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Despite opposition from thousands of North Carolina residents, and strong  comments opposing the weakening changes by NC Attorney General Josh Stein and NC Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan, EPA announced today a final rule that guts long-established clean water protections. 

As noted by our partners, the Southern Environmental Law Center in a release today, “This unprecedented move, which will remove Clean Water Act protections that have been in place for nearly 50 years, would jeopardize drinking water sources for 200 million Americans and take protection standards back to the 1970s, when our waterways were open sewers.”

The rule removes protections for many wetlands that are vital to the safety of Eastern Carolina communities, as threats from flooding and severe storms worsen with climate change. 

Matthew Starr, your Upper Neuse Riverkeeper, noted that this fight to maintain critical clean water protections is still not over, “Now more than ever, we need leadership in North Carolina to defend the right to clean water so that our environment, communities, and economy can continue to thrive.” 

Please check back next week for action opportunities! 

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