Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”
Key claim: EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are asking for more public comment on extra options for rewriting which streams, wetlands, and other waters count as federally protected under the Clean Water Act after the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Defense Department, Engineers Corps, Environmental Protection Agency) The purpose of this supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking is for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (“the agencies”) to supplement and seek additional comment on certain aspects of an earlier proposal, published on November 20, 2025, to revise the regulations defining the scope of waters federally covered under the Clean Water Act in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. As stated in the agencies’ November 20, 2025 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the agencies intend for this rulemaking to provide greater regulatory certainty and increase Clean Water Act program predictability and consistency by clarifying the definition of “waters of the United States.” After consideration of the public comments received on the NPRM, the agencies are issuing this notice to supplement the NPRM with additional regulatory options on certain aspects of the proposed rule.
Why this matters
The WOTUS definition determines which streams, wetlands, and ditches require federal Clean Water Act permits for dredging, filling, or discharges — driving costs and timelines for developers, farmers, and infrastructure projects while shaping wetland and water-quality protections nationwide. A supplemental comment round signals the agencies are still weighing how narrowly to draw jurisdiction after Sackett, so the rewrite’s scope and effective date remain unsettled.