Trump administration moves to remove Obama-era clean water protections intended to protect rivers, streams, wetlands and other bodies of water from pollution and runoff from industrial facilities and agriculture.
A group of scientific advisors to the EPA analyzed the rule as being"in conflict with established science" and said the change would actually"decreases protections for our nation's waters."
Critics of the change cited their analysis, saying the Trump administration is ignoring the impact of seasonal streams that still have a tangible impact downstream in the event of heavy rain or flooding that may wash dirt, debris or pollution into rivers or lakes that provide drinking water or support wildlife.
President Donald Trump speaks at the American Farm Bureau Federation's Annual Convention and Trade Show in Austin, Texas, Jan. 19, 2020.is that fertilizer and pollution from agriculture could be released into areas that will no longer be protected under the new rule. Heavy rain events could also send any pollution downstream into larger bodies of water, affecting sources of drinking water or adding to toxic algae blooms.
"This is the first time that an administration has taken a step to dramatically reduce the scope, and by dramatically reduce we're talking about potentially half of wetlands that were historically protected and up to 60% of historically protected stream miles," Jim Murphy, senior counsel for the National Wildlife Federation, told ABC News.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump Lifts Obama-Era Protections Trapping Gangthor The Malevolent In Tomb Deep Within Murky Depths Of Pacific OceanWASHINGTON—Denouncing his predecessor’s water regulations as overly restrictive, President Donald Trump announced Thursday he was lifting protections enacted by the Obama administration to permanently entomb Gangthor the Malevolent in a murky trench deep below the Pacific Ocean. “These horrible rules created by Barack Obama are one of the worst examples of government overreach in our nation’s history, and they are totally unfair to the deadly leviathan known as Gangthor,” said Trump, who was later overheard muttering ancient incantations reportedly intended to loosen the cursèd chains that shackle the nefarious shadow-behemoth to the ocean floor. “I will personally swim to the bottom of the Pacific and use a golden key inscribed with mysterious runes to unlock Gangthor’s lair, where he has slumbered since the destructive Clean Water Rule of 2015 was issued. This shape-shifting, multi-tentacled monster will then once more be unleashed upon the waters of the United States, restoring the property rights of American farmers, fossil fuel companies, and real estate developers.” The president went on to criticize “prophets of doom” who have predicted Gangthor the Malevolent will rise in a column of smoke and fire upon his release, blocking out the sun and blighting the earth with a thousand years of darkness.
Read more »
Trump says coronavirus outbreak is 'under control' as he calls for more Fed rate cutsPresident Donald Trump said the U.S. has the outbreak of the coronavirus under control and has been briefed by the Centers for Disease Control and...
Read more »
What to watch today: Trump blasts Fed, Boeing predicts summer Max delay, virus spreads to USU.S. stock futures are poised to erase Tuesday's losses, despite concerns about the China-based virus that has resulted in nine deaths, as well as Boeing's announcement about further delays in the return of the 737 Max jet.
Read more »
Trump says Dow would be up to 10,000 points higher if it weren’t for the FedPresident Trump says that the U.S. economy’s GDP growth would have been closer to 4 percent if it weren’t for the lingering effect of Federal Reserve rate hikes. - CNBC
Read more »
Amid Trump impeachment firestorm and other crises, 7 steps to find well-being: OpinionOPINION: With Trump's impeachment trial looming as well as international and health crises, here are seven steps to a less anxious existence.
Read more »