Talking Points:
Revised Definition of Waters of the United States

Changes to the Clean Water Act

• In rushing to propose revisions to the rule, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) failed to comply with the Endangered Species Act or National Environmental Policy Act.
• Revisions to the rule ignore science prepared by the EPA and USACE, which shows at least 18% percent of streams and 51% of our wetlands would lose protection under the new waterway definition.
• An analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity estimates the proposed changes would cut CWA protections across 3,000-plus watersheds in the western U.S., endanger millions of acres of wetlands, and could accelerate the extinction of more than 75 endangered species. It also threatens sensitive wading birds and waterfowl that rely on seasonal wetlands during migration.
• Revisions to the rule would likely result in more pollution from industry, agriculture, and development being dumped into waterways across America.
• Many wetlands and intermittent streams feed downstream waters protected under the CWA. The proposed revisions would impact the health of rivers and freshwater ecosystems and threaten drinking water sources.

Background/Resources

• Proposed Rule Language of Revised Definition
• Background on CWA Threats (EarthJustice)
• Audubon Article about Proposed Rollback of CWA
• PBS News Hour on Proposed Rollback

We must protect our water, because water is life!