SAB Floats New Steps To Strengthen EPA's Water 'Connectivity' Study

摘要

EPA's advisors are suggesting new steps the agency could take to shore up its draft report on waters' connectivity, including floating new language for the report that would ease regulators' ability to assert jurisdiction over smaller waters located outside of floodplains, while also urging EPA to strengthen its focus on groundwater and biological connections. In a June 5 draft report, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) panel reviewing EPA's draft connectivity report rejects the agency's finding that it lacks adequate scientific data for making blanket jurisdictional determinations that waters and wetlands, such as prairie potholes or playa lakes, located in non-floodplain areas are connected to navigable waters and are therefore jurisdictional.