On December 11, 2018, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced their new definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS), which is designed to clarify federal authority under the Clean Water Act by replacing the 2015 Clean Water Rule and the pre-2015 regulations. The agencies’ proposal is the second step in a two-step process to review and revise the definition of WOTUS consistent with President Trump’s February 2017 Executive Order 13778. Once the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, the agencies will open a 60-day public comment period.

For a pre-publication version of the proposed rule, visit the EPA’s rulemaking site. This is a developing story. For an in-depth analysis of the proposed rule, see tomorrow’s Environmental News.