The Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have announced a new proposed “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule that dramatically restricts which water bodies are protected from pollution and destruction under the Clean Water Act. The agencies are accepting public comments on the proposed rule through January 5, 2026. Clean, safe water should not be up for debate, yet proposed changes by the EPA would weaken protections for streams and wetlands essential to our drinking water. These waters feed directly into the rivers, lakes and oceans our wildlife and communities rely on. Removing their safeguards would allow pollution to spread, increasing risks to public health and flooding.
Our partners at Bayou City Waterkeeper completed an analysis of the water impacts in the Houston- Galveston region. Texas, for example, consistently ranks among the states with the highest levels of marine debris, and the Galveston region – where our Gulf of Mexico team is based – bears a disproportionate burden because it sits at the downstream end of one of the state’s largest watersheds. Pollution generated hundreds of miles inland often ends up on Galveston’s shores and wetlands, highlighting why the Clean Water Act is so critical: marine debris and poor water quality aren’t just coastal issues and strong, watershed-wide protections are essential to protect downstream communities.
Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has helped reduce industrial pollution and sewage, strengthen sanitation systems and limit development that would destroy wetlands. Proposed changes to the Clean Water Act would significantly narrow which waters are protected, weakening enforcement and putting wetlands, clean water and coastal communities at greater risk.
