Government Reverses Course on US Waters Rule
June 14, 2021
The Biden administration has announced legal action to revise a Trump-era change to the definition of the “Waters of the United States.” The WOTUS rule determines which waterways, including wetlands, qualify for federal protection under the Clean Water Act. In Issues, Charles Herrick offers a broad look at the evolution of WOTUS and other federal policies regarding wetlands protection. And in a suggestion that would seem to foreshadow the administration’s planned revisions, he cites “the need for a policy framework that can assure stewardship of wetlands even in the face of changing political winds.”