News

Our public waterways are under attack! We need you to raise your voice against the Trump Administration’s proposed revised definition of Waters of the United States — dubbed by clean-water advocates as the “Polluted Water Rule” — a disastrous policy change that would result in dumping, dredging and destruction of vital waterways across the nation.

Background:

On Nov. 17, the Environmental Protection Agency released a new rule that guts what remains of federal wetlands protections under the Clean Water Act. The proposed rule “Water of the United States” follows the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA — its stated purpose is to bring federal law into compliance with that decision, but for environmentalists across the country, the “Polluted Water Rule” has the potential to go much further in removing protections included in the nation’s bedrock law to protect clean water.

This proposed rule dangerously narrows the scope of the Clean Water Act (CWA) protections by significantly reducing the number of federally protected wetlands and streams. Concerningly, since the North Carolina General Assembly voted this year to remove state protections from our state’s wetlands, this change in federal law will become the de facto rule in North Carolina.

We need you to sign Sound Rivers’ petition to the EPA and help US protect YOUR waterways! It’s easy: all you have to do is add your name, your town and your email address.

Sign the petition here!