OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state Department of Ecology says it will continue to enforce an Obama-era clean water rule that the Trump administration redefined in June.
The Waters of the US rule was panned by critics as regulatory overreach in broadening the definition of waters subject to the Clean Water Act on 2015.
But Department of Ecology spokesman Curt Hart said last week “practically anything is a water of the state”.
The Capital Press reports Ecology says it will continue to regulate wetlands, stream, and ditches not covered by the Trump administration redefinition, claiming authority under state law.
They estimate that impacts 29% of state wetlands and 14% of streams.