"The Trump administration says it doesn't know how many streams it is proposing to exclude from Clean Water Act jurisdiction today.
But a 2017 slideshow prepared by EPA and Army Corps of Engineers staff shows that at least 18 percent of streams and 51 percent of wetlands nationwide would not be protected under the new definition of "waters of the United States," or WOTUS, announced today.
The slides, obtained by E&E News under the Freedom of Information Act, contradict what EPA Office of Water chief Dave Ross told reporters on a press call previewing the new rule late yesterday.
"If you see percentages of water features that are claimed to be in, or reductions, there really isn't the data to support those statistics," Ross said. "No one has that data."
EPA and the Army Corps officially proposed the new regulation at a signing ceremony at EPA headquarters this morning. There, administration officials touted the regulation for bringing clarity to the question of Clean Water Act jurisdiction, while protecting the nation's water quality. The Clean Water Act is intended to shield wetlands and isolated waterways that serve as cleansers for pollution, buffers for stormwater and habitat for wildlife."
Ariel Wittenberg and Kevin Bogardus report for Greenwire December 11, 2018.
SEE ALSO:
"The EPA Is Planning to Jeopardize the Water Quality for 117 Million Americans" (Mother Jones)
"EPA Proposes Gutting Obama-Era Rule Protecting 117 Million Americans’ Water" (HuffPost)
"Trump EPA Proposes Major Rollback Of Federal Water Protections" (NPR)
"Trump Administration Proposes Major Rollback Of Water Rules" (AP)
"Trump administration to strip pollution protections, harming vital wildlife" (Guardian)
