"Clean Water Act: Confusion Reigns At WOTUS Hearing"

"Senators at a Clean Water Act hearing expressed interest in reopening the law to clarify which wetlands and waterways it protects.

But that effort would likely be stymied by the fact that participants in the Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, including ranking member Tom Carper (D-Del.), expressed confusion over basic concepts of Clean Water Act jurisdiction.

The Clean Water Act itself says it applies to "navigable waters of the United States," a phrase it defines as meaning "waters of the United States."

The question of which wetlands and waterways qualify under that definition has been hotly contested ever since the landmark environmental law was passed in 1972 and remains a source of confusion."

Ariel Wittenberg reports for E&E Daily June 13, 2019.