Today, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a draft rule that eliminates bedrock Clean Water Act protections for rivers, streams, and wetlands by drastically narrowing what waterways will be considered “Waters of the United States.” The draft rule would compound the damage of the 2023 Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision, which eliminated protections for tens of millions of acres of sensitive wetlands and small streams. Wetlands are critical to protecting clean water, providing habitat, and controlling flooding.

In response, Food & Water Watch Legal Director Tarah Heinzen issued the following statement:

“Clean water is under attack in America, as polluting profiteers plunder our waters — Trump’s EPA is openly aiding and abetting this destruction. This proposed rule weakens the bedrock Clean Water Act, making it easier to fill, drain, and pollute sensitive waterways from coast to coast.

“This rule flies in the face of science and commonsense. Eliminating protections from small streams and wetlands will mean more pollution downstream — in our drinking water, at our beaches, and in our rivers. Wetlands provide essential habitat and play an integral role in protecting clean water and reducing flooding. These critical functions will only become more important as worsening climate change makes extreme weather more frequent. EPA must reverse course.”