EPA Gains New Powers with Clean Water Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency has a new weapon in its arsenal to protect the environment thanks to President Barack Obama.

The EPA announced the Clean Water Rule on its website and says the rule was finalized with the help of the US Army. The rule was also influenced by public input gathered from 400 public meetings and 1,200 peer reviewed environmental studies.

The rule keeps in place previous exemptions and exclusions. It does not create a new permitting process.

"Today's rule marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the Clean Water Act," said Assistant Secretary for the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy. "This is a generational rule and completes another chapter in history of the Clean Water Act. This rule responds to the public's demand for greater clarity, consistency, and predictability when making jurisdictional determinations. The result will be better public service nationwide."

The Clean Water Rule will affect the drinking supply of 117 million people, or 1 in 3 Americans. Previously, these water supplies were not explicitly protected by the EPA.

"For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to be clean too," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.

The rule does not apply to groundwater, tile drains, or shallow subsurface flows.

In a statement from the President, the White House stressed the importance the new rule would have for industry by saying, "businesses and industries that depend on clean water face uncertainty and delay, which costs our economy every day." It continued by saying the rule would not be, "getting in the way of farming, ranching, or forestry."

The President also said, "This rule will provide the clarity and certainty businesses and industry need about which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act."

The rule will take effect 60 days after it is entered into the Federal Register.