EPA Restores Ability of States, Tribes to Protect Local Waters
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
EPA Restores Ability of States, Tribes to Protect Local Waters
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (September 14, 2023)—A new U.S. EPA rule restores the ability of states and Tribes to protect local waters under the Clean Water Act, allowing states and Tribes to weigh in on federal permits for projects such as roads, pipelines, and dams and allowing residents to have a say in projects that could impact their waters, recreational opportunities, and public health.
Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:
“The EPA got it right. This rule is good for our waters, our public health, and our Great Lakes. It is absolutely essential to provide an avenue for communities to have a voice in decisions that impact their local waters. Restoring the ability of states and Tribes to weigh in on projects that could harm local waters is an important part of protecting the waters we all rely on. EPA’s action to bolster clean water protections will support ongoing federal investments to restore and protect our Great Lakes.”
Defending state and Tribal authority to protect their waters by strengthening Sec. 401 water quality certification process was part of the Coalition’s Great Lakes Policy Agenda for the 118th Congress and this rule replaces a previous Trump Administration rule that undermined these local and Tribal authorities.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 180 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
