On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new rules to define the waters of the United States protected under the Clean Water Act. Environmental groups said the rule change would end protections for millions of acres of wetlands and small streams.
Waters of the United States defines the scope of the Clean Water Act and which waters can be regulated with federal standards. The definition is not laid out in the Clean Water Act, thus it has been the source of several US Supreme Court cases.
When finalized, the rule will cut red tape and provide predictability, consistency, and clarity for American industry, energy producers, the technology sector, farmers, ranchers, developers, businesses, and landowners for permitting under the Clean Water Act, the EPA release said.
But environmentalists argue it could exclude from federal protection wetlands that sit beside what are known as “intermittent” or “ephemeral” streams. Those are the one that sit dry for most of the year, but fill up after rainfall or snowmelt, providing more than half of the water flowing through most river systems used in our drinking water.
Wetlands are important because they store carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Wetlands, such as Nahant Marsh and the Green Valley Nature Preserve provide food shelter and breeding grounds for a variety of species. They not only provide drinking water, but they also protect against flooding by absorbing tidal surges during storms. To get an idea of how many acres this is, it is roughly the area of Utah.
The Supreme Court ruling said the wetlands in the Sackett v. EPA case where an Idaho couple who wanted to build a house near what the EPA said were federally protected wetlands, were not, in fact, federally protected.
And now many more acres of waterways may not be either. The proposed rules will be published in the Federal Register and open for public comment for 45 days. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers will hold two virtual public meetings before developing final rules.
When dates are set, they will be on riveraction’s website with an invitation to attend.