Comments Closed for Significant Changes to 'Waters of the United States' Rule

Bret Jaspers reports on the recent deadline to comment on changes to the federal "Waters of the United States" rule and what expected changes could mean for how waterways are regulated.

"The rule change re-defines which streams are covered under the Clean Water Act. In a change from the Obama Administration, the Trump EPA and Army Corps of Engineers would remove 'ephemeral' streams from Clean Water Act protection. Those are streams that run in response to rain or snow," explains Jaspers.

The rule was approved in 2015, after years of controversy. The rule has also been a target of the Trump administration since it took office in 2017, resulting in the rule changes proposed by the U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers at the end of the 2018.