EPA Proposes Striking Wetlands Protections, Risking Water Quality Across US

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released proposed revisions to the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), which would further erode clean water safeguards and endanger wetlands and streams across the country by narrowing which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA failed to heed the best available science when it significantly weakened the Clean Water Act by stripping away federal protections for millions of acres of wetlands and streams. Now, the EPA under President Donald Trump is pushing to further erode safeguards for these vital water bodies. This latest move continues the Trump administration’s efforts to sideline scientific evidence in policymaking.

Below is a statement by Dr. Stacy Woods, research director for the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“This is a destructive and unfounded attack on clean water protections. The Sackett ruling and subsequent changes to WOTUS already stripped federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands and streams across the country. Now, this unnecessary update will further jeopardize wetlands and water quality.

“Water moves in ways we can’t always see, and wetlands that look isolated can still be connected to other bodies of water. The revised definition will leave these wetlands at risk of further degradation, which could harm the rivers and streams that people in the United States depend on daily for clean water. This change also ignores how wetlands help protect homes, businesses and ecosystems from flooding while climate change intensifies destructive floods across the country.”

You can read Dr. Woods’ original comments on proposed changes to the definition of “waters of the United States” here and her testimony at an EPA listening session here.

EPA will open a 45-day public comment period and host two hybrid public meetings to gather feedback on the proposed changes. UCS intends to submit comments as a part of this process.