ESG: Regulations Summary

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army ("the agencies") are nearing completion of a rule that defines the scope of waters protected by the Clean Water Act. The agencies considered the text of the relevant Clean Water Act provisions and the statute as a whole, the scientific record, relevant Supreme Court case law, and the agencies' experience and technical expertise after more than 45 years of implementing the longstanding pre-2015 regulations defining "waters of the United States" in developing this rule.

This final rule advances the objective of the Clean Water Act and ensures critical protections for the nation's vital water resources, which support public health, environmental protection, agricultural activity, and economic growth across the United States.