The Sierra Club is reporting that the Trump administration is moving to narrow the definition of which waters are protected under the federal Clean Water Act, a change it said could leave vast stretches of the nation's streams and wetlands without federal safeguards.
The environmental organization said up to 94% of wetlands and roughly 79% of streams in the continental United States could lose protection. In multiple arid Western states, it said, that figure reaches about 90%.
At issue is the term "Waters of the United States," which determines which waters the law officially covers. The Sierra Club said the Clean Water Act blocks polluters from dumping into, and developers from filling in, the streams and wetlands that feed drinking water supplies. It said those protections apply only to waters the law covers, so narrowing the definition would leave upstream sources unprotected.
The Sierra Club said the Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments on the proposal until October 9. It urged supporters to submit personal comments and to register for a September 30 webinar featuring Natural Resources Defense Council experts Jon Devine and Matthew McKinzie, who will present a mapping tool showing how the proposed changes could affect streams and wetlands nationwide.