The Obama Administration has moved forward with "one of the most controversial environmental regulations in recent years."
"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers said they are making final their proposed waters of the United States rule, which Republicans and many businesses have long panned as a massive federal overreach that would put the EPA in charge of ditches, puddles and wet areas," writes Timothy Cama.
In a post on the EPA website, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works make the case for the new Clean Water Rule, citing the benefits of clean water to public health, the nation's economy, and more.
According to Cama's take on the Obama Administration's policy agenda, as achieved with the new Clean Water Rule, "McCarthy and other Obama officials sought to emphasize that the rule is about increasing clarity for businesses and helping make it easier to determine which waterways are subject to the pollution rules of the Clean Water Act."
The new environmental regulation has provoked opposition from Republican members of Congress as well as interests from the agriculture and golf industries. Administrator McCarthy counters with a list of limitations to the new rule: "It does not interfere with private property rights or address land use….It does not regulate any ditches unless they function as tributaries. It does not apply to groundwater or shallow subsurface water, copper tile drains or change policy on irrigation or water transfer."
FULL STORY: President Obama asserts power over small waterways

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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