The Environmental Protection Agency recently said it would repeal a rule that weakened pollution controls for wetlands and streams enacted by the Trump Administration.
The so-called “Waters of the United States” rule enacted in the Obama era extended environmental protections for millions of streams, marshes, and other bodies of water across the nation. The EPA said it has found that the rollback of the protections under Trump caused “significant environmental degradation.”
The problem is most acute in arid states in the southwest, where nearly all of more than 1,500 streams lost environmental protections, according to the E.P.A. The agency stands a greater chance of defending the more stringent rules against legal challenges by moving forward early in Biden’s term, said a professor of environmental law at New York University interviewed in a New York Times report.
The original Obama-era rule extended the range of bodies of water subject to the 1972 Clean Water Act. It protected about 60% of the nation’s waterways, limiting discharge of fertilizers, pesticides, and industrial chemicals into those waters. It also limited development close to protected waterways.
Related Stories
| Dec 20, 2012
Air duct trade group urges maintenance, restoration professionals to avoid chemical cleaners
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) urges professionals to avoid using chemicals as a method for cleaning and maintaining air duct systems.
| Dec 20, 2012
Valencia College shifts from LEED to Green Globes on new project for more flexibility
The Lake Nona campus of Valencia College in Florida shifted its sustainability standard to Green Globes largely to be able to use a bipolar-ionization system to treat its indoor air -- something LEED didn't allow.
| Dec 20, 2012
LEED-certified schools don’t have to cost more to build, save average of 33% on energy
On average, green schools use 33% less energy and 32% less water than their conventional counterparts, and save $100,000 per year on direct operating costs, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.
| Dec 13, 2012
New OSHA initiatives on tap at AGC safety and health conference
More than 150 industry professionals will discuss the development of regulatory and legislative activity on national and local levels at the Associated General Contractors of America’s health and safety conference.
| Dec 13, 2012
So-called fiscal cliff is already affecting construction jobs, AGC finds
In November, the construction industry shed 20,000 jobs and its unemployment rate reached 12.2%, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.
| Dec 13, 2012
New York City poised to enact recycling mandate for multi-family dwellings
New York City lags behind other large cities in recycling with only 15% of residential trash being recycled. A new bill passed by the City Council aims to improve the rate by changing how new apartment buildings are constructed.
| Dec 13, 2012
Pima County, Ariz. officials say improved code enforcement scores will help lower insurance bills
Insurance Service Office, Inc. (ISO) recently analyzed building codes and enforcement and found that Pima County, Ariz., consistently outscored comparable jurisdictions in Arizona and the nation.
| Dec 13, 2012
D.C. aims to be a green leader with new building codes
The District of Columbia has released a revised set of building codes to make it a leader in green construction.
