Clean Water Rule: Official repeal proposed.

EPA officially announces process to repeal and replace Clean Water Rule

Kate-TU Miller
ShoutForTrout
4 min readJun 27, 2017

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What happened: The Environmental Protection Agency announced today (June 27th) that it would begin the process of repealing and replacing the Clean Water Rule in accordance with an executive order signed by President Trump in February.

  • UPDATE: 30-day Public Comment Period Now Open. Deadline for Comment is August 28th. StandUp for Clean Water and make your voice heard:

Why This Matters for Trout Unlimited: America’s headwaters are the genesis of our country’s iconic rivers. The Clean Water Act — and the clean water Rule — were designed to ensure that our nation’s small waters remain intact, and that the water flowing from them is fresh and clean. These waters are the spawning and rearing waters for trout, salmon and other wild and native fish that contribute greatly to the $50 billion recreational fishing industry in the United States. What’s more, these streams send clean water downstream, where it’s used to water our crops, cool our industrial generators and provide clean, fresh drinking water for our cities and towns.

TU’s Response:

What comes next:

The Clean Water Rule of 2015, which was a critical step in protecting headwaters streams and wetlands across the country, was the result of a multi-year process which utilized the best available science and drew more than one million comments before being finalized. In contrast, the repeal allows only a 30 day comment period and the “replace” step will likely reduce protections on thousands of miles of streams.

The EPA has promised a 2 step process with step one being a proposal for review and comment to rescind the 2015 Clean Water Rule. During the second step, the EPA plans to reevaluate and revise the rule to substantially narrow the current protections. Trout Unlimited will be an active participant in this process, working with volunteers, staff and partners to provide information to the record and to ensure our concerns are heard during both steps.

*** TAKE ACTION NOW: COMMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE CLEAN WATER RULE AND AGAINST ROLLBACKS OF IMPORTANT PROTECTIONS***

In addition, to engaging in the rulemaking process, TU will continue to advocate against further cuts or rollbacks to programs that protect trout and salmon habitat. For opportunities to get involved, please check out standup.tu.org

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Kate-TU Miller
ShoutForTrout

Government Affairs Director for Trout Unlimited. Editor of ShoutForTrout, a publication for TU advocates. Twitter: @KmillerTU Visit: standup.tu.org