Trump’s EPA Takes Aim at Clean Water Protections 

Today, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin issued guidance confirming certain wetlands are being excluded from clean water protections, and announced listening sessions as the Trump administration aims to eliminate even more protections for streams and wetlands. The announcement, made alongside Republican members of Congress and corporate interest groups, comes on the heels of a series of Congressional hearings where industry representatives lobbied for loosening clean water safeguards. The announcement aligns with Project 2025’s agenda to weaken water protections in favor of corporate interests.

In 2023, the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA decision removed protections from more than half of the country’s wetlands. Wetlands protect communities and infrastructure by preventing floods and filtering chemical pollution, while streams provide clean drinking water for millions. Weakening these protections means more polluted water, more flood damage, and fewer safeguards for public health. 

The following is a statement from Julian Gonzalez, Earthjustice senior legislative counsel: 

“After decades of misinformation and campaigning, corporate polluters won big when Sackett v. EPA gutted clean water protections for most wetlands and millions of miles of streams. Now, the Trump administration wants to strip even more protections, while slashing the EPA’s budget by 65%, leaving fewer enforcers to hold polluters accountable. This administration is ignoring the will of the people, who overwhelmingly demand clean water.”