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| Dear Friend, |
| This week, the Trump administration proposed to end Clean Water Act protections for over half of all wetlands and untold miles of ephemeral streams by removing these critical waterbodies from the regulatory definition of “waters of the United States.” |
| This proposed rollback is the culmination of a decades-long, industry-backed legal strategy: |
| In 2007: The Pacific Legal Foundation (funded by the Koch Network and ExxonMobil, among others) began litigation in Sackett v. EPA — a case designed to dismantle wetlands protections. |
| In 2023: The Supreme Court’s conservative majority defied precedent and the clear text of the Clean Water Act to gut protections for roughly 38-70 million acres of wetlands. |
| Now: Trump’s EPA is shrinking clean water protections even further. The new definition could strip safeguards from more than 80% of all wetlands nationwide, according to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and would end Clean Water Act protections for ephemeral streams. |
| Earthjustice will fight back. We will not hesitate to go to court to protect the cherished rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands that all Americans need and depend on. |
| You can support our fight for clean water, clean air, and environmental protection with a donation that supports our lawsuits. Right now, it will be matched $1:$1 to double your impact. |
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| In the days ahead, we will be reaching out with ways to take action and fight back against this administration’s attacks on our bedrock environmental laws. |
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Sincerely,
Drew Caputo
Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Oceans, and Wildlife
Earthjustice |
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