Proposed revision may leave waters and wetlands in the Long Island Sound region vulnerable to polluters.
New Haven, CT — On November 17, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army announced that they have signed a proposed rule to “revise the definition of the ‘waters of the United States’,” commonly referred to as WOTUS.
The proposed changes narrow the scope of waters protected by the Clean Water Act, reducing federal agencies’ ability to address pollution in rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and other waterways in the Long Island Sound region and nationwide. With fewer safeguards at the federal level, more responsibility will fall to individual states to decide if they will rise to the occasion and fill the gaps left by the proposed rule.
“The types of wetlands at risk of losing federal protection under the Clean Water Act are essential to the restoration and protection of the Long Island Sound and its watershed,” said Denise Stranko, executive vice president of programs at Save the Sound. “Science clearly shows that they provide filtration and improve water quality, moderate stream temperatures, provide habitat for fish and wildlife, and reduce flooding. With more frequent and intense storms, those protections are more important than ever.”
“This proposed rule reaches beyond the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA decision, under which it claims to act, and contradicts the decades of law, science, and policy that have required federal regulation of wetlands as Waters of the United States. We will continue to use New York and Connecticut laws to protect wetlands and clean water in our region even as we fight to restore federal jurisdiction,” said Roger Reynolds, senior legal director.
The forthcoming publication of the proposed rule will be accompanied by an announcement of a 45-day public comment period. Save the Sound will be reviewing the proposal in more detail as the process advances and encourages members of the public to use this opportunity to tell EPA and the Army not to weaken the Clean Water Act.
For background, read our 2023 press release on the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA and its devastating blow to protection of wetlands across the country.