Trump Administration Races the Clock to Remove Protections for Clean Water

WASHINGTON – Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers today will suspend the Clean Water Rule, a 2015 safeguard that protects streams, wetlands, lakes and rivers from pollution. 

The following is a statement from Jon Devine, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“The Clean Water Rule protects the bodies of water that feed the drinking water supply for one in three Americans.  It also safeguards wetlands that protect communities and homeowners from flood damage—along with the lakes and rivers where our families fish, boat and swim. 

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is racing the clock to deny protections for our public health and safety. It’s grossly irresponsible, and illegal—and we’ll challenge it in court.”

The rule had been on hold for over two years, due to litigation by polluters’ interest groups and some states. It was slated to go back into effect next month, after the Supreme Court sent multiple challenges to the rule back to district courts around the country.