The Trump administration announced a sweeping proposal Monday that could abolish federal protections for many wetlands.
The rule would curtail the definition of “waters of the U.S,” leaving many wetlands and small, isolated streams outside the scope of the 1972 Clean Water Act. The proposal “establishes a clear, durable, common-sense definition of WOTUS,” EPA said in a press release.
About half of states depend entirely on the federal government to regulate wetlands, which provide natural buffers against pollution and floods. If the rule is finalized, the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA would have less authority to prevent wetlands destruction from energy projects, housing developments and other infrastructure.
Trump administration officials said the proposal complies with a 2023 Supreme Court ruling, Sackett v. EPA, which struck down an earlier test that the government used to determine which wetlands fell under its purview, and that they intend for this to be the final WOTUS definition, which has been revised five times since the mid-2000s.
