Nearly three years after issuing an executive order on the subject, the Trump Administration has finalized the Navigable Waters Protection Rule to narrow the scope of waters subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act.

In 2015, the Obama Administration finalized the Clean Waters Rule which generally expanded the jurisdiction of EPA and the Corps of Engineers over “waters of the United States.” The rule was challenged in district and appellate courts throughout the country. After various court rulings, including one by the Supreme Court, the Clean Waters Rule became effective in only about half the states, creating a patchwork of regulation. Upon assuming office, President Trump issued an executive order in which he directed that a new rule be considered which mirrored the more limited jurisdictional view announced by Justice Antonin Scalia in prior rulings. Not surprisingly, the Navigable Waters Protection Rule adopts the narrower view.