"The Biden administration is planning to restore wetlands protections lost under a Trump-era rule that promotes development, the EPA announced Wednesday.
The Environmental Protection Agency said it and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to launch rulemakings to restore the pre-2015 definition of the waters of the United States, or WOTUS, under the Clean Water Act.
The move—expected to spark a cascade of new litigation—is at least a partial reversal of the Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which took effect a year ago and lifted federal jurisdiction over many ephemeral streams and other wetlands.
It will also at least partly reverse the Obama-era Clean Water Rule, which was finalized in 2015 and expanded federal jurisdiction over wetlands, the EPA said."
Bobby Magill reports for Bloomberg Environment June 9, 2021.
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"Biden Moves To Restore Clean-Water Safeguards Ended By Trump" (AP)