EPA head in MS to talk water

The federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Administrator Scott Pruitt was in Mississippi on Oct. 12 to discuss proposed changes to the Waters of the United States rule, days after announcing the repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The water rule sought to control pollution under the Clean Water Act of 1972. It had extended the U.S. government's authority over small waterways under the Obama Administration. GOP and industry groups argued it required costly and unnecessary permitting. Pruitt was meeting with agencies and stakeholders across the country to get input on how to best craft a new definition of U.S. waters. The definition implemented in 2015, Pruitt argues, "has created substantial confusion." (Source: Clarion Ledger 10/13/17)