Trump orders review of Obama rule protecting small streams

WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an executive order mandating the review of a rule aimed at protecting small streams and wetlands from development and pollution.

The order instructs the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review the Obama-era rule that redefined which bodies of water are protected under the Clean Water Act.

Farmers and landowners have criticized the rule, saying there are already too many government regulations that affect their businesses,

[...] Democrats have argued that it safeguards drinking water for millions of Americans and clarifies confusion about which streams, tributaries and wetlands should be protected in the wake of decades-long uncertainty despite two Supreme Court rulings.

The president has promised to dramatically scale back regulations that he says are holding back businesses, and has signed several orders aimed at that goal.

“This executive order is about one thing: protecting polluters at the expense of our communities and their access to clean drinking water,” Madeleine Foote, the group’s legislative representative, said in a statement.