Experts say the Trump administration?s move to redefine what constitutes a waterway under federal law is threatening an effort to save wetlands from destruction. The limit on the federal government’s authority to regulate the pollution of wetlands and tributaries that run into the nation’s largest rivers would be a major win for builders, farmers, coal miners and frackers. Given the interconnected nature of national water systems, state attorneys general worry not only about pollution their own states generate but also pollution originating from outside of their jurisdiction, potentially threatening their drinking water. Many experts believed that the 1972 law already gave the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers control over smaller U.S. waterways and tributaries. “At worst, they have failed to meet their duties to inform the public, uphold the law, and protect the public and the environment.”

Source: Washington Post April 16, 2019 16:16 UTC