Senators Clash On States' Role Under Narrow CWA Jurisdiction Standard

摘要

Members of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW) clashed over state and federal roles under the Clean Water Act (CWA) at a hearing on EPA's proposed jurisdiction rule, with Republicans arguing a limited CWA standard will support robust local protections while Democrats countered that it would hamstring many states. During a June 12 hearing on CWA jurisdiction policies, covering both the Trump administration's proposed rule and the Obama-era standard now targeted for replacement, GOP panel members and witnesses praised state and local regulators' ability to manage their water quality even under a more limited definition of "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) covered by the federal law.