Trump Administration Issues Final WOTUS Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have unveiled the final “Navigable Waters Protection Rule,” also known as the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which defines the wetlands and waterways that are protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The final rule is similar to the draft proposed by the Trump administration in December 2018 but includes some clarifications. The new regulation limits the number of wetlands and waterways that would receive federal protections under the CWA. Protections for streams and creeks that flow year-round or intermittently into larger downstream waters in a “typical year” will remain intact. The rule also maintains protections for territorial seas and traditional navigable waters; some lakes, ponds, and impoundments; and wetlands adjacent to traditionally navigable waters. The new regulation removes protections for ephemeral streams that flow only after heavy rainfall or snowmelt. Ephemeral streams account for more than 18 percent of waterways nationwide, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Hydrology Dataset. According to critics of the rule, although such streams often remain dry, during rain fall or snowmelt pollution can be carried downstream into larger waterways. The rule also takes away protections for wetlands without surface water connections to intermittent or perennial streams, which account for 51 percent of the wetlands nationwide. ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news