Delaware Senator Tom Carper reacts to EPA rollback on Wetlands protections

DELAWARE – The EPA this week has announced a major rollback on federally protected waterways across the US.

The decision has removed protections for most Wetlands across the US, coming off the heels of a Supreme Court decision early last year that challenged the agency’s ability to enforce those restrictions.

The decision excluded wetlands and smaller tributaries from being protected as they had been for the last 45 years

Delaware Senator Tom Carper- chair of the US Senate Environmental Committee says he is disappointed in the rollback, but the decision does mean a pause on Army Corps of Engineers projects is now lifted, and more protections can be added through different channels.

“This is not going to be the wild, wild west, but we have to figure we got to figure a smart way to work through it, what we need is some certainty some predictability and some common sense,” Senator Carper said.

The decision does allow for state restrictions on building on formerly protected wetlands but does not allow the federal agencies to issue zoning restrictions on new and existing construction or pollution.