Proposed Change to the Clean Water Act Open for Public Comment
Starting Thursday, the public has 60 days to comment on an EPA proposal that would limit which waterways are protected under the Clean Water Act. In Alabama, environmental groups say the change would potentially endanger the state’s drinking water.
The proposal redefines what the EPA considers a “water of the United States.” It eliminates federal protection for smaller tributaries, like groundwater and waterways that only flow with rainfall.
Keith Johnston, attorney with Southern Environmental Law Center, opposes the change.
“It’s extremely impactful to Alabama because Alabama is one of the most biologically diverse, aquatically diverse states in the union,” Johnston says, “And this threatens all of our waters and wetlands.”
Johnston says these headwater streams and waterways feed into larger bodies of water used for recreation or drinking sources.
Some groups, like the Alabama Farmer’s Federation and the Business Council of Alabama, have shown support for the proposed change. They say the EPA’s current definition is too broad and inhibits development.
The public has until April 15 to comment on the proposal. After that, the EPA will release the final rule, but litigation is expected.
A fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state kills at least 25, officials say
At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India's Goa state, the state's chief minister said Sunday.
National parks fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump’s birthday
The Trump administration, which has railed against what it describes as "woke" policies, removed MLK Day and Juneteenth from next year's list of fare-exempt days for visitors at dozens of national parks.
Waymo will recall software after its self-driving cars passed stopped school buses
Waymo is issuing a software recall for its self-driving cars after reports the company's autonomous vehicles failed to stop for school buses.
7 deaths and hundreds of injuries are linked to faulty Abbott glucose monitors
About 3 million glucose monitoring sensors were potentially affected by a production error that caused incorrect low glucose readings.
‘The Abandons’ is a sudsy soap opera dressed up in spurs and a cowboy hat
On the surface it's a gorgeous, hardscrabble Western, awash in stark landscapes, grubby faces, bar fights and banditry. But scratch away the grime, and you expose the pure, glitzy soap opera beneath.
Sudanese paramilitary drone attack kills 50, including 33 children, doctor group says
Thursday's attack is the latest in the fighting between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, also known as the RSF, and the Sudanese military, who have been at war for over two years.
