Legislative Background on the Clean Water Rule
Recent Action by Congress on the Clean Water Act and Federal Jurisdiction
Ever since passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972, governments, environmentalists, and industry have disagreed over where a navigable waterway begins and ends for purposes of Federal regulation. New guidance on this issue by the Obama Administration has led to a heated debate that remains unresolved. Announcement of the Clean Water Rule. In May 2015 — pushing against opposition from such industries as agriculture and homebuilders and their supporters in Congress — the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized a Clean Water Rule that sought to clarify which waters could be…
