Trump Admin to
Roll Back Obama-Era
Clean Water Protections Known as Waters of the United States,
the 2015 measure is due to
be repealed within weeks. The rule extended federal
authority over smaller bodies of
water that drain into larger bodies of water. The rule's aim was to protect
and limit the pollution of
nearly 60 percent of the bodies
of water in the United States. Those water sources
become drinking water for
close to a third of all Americans. Trump's Environmental Protection
Agency administrator Andrew
Wheeler said the roll back "puts an
end to an egregious power-grab.” Andrew Wheeler, E.P.A. via 'The New York Times' The move has been praised
by agricultural groups, who
considered the rule "intrusive." Environmentalists, however
were critical, saying, "now is
not the time to cut back on
clean water enforcement." Lawyers believe the roll-back
will lead to "a chaotic case-by-case
program [that replaces] clear, bright-line rules.”