House lawmakers will hear this week how a major water regulation is playing out on the ground, one year after the Biden administration issued sweeping changes.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment will focus on the latest definition of “waters of the U.S.” — a proxy for determining which rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands are covered by the Clean Water Act — and how it’s affecting the permitting process.
Last year, a Supreme Court ruling forced the Biden administration to stop claiming oversight of a wide swath of wetlands that were historically subject to the federal environmental law. Sackett v. EPA resulted in more than half the nation’s wetlands losing protections, according to EPA.
Democrats and green groups have decried the ruling as a death blow to the nation’s dwindling wetlands and the environmental benefits they provide, such as flood protection and water filtration. They have vowed to work toward reversing it.
