DENNIS – The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is joining other environmental groups from across the country opposing the Trump Administration’s proposal to repeal the 2015 Clean Water Rule.
The rule was adopted during the Obama Administration to define the federal government’s role in protecting streams and wetlands that have a hydrological or ecological relationship to navigable waters.
All navigable waters in the U.S. are under federal jurisdiction, as defined by the Clean Water Act.
The rule was issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide consistency and clarity.
The proposed repeal seeks to weaken federal jurisdiction over connected streams and wetlands removing the government’s role in regulating actions that may affect those bodies of water.
In a letter sent the EPA, the organizations challenge the Administration’s motivations in seeking a repeal.
The Trump Administration claims that too much weight was placed on science when the rule was adopted and did not weigh other considerations enough.
“The 2014 Clean Water Rule is based on sound science, which should be the bottom line for decisions affecting our water resources. Protecting small streams and wetlands protects the rivers and other larger water bodies found downstream,” said Andrew Gottlieb, the executive director of the APCC. “You can’t ensure good water quality in our rivers, bays and coastal waters without adequate protections in place on the smaller systems that feed them.”
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