EPA Blocks Clean Water Rule to Replace With ‘Industry-Friendly’ Alternative
By Lorraine Chow for EcoWatch
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put a two-year suspension on the Clean Water Rule, an Obama-era policy defining which waters can be protected against pollution and destruction under federal law.
Last year, President Trump declared the 2015 law, also known as Waters of the United States (WOTUS), “a horrible, horrible rule,” tasking EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to replace it with a looser and more “industry-friendly” definition, the New York Times reported.
The decision to withdraw and replace WOTUS was advocated by industry groups like the American Farm Bureau Federation and the American Petroleum Institute, as well as Republican politicians.
WOTUS was supposed to take effect in the coming weeks after the Supreme Court decided last month that cases regarding the matter should be heard by district courts. However, Pruitt’s action on Wednesday halted the rule from implementation.
“Today, EPA is taking action to reduce confusion and provide certainty to America’s farmers and ranchers,” Pruitt said. “The 2015 WOTUS rule developed by the Obama administration will not be applicable for the next two years, while we work through the process of providing long-term regulatory certainty across all 50 states about what waters are subject to federal regulation.”
