FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 30, 2023 Contact: Drue Winters [email protected] FISHERIES, WATER QUALITY, AND HUMAN HEALTH AT RISK DUE TO LOSS OF WETLANDS PROTECTIONS UNDER SUPREME COURT SACKETT DECISION Last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on a significant Clean Water Act case, Sackett vs. EPA, dealt a crippling blow to the future of our nation’s […]

American Fisheries Society * Arizona Wildlife Federation * Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Fly Fishers International * Indiana Wildlife Federation * Izaak Walton League of America National Wildlife Federation * Nevada Wildlife Federation * Ohio Conservation Federation Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership * Trout Unlimited   The Honorable Charles E. Schumer Majority Leader United States Senate S-221 […]

March 9, 2023 Chairman Tom Carper U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works 410 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Re: 2023 Biden Administration Waters of the U.S. Rule Dear Chairman Carper: On behalf of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), we write today to urge you to vote against S.J. Res. 7, the […]

On February 9, the Clean Water For All Coalition in concert with the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Minority hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on Waters of the U.S. for House Democrats. Drue Banta Winters spoke on behalf of AFS regarding the importance of a science-based definition of Waters of the US that recognizes the […]

February 7, 2023 Chairman David Rouzer U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment 2165 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Ranking Member Grace Napolitano U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment 2165 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC […]

American Fisheries Society • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography • Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation • Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society • International Association for Great Lakes Research • North American Lake Management Society • Phycological Society of America • Society for Freshwater Science • Society of Wetland Scientists February 7, 2022 Mr. […]

The Honorable Michael Regan Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460 Mail Code 1101A Mr. Jaime A. Pinkham Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) 108 Army Pentagon Washington, DC 20310-0108 Submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov RE: Docket ID […]

American Fisheries Society • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography • Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation • Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society • International Association for Great Lakes Research • North American Lake Management Society • Phycological Society of America • Society for Freshwater Science • Society of Wetland Scientists September 3, 2021 Mr. […]

American Fisheries Society • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography • Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation • Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society • International Association for Great Lakes Research • North American Lake Management Society • Phycological Society of America • Society for Freshwater Science • Society of Wetland Scientists March 18, 2021 The […]

Seventeen states filed suit challenging the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California asserting that the NWPR is contrary to the Clean Water Act (CWA) and arbitrary and capricious, in part, because of the EPA’s and the Army Corps’ disregard of scientific evidence. The plaintiff’s asked […]

Dear Members of the American Fisheries Society Family, Fifty years ago, in the backyard of the American Fisheries Society’s (AFS), the Potomac River was filled with so much sewage it filled the air with a putrid, vile stench. Ohio’s polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire for the 13th time spurring an environmental revolution in the United […]

EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) sharply criticized the agency’s recent decision to narrow the definition of the Waters of the US (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act in a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on February 27. “In summary, current scientific understanding of the connectivity of surface and ground water, which has been reviewed […]

American Fisheries Society ● Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation ● Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society International Association for Great Lakes Research ● North American Lake Management Society Phycological Society of America ●  Society for Freshwater Science ● Society of Wetland Scientists   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2020 […]

News for Immediate Release September 12, 2019 Contact: Marnee Banks, 202-639-8727 x19, [email protected] Conservation Organizations Oppose EPA’s Move to Finalize Rollback of Clean Water Protections Groups rally together to voice support for fish and wildlife habitat, wetlands, and headwater streams (Washington, D.C.) – Conservation groups are opposing the Administration’s rollback of the 2015 Clean Water Rule, […]

News for Immediate Release April 15, 2019 Contact: Kristyn Brady, 617-501-6352, [email protected] Hunting and Fishing Groups File Final Comments Opposing Clean Water Rollback 14 national groups and 70 local affiliate chapters oppose the proposed weakening of clean water standards that would threaten fish and wildlife habitat (Washington, D.C.) — Today, dozens of national, regional, and […]

American Fisheries Society 425 Barlow Place, Suite 110, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 Telephone: 301-897-8616 www.fisheries.org The Wildlife Society 425 Barlow Place, Suite 200, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 Telephone: 301-897-9770 www.wildlife.org April 12, 2019 Mr. R.D. James Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 441 G Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20314 Via […]

April 10, 2019 Mr. R.D. James Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 441 G Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20314 Via regulations.gov: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149 Re: Scientific Societies Comments on Proposed Rule – Revised Definition of “Waters of the United States” (84 FR 4154; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149) […]

Waters of the US (WOTUS): What You Need to Know About the Rule and How to Take Action from fisheries on Vimeo. This webinar was recorded on February 27, 2018. The video contains some sections with poor audio quality, and AFS staff will work to edit portions of this recording. Presenter slides: Gillian Davies – […]

American Fisheries Society • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography • Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation • Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society • International Association for Great Lakes Research • North American Lake Management Society • Phycological Society of America • Society for Freshwater Science • Society of Wetland Scientists February 22, 2019 Mr. […]

December 21, 2018 Andrew Wheeler, Acting Administrator Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20460 R.D. James Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Department of the Army 108 Army Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20310-0108 Email delivery to: [email protected] RE: Request for Extension to Comment on Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW–2018–0149 Dear Acting Administrator Wheeler […]

Opportunity for public comment is now open.  The comment period will close on Monday, April 15th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.  Download a PDF flyer on how to comment. The very narrow rule fails to account for the full range of physical, chemical, and biological connections between navigable waters and the streams and wetlands.  The limited protections […]

New Paper, “Headwater Streams and Wetlands are Critical for Sustaining Fish, Fisheries and Ecosystem Services,” demonstrates threats to ecosystem services, imperiled species, commercial and recreational species, and culturally valuable fish from narrow rule. The American Fisheries Society (AFS) is deeply concerned with the proposed rule released Thursday, February 14, by the EPA and the U.S. […]

Download PDF: Headwater Streams and Wetlands Are Critical for Sustaining Fish, Fisheries, and Ecosystem Services  

February 27, 2019, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST Efforts by the Trump administration are underway to roll back Clean Water Act protections for our nation’s streams and wetlands. The newly proposed rule to revise the definition of waters of the United States (WOTUS) aims to exclude many wetlands and headwater streams that are critical to […]

EPA Press Release: EPA and Army Announce Public Hearing on Proposed New “Waters of the United States” Definition Hearing will be held February 27-28, 2019 in Kansas City, Kansas 02/06/2019 Contact Information:  EPA Press Office ([email protected]) WASHINGTON  — Following President Trump’s directive to provide certainty to American farmers and landowners so that the economy can continue to expand […]

Efforts are underway by the Trump Administration to roll back Clean Water Act protections for our nation’s streams and wetlands. Last year, AFS convened a group of fisheries and aquatic science experts to synthesize the science around the importance of headwaters to fish in anticipation of a new, narrower, Waters of the U.S. rule. The […]

Download a PDF of a new fact sheet of the Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS) produced by the American Fisheries Society, National Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, American Fly Fishing Trade Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and the Izaak Walton League.    

By Leanne Roulson, AFS Second Vice President Originally published as a Guest Editorial from the AFS Western Division’s Tributary newsletter. On December 11th, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released a proposed rule that that regulates Waters of the US (WOTUS) to redefine the scope of Clean Water Act protections […]

News for Immediate Release December 11, 2018 Contact: Kristyn Brady, 617-501-6352, [email protected] Replacing Clean Water Rule Would Threaten Fish, Waterfowl, and Outdoor Recreation Economy The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers proceeds with rolling back Clean Water Act protections for headwater streams and wetlands—harming trout, waterfowl, and outdoor recreation businesses.  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the […]

American Fisheries Society • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography • Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation • Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society • International Association for Great Lakes Research • North American Lake Management Society • Phycological Society of America • Society for Freshwater Science • Society of Wetland Scientists Aquatic Scientists Push Back […]

The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have taken a new tack to repeal the 2015 Waters of the U.S. Rule or WOTUS Rule.  On July 6, the agencies issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to amend a July 2017 proposed action that delayed the implementation of the WOTUS Rule with a […]

Last week, the White House released an updated timeline to repeal and replace the 2015 Clean Water Rule, also known as the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. According to a document released on Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers will not finalize their planned repeal of the Clean […]

On this World Water Day, AFS learned that a troubling policy rider related to the Clean Water Rule was removed from the Omnibus budget bill for Fiscal Year 2018.  The rider would have allowed EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to repeal the 2015 Clean Water Rule without following the Administrative Procedures Act. That means the agencies could ignore public […]

There continues to be a concern that a policy rider in a Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that exempts the repeal of the Clean Water Rule from the Administrative Procedures Act might make its way to final passage of a Fiscal Year 2018 spending bill.  Earlier this year, the CASS groups sent […]

On January 22, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that challenges to the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule must be heard in district courts rather than in U.S. Federal Courts of Appeal presenting a procedural hurdle to the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal and replace the 2015 rule with a narrower rule. Industry and local […]

By Steve McMullin, AFS President President Barack Obama once famously said, “Elections have consequences.” The first year of the Trump Administration clearly demonstrates the truth of that statement, and the consequences for fisheries and the environment are potentially “huge.” The Trump Administration’s approach to science and the environment during its first year in office included […]

AFS is joining with other science societies to oppose the EPA’s most recent proposal to add an “effective date” to the 2015 rule. We believe that this action is an attempt to amend the Clean Water Rule. AFS believes that any agency action concerning WOTUS—including the effective suspension of the Clean Water Rule—must be supported […]

The House Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing to discuss the future of the Waters of the U.S. Rule or “WOTUS” rule on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. The Trump Administration is seeking to repeal the rule that clarifies which wetlands and small waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act.  […]

The House Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on the Environment is scheduled to discuss the future of the Waters of the U.S. Rule or “WOTUS” rule on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. The regulation determines which wetlands and small waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act.  The subcommittee will also examine state participation in administering […]

In June, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the proposed repeal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule in anticipation of replacing it with a narrower definition of “Waters of the U.S.” or “WOTUS.”   The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are currently soliciting recommendations for this new definition, the second […]

In early 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to resolve jurisdictional wrangling over which federal court should hear challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s contentious 2015 Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. That rule sought to clarify the definition of “navigable waters” in the Clean Water Act (CWA). Earlier this month, the nation’s highest court […]

Time is running out to submit your comment to EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers on the proposed repeal of the Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS).  The comment period will close on September 27, 2017.  Make your voice heard! Comment here. AFS and 11 other science societies submitted a joint comment letter to oppose the […]

In mid-September, the House passed an omnibus spending package containing all 12 of the major appropriations bills for fiscal year 2018. Senate appropriators are still working bills through the committee process. The House and Senate will need to reconcile their respective bills before the budget moves forward to President Trump for signature. Shortly after returning […]

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is pursuing a two-step process to repeal the Obama administration’s 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule and craft a replacement, using a narrower legal definition promoted by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The Trump administration will hold 10 teleconferences and one in-person meeting to solicit input as it prepares […]

CASS WOTUS Comment Period Extension Request

Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to rescind the Clean Water Rule. (Details available on the Federal Register). The Clean Water Rule, which was developed using the best available, peer-reviewed science, clarifies which waters are and are not categorically protected under the Clean Water Act. Specifically, the Clean […]

UPDATE: EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have extended the comment period by 30 days for the proposed repeal of the Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS) to provide additional time for stakeholders to weigh in. The comment period, as now extended, will close on September 27, 2017. https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/extension-comment-period-definition-waters-united-states-recodification-pre-existing The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving […]

The Trump administration is moving forward to repeal the 2015 Clean Water Rule (WOTUS). Last month, EPA and the Army Corps issued a proposed rule that was filed in the Federal Register today. The public comment period is open until August 28, 2017. AFS joined with the members of the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies on a press release warning that the repeal puts aquatic resources at risk. Read it here.

UPDATE: The House of Representatives passed a security-themed “minibus” appropriations package on July 27, containing Defense, Energy & Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs spending bills. The bill includes a controversial provision to exempt the repeal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule from the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). The policy rider would allow for an expedited […]

The Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) will host a webinar on July 11, 2017 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. ET featuring legal experts representing diverse perspectives on the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Army are carrying out a two-step process to repeal […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have begun the process of rescinding the 2015 Clean Water Rule. The repeal of the 2015 rule and replacement could result in a rollback of Clean Water Act protections for a majority of the nation’s streams and wetlands, including the headwater streams and […]

Earlier this week, President Trump issued an executive order to overturn the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule approved by the Obama administration. In anticipation of this action, which was part of the President’s agenda, AFS has worked with its partners to prepare a letter to our leaders in support of the scientific basis of […]