Apr 21, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Removal of EPA waterway protections set to go into effect in June

Orion Rummler

In this image, a heron walks in a marshland — The freshwater Madrona Marsh wetlands in Torrance, California. Photo: Citizen of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The Environmental Protection Agency published plans to remove Clean Water Act protections for some wetlands, streams and marshes in the Federal Register on Tuesday, meaning that the changes go into effect in 60 days.

What's next: Lawsuits are expected against the rescinded protections once they go into effect in June, E&E News reports.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Amy Harder: This regulation has been a lightning rod with rural Americans and a legal mess for years, beginning during the Obama administration, which tried to overhaul an even earlier bureaucratic morass.

Tuesday's final rule will only continue this messy situation, leaving states to move forward with patchwork solutions.

The big picture: The Trump administration has rolled back at least 58 environmental regulations, the New York Times reports, with more than 30 others in progress. But changes to the Clear Water Act mark one of Trump's biggest environmental cuts yet.

Go deeper: White House meetings provide last round of wrangling ahead of Trump's water rule

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Removal of EPA waterway protections set to go into effect in June

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