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
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Surfside condo collapse could spur new legislation
Natl. Institute of Standards and Technology is investigating.
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Intl. Code Council appoints committees to lead energy code development
One-third of appointees are government regulators.
Codes and Standards | Jul 1, 2021
COVID-19 made payment delays to contractors much worse
Only one in ten companies is always getting paid in full.
Codes and Standards | Jun 30, 2021
New resource for public sector organizations to develop energy data management program
Dept. of Energy document contains more than 30 examples of successful implementations.
Codes and Standards | Jun 29, 2021
Biden China policy may spur more increased U.S. PV manufacturing capacity
Senate bill proposes advanced solar manufacturing production credit.
Codes and Standards | Jun 28, 2021
Local and state building energy performance standards aim to curb climate change
Owners must up the ante on operations and retrofits.
Codes and Standards | Jun 23, 2021
Denver unveils renewable heating and cooling plan
City releases roadmap to decarbonizing existing homes and buildings.
Codes and Standards | Jun 22, 2021
Actually, few companies plan to significantly reduce their office footprint
CBRE survey shows that many firms will continue with hybrid work.
Codes and Standards | Jun 21, 2021
Vancouver, B.C., may delay new zero emissions building standards
Building permit delays may postpone new standards by a year.
Codes and Standards | Jun 17, 2021
Buffalo’s parking reform having noticeable impact on development
Elimination of mandatory parking allotments encourages new projects.
