Trump Administration Stripping Protection for Clean Water
WASHINGTON – At a hearing today, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt indicated that the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will send to the Federal Register today a proposal to repeal the Clean Water Rule.
The following is a statement by Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council:
“This proposal strikes directly at public health. It would strip out needed protections for the streams that feed drinking water sources for one in every three Americans. Clean water is too important for that. We’ll stand up to this reckless attack on our waters and health.
“The Clean Water Rule provides the clarity we need to protect clean water. Its repeal would make it easier for irresponsible developers and others to contaminate our waters and send the pollution downstream.”
BACKGROUND
The EPA and the Army Corps issued the rule in 2015 to clarify legal protection for tens of millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of streams across the United States after more than a decade of confusion—and extensive legal debate—over which bodies of water were protected under the landmark Clean Water Act. Today’s proposed repeal would return the rule to that previous state of confusion over what the Act protects.
For more information, see this blog by NRDC’s Jon Devine.
A group known as Brewers for Clean Water is sending this letter today to EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers.
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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 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.