Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Scientific Advisory Panel to Environmental Protection Agency criticizes Trumps rollback of Clean Water Act (and other environmental laws)

February 14,  2020

 

In January 2020, the Trump Administration finalized a new definition of “Waters of the United States” which removes thousands of miles of streams and thousands of acres of wetlands from federal protection. The new Navigable Waters Protection Rule removes protections for ephemeral streams and wetlands that do not have surface connections to intermittent or perennial streams.

 

For example, as NPCC Affiliate the Native Plant Society of New Mexico commented, the rule will exclude from federal protection the majority of water sources in New Mexico.

 

The Trump appointed Science Advisory Board joined scientific societies and environmental organizations in criticizing this rule, stating in a draft letter that the rule “lacks a scientific justification, while potentially introducing new risks to human and environmental health.”

 

As noted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science “The sharp criticism in the reports on… deregulatory efforts is particularly notable given that the administration has selected the majority of the members of the Science Advisory Board (SAB).”

 

The Science Advisory Board also criticized new Trump rules on how the federal government conducts science, as well as regulations rolling back automobile and power plant emissions controls.

 

Ecological Society of America Policy News has reprinted a graphic from PoliticoPro which summarizes what waters are protected under the new rule, and which are not, and provides comments from the Science Advisory Board (SAB) about the rule.