For more than 50 years, the Clean Water Act has protected wetlands, streams, and waterways across the United States—keeping drinking water safe, filtering pollution, reducing floods, and preserving vital wildlife habitats.

Now, the EPA wants to strip those protections away.

Under a proposed rule, the EPA would remove federal safeguards from millions of acres of wetlands and countless miles of streams, especially those that are seasonal or don’t flow continuously. These waters aren’t insignificant—they’re essential. They protect homes from flooding, help recharge drinking water, and provide critical refuge for fish, birds, and other wildlife.

If this rule moves forward:

• Up to 70 million acres of wetlands could lose protection, according to GIS analysis from NRDC.
• Streams that run seasonally—but are crucial for downstream water quality—could be destroyed or contaminated.
• Developers and polluters would have a green light to fill, drain, or pave over natural ecosystems with no federal oversight.

This rollback is a direct response to a recent Supreme Court ruling—but the EPA is going further than required, ignoring both science and public safety.

We are calling on:

EPA Administrator Michael Regan
President Donald J. Trump
Congressional environmental oversight committees
To immediately:

• Withdraw the proposed rule and retain strong Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams.
• Uphold the EPA’s legal obligation to protect water quality, not gut it.
• Create a durable, science-based policy that reflects how water moves across landscapes—seasonally or not.

Wetlands are nature’s defense against a changing climate. We need them now more than ever.

Sign this petition to tell the EPA: Don’t erase protections for our waters. Save wetlands. Save wildlife. Save lives.