After the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army announced Wednesday they intend to repeal the Trump administration’s definitions of the waters of the United States and rewrite the definition, Republicans in Congress expressed…
(Image courtesy of Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation via Courthouse News)
WASHINGTON (CN) The Biden administration announced plans Wednesday to reverse a Trump-era rule that cut back on the number of waterways and wetlands under federal protection and left tens of thousands of miles of waterways vulnerable to pollution and development.
Though the Obama administration expanded federal authority to protect wetlands and waterways from development, former President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency reversed course last year in a boon to developers, landowners and oil drillers that faced onerous permitting requirements under the Clean Water Rule of 2015.
At the time, even experts inside the EPA cautioned that the Trump rule was inconsistent with the text of the Clean Water Act, contradicted established science and could permanently destroy waterways that Americans rely on for drinking water.
For Immediate Release Wednesday, December 30, 2020
DENVER Environment America, a national nonpartisan network of state environmental groups, contributed to numerous environmental victories in 2020. The organization is looking ahead to spurring more environmental progress at the federal and state levels.
“We enter 2021 with hope for a brighter and healthier year,”
said Environment America’s Acting President Wendy Wendlandt. “With a new presidential administration and state and local governments showing leadership, we are optimistic we can continue to slash emissions from our cars and trucks, transition more of our cities and states to 100 percent renewable energy, conserve our wild spaces, reduce plastic waste and ensure Americans have clean water.”