January 05, 2026
Chicago, IL — A coalition of more than 70 conservation, environmental justice, watershed, faith, and outdoor recreation organizations submitted a letter today urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw their proposed revision to the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS), warning that the rule would dramatically weaken the Clean Water Act and put Midwest and Great Lakes waters at risk.
Read the coalition letter here.
The proposal is the most restrictive interpretation of the Clean Water Act in the law’s history. The rule would eliminate federal protections for more than 80% of wetlands nationwide and at least 5 million miles of streams, including countless waterways that flow into the Great Lakes and supply drinking water to more than 40 million people in the United States and Canada.
“This proposal puts polluters first and people last,” said Nancy Stoner, Senior Attorney, Environmental Law & Policy Center. “It abandons science, ignores climate realities, and turns its back on decades of progress protecting clean water across the Midwest and Great Lakes. People across the Midwest understand that pollution flows downstream – whether a stream runs year-round or seasonally – and they expect EPA to protect their water, not roll back safeguards.”
“By stripping protections from vast numbers of wetlands and streams, the EPA is abandoning communities, putting their clean water and healthy ecosystems at risk. With so many of our cities and towns living with unsafe drinking water, we need more – not less – protections for clean water,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Clean water is not just an environmental issue, it’s an economic and public health imperative. The fishing industry, recreational tourism, and property values all depend on healthy waterways. When wetlands are destroyed and streams polluted, communities bear the costs through contaminated drinking water, increased flooding, lost wildlife habitat, and degraded quality of life.”
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