The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today finalized the first step in their plan to repeal and replace the Waters of the United States Rule by finalizing the repeal of the 2015 Rule. Their replacement is expected later this year.
Following the repeal, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration Lisa Feldt issued this statement.
“These actions continue the Administration’s assault on clean water. The repeal ignores EPA’s own science and the lengthy and inclusive process that was used to develop the 2015 rule. And, unfortunately, we expect the Administration’s forthcoming replacement rule to go even further and remove federal protections from many waterways and wetlands that have been in place since the inception of the Clean Water Act. Maintaining the health of these waterways and wetlands is crucial to protecting downstream waters.
“The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is designed to put practices on the ground to restore water quality in local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay. Removing wetland protections will make the Blueprint more difficult to achieve.”
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