Trump Admin to <br />Roll Back Obama-Era <br />Clean Water Protections Known as Waters of the United States, <br />the 2015 measure is due to <br />be repealed within weeks. The rule extended federal <br />authority over smaller bodies of <br />water that drain into larger bodies of water. The rule's aim was to protect <br />and limit the pollution of <br />nearly 60 percent of the bodies <br />of water in the United States. Those water sources <br />become drinking water for <br />close to a third of all Americans. Trump's Environmental Protection <br />Agency administrator Andrew <br />Wheeler said the roll back "puts an <br />end to an egregious power-grab.” Andrew Wheeler, E.P.A. via 'The New York Times' The move has been praised <br />by agricultural groups, who <br />considered the rule "intrusive." Environmentalists, however <br />were critical, saying, "now is <br />not the time to cut back on <br />clean water enforcement." Lawyers believe the roll-back <br />will lead to "a chaotic case-by-case <br />program [that replaces] clear, bright-line rules.”
