Trump administration rolls back Obama-era water protections

The Trump administration announced on Thursday it is repealing the Waters of the United States rule, a 2015 measure that limited the amount of pollutants that could be used near streams and wetlands.

It's the latest environmental rule either repealed or curtailed by President Trump's Environmental Protection Agency, and now, pollutants will not need to have a permit to release chemical pesticides and fertilizers into about 60 percent of the country's waterways, The New York Times reports.

The EPA claims the rules are a burden on farmers, coal miners, and oil and gas developers, with EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler saying they will "spend less time and money determining whether they need a federal permit and more time building infrastructure." Environmental organizations and several state attorneys general are expected to file lawsuits in connection with the repeal.

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