The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers have drafted a new Clean Water Rule to clarify the regulatory powers of the Clan Water Act. In response, some members of Congress authored opposing legislation.
"Recently, a number of Senators, led by Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), introduced a bill to kill the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers' Clean Water Rule," according to an article by Jon Devine. Senator John Barraso (R-WY) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) authored the new bill, called the "Federal Water Quality Protection Act," in response to the ongoing Clean Water Rule rulemaking process. The U.S. EPA sent a draft of the Clean Water Rule—which would clarify the types of streams and wetlands protected under the federal Clean Water Act—for interagency review in April 2015.
Devine's purpose it to analyze the new bill and to make it clear that the Natural Resources Defense Council opposes the bill. The post goes into detail about the new bill by listing several false premises and several barriers to protection created by the bill. The NRDC's argument, however, boil down to this: the new legislation will make it harder to protect streams, wetlands, and isolated waters.
In April, a blog post by Gina McCarthy, administrator of the U.S. EPA, and Jo-Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the U.S. Army Corps, made the case for the draft Clean Water Rule. Environmentalists and the U.S. EPA have been using #CleanWaterRules to advocate for the approval of the draft version of the rule.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Wheat Growers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have already expressed support for the Federal Water Quality Protection Act. The golf industry went on the record in September 2014 in opposition to the Clean Water Rule, joining a coalition of opposed business and agricultural interests.
FULL STORY: A Dirty Dozen: Twelve Reasons to Reject New Anti-Clean Water Legislation
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.