It's back to the drawing board for a rule to define which streams, wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act after a judge found the Trump-era rule risks "serious environmental harm."
The new rule would exempt 18 percent of the nation’s streams, and more than half of its wetlands from oversight. Farmers, developers and energy companies applauded the rule.
The new rule would eliminate federal protections for about 40 percent of Pennsylvania’s streams. Only major navigable waterways, tributaries that run into them or adjacent wetlands along with some lakes will be covered by the Clean Water Act.
On everything from healthcare to immigration, President Trump has been busy doing 180s on Obama-era policy. This week, he set his sights on a controversial expansion of the Clean Water Act.
It's an Obama-era regulation with a simple name and seemingly straight-forward purpose. But since its authoring, the Clean Water Rule has been embroiled in controversy.
