January 24, 2020 3:10 a.m.
On Thursday, Congressman Peter DeFazio responded to the Trump administration’s announcement that it will rollback clean water protections, including in the Waters of the United States regulation.
A release from DeFazio said according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s own documents, the rollback will eliminate clean water protections on between 18 to 71 percent of the nation’s streams and river miles, and over 50 percent of wetlands.
DeFazio is the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. DeFazio said “another day, another attack on our clean water protections”. He said the announcement is far from unexpected, but “disappointing, nonetheless”.
DeFazio’s release said the administration claims the proposed rule will cut red tape, but “at the same time concedes the rule is so complicated you’ll likely need to hire a consultant to understand if you are regulated or not”. DeFazio said Americans are more concerned about water pollution that at any time in this century, and should “overwhelmingly reject President Trump’s war on the Clean Water Act that threatens the drinking water of 117 million Americans”.
DeFazio said he would continue to fight the plan in Congress and through his committee.