On Dec. 30, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army announced a final rule establishing a durable definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) to reduce uncertainty from changing regulatory definitions, protect public health and support economic opportunity.Read More

By Mike Keegan After withstanding numerous preemptive judicial challenges, the Trump administration’s version of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) went into effect on June 22. The Trump rule circumscribed the federal regulatory power over U.S. waters compared to the 2015 Obama administration’s ruleRead More

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James last week announced a new, clear definition for “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule.  According to EPA and the Department ofRead More

By Stanley A. Millan & Elise M. Henry The battle over how to define federal waters began in the early 1970s and continues today. As a result of changing policy and legal uncertainly, it is a challenge for anyone to determine what qualifies as aRead More

At an event last month in Albany, N.Y., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Pete Lopez, joined by representatives from the New York Farm Bureau and the Business Council of New York State, announced that EPA and the Department of the Army are repealingRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of the Army (Army) have finalized a rule adding an applicability date to the 2015 Clean Water Rule (the 2015 Rule). This rule provides clarity and certainty about which definition of “waters of the United States”Read More

According to Fitch Ratings, the potential repeal of, or change to, the Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS) would be largely neutral for Fitch-rated public utilities in the near- to mid-term as they are already subject to water regulations outlined by the Clean WaterRead More

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review Waters of the United States regulations to make sure they align with the administration’s goals. The move, which has beenRead More

In December, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If confirmed by Congress, Pruitt — a Republican and frequent opponent of President Obama’s environmental policies — would oversee the 15,000-employee agencyRead More