Waters

The oil and natural gas industry reacted favorably to the Trump administration’s delivery on a promise to reduce environmental oversight of U.S. waters by issuing final rules Thursday that are certain to draw litigation.

A federal judge in South Carolina on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from delaying enforcement of a controversial Obama-era definition of what constitutes Waters of the United States (WOTUS), issuing an injunction making the rule law in 26 states where the 2015 Clean Water Rule (CWR) has not already been stayed.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday proposed rescinding the Clean Water Rule (CWR), which was designed by the Obama administration to clarify what constitutes Waters of the United States (WOTUS).

Despite the wishes of the Trump administration, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday decided to continue hearing a legal challenge to the controversial Clean Water Rule (CWR), an environmental holdover from the Obama administration that Trump, Republicans and several industries oppose.

Two months after the Obama administration unveiled a final rule changing the definition of what constitutes Waters of the United States (WOTUS), a powerful Republican lawmaker opposed to the rule is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to confirm by Thursday that it played a limited role in formulating it.

The Obama administration unveiled its long-awaited finalized Clean Water Rule (CWR) on Wednesday, extending regulatory protection to smaller upstream rivers and creeks, but doing so against the wishes of the oil and gas industry, manufacturers and their Republican allies in Congress.

The Obama administration unveiled its long-awaited finalized Clean Water Rule (CWR) on Wednesday, extending regulatory protection to smaller upstream rivers and creeks, but doing so against the wishes of the oil and gas industry, manufacturers and their Republican allies in Congress.

Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) said a rule designed to clarify the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) has been sent to an office within the White House and is moving toward finalization later this spring.

The California Coastal Commission (CCC) was alerted Thursday to potential environmental impacts from the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) offshore along the Pacific Coast in both federal and state waters.