan, the administration will be taking an extreme approach that endangers communities across the country—leaving them more exposed to toxic pollution, dangerous flooding, and the contamination of drinking water supplies for tens of millions of people."

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).