Trump EPA repeals Obama-era water protections

In the latest effort by President Donald Trump to roll back environmental regulations, The Environmental Protection agency on Thursday announced it would repeal an Obama-era CLEAN WATER rule that had expanded protections for certain waterways against pollution. Environmental groups called the move "shameful and dangerous."

The measure in question: President Barack Obama's 2015 Waters of the United States Rule - or WOTUS.

Farmers and industry groups had said the rule went too far.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) EPA ADMINISTRATOR ANDREW WHEELER. SAYING:

“When President Trump took office, he immediately set in motion a process to remove and replace regulatory burdens that were stifling American innovation, and economic development…Today’s final rule puts an end to an egregious power grab, eliminates an ongoing patchwork of Clean Water Act regulations and restores a longstanding a familiar regulatory framework.”

Several governors, such as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, welcomed the announcement, saying it recognized "states’ ability to manage their own waters."

Environmental groups have said the Obama rule was necessary to protect drinking water sources at risk from industry.