On November 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps announced a proposed rule that will narrowly define “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) in a way that will drastically eliminate federal Clean Water Act…
Tag: WOTUS
EPA’s New WOTUS Definition Further Threatens Montana’s Water
Last week, the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposal to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), further undermining clean water protections and threatening water quality across Montana and the country. The proposal, which…
EPA’s New WOTUS Rule Leaves Montana’s Waterways Vulnerable to Pollution
Miles of Waterways Now Excluded from Federal Protection This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule after the Supreme Court ruled in the Sackett v. EPA wetlands litigation in May 2023….
Supreme Court Guts Clean Water Act Protections
The U.S. Supreme Court dramatically curtailed Clean Water Act protections with its ruling in Sackett v. EPA, favoring polluters over the health of wetlands and headwater creeks across Montana and the nation. Let’s back up. What was the Sackett v….
Unscientific, Politicized Repeal Efforts Put Montana’s Water at Risk
EPA’s New WOTUS Rule Faces Congressional Challenges Recent reporting by the Public News Service calls attention to Republicans’ efforts to challenge the Biden Administration’s new “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule that clarifies protections for Montana’s waterways under the…
New EPA/USACE WOTUS Rule (Feb 2022)
Background on ‘WOTUS’ The EPA and USACE have recently issued a Proposed Rule that would replace the recently vacated “Navigable Waters Protection Rule” definition under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) finalized by the Trump administration on April 21, 2020…
“Waters of the United States” Update
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper joined Waterkeeper Alliance and 77 other U.S. Waterkeeper groups in submitting public comments to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to bolster and restore important clean water protections. The comments addressed the “waters…
Trump Administration’s Dirty Water Rule Vacated by Federal Judge
More than half of Montana’s waterways gain renewed, federal protection after ‘Waters of the United States’ rule is thrown out On Monday, a federal judge rightfully abandoned Trump’s Dirty Water Rule that eliminated Clean Water Act protections for thousands of…
Update: “Waters of the United States” Rule in Montana
For the past 5 years Upper Missouri Waterkeeper has defended the scope of legal protections for headwater streams in Montana, arguing science – not politics – is the lawful baseline. The federal Clean Water Act is a crucial piece of…
Lawsuit Filed Challenging Massive Rollback of Clean Water Protections in Montana
Today we filed a formal notice of intent to sue the Trump EPA for eliminating longstanding Clean Water Act protections for the nation’s waters, including approximately half of all wetlands and potentially millions of miles of streams. The Trump rule…