Obama administration issues water protection rules
May 27, 2015
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Wednesday issued new rules clarifying which small bodies of water fall under federal anti-pollution protection over strong objections from Republicans in Congress.
The new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were written to address two Supreme Court rulings that had left in doubt which smaller bodies of water fell under anti-pollution and development provisions of the Clean Water Act.
"For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to be clean too," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.