Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2017 - 5

Draining America's swamps and allowing impacts to our headwater streams puts aquatic resources at risk across the entire nation.

government wetlands manual was created that provided
regulatory agencies like US EPA and the US Army Corps
of Engineers guidance to protect the nation's wetlands, just
as intended by the Clean Water Act.
"Draining the Swamp" has also been commonly used
by politicians from all parties as a promise to change
the bureaucracy at either the state or national level.
Most recently, it was a campaign slogan for President
Donald Trump that described his plan to fix problems
in Washington, D.C. However, a part of that campaign
promise may literally change the rules that protect our
nation's swamps and headwater streams. Current US
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt along with Mr. Douglas
W. Lamont, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army
(Civil Works), signed a proposed rule, Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0203 which was published in the
Federal Register on July 27, 2017, that would revise the
definition of ''Waters of the United States'' (WOTUS).
This proposal is considered by the current administration
to be consistent with the Executive Order signed on
February 28, 2017, ''Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism,
and Economic Growth by Reviewing the 'Waters of the
United States' Rule''-www.epa.gov/sites/production/
files/2017-07/documents/2017-13997.pdf. The public
comment period closed on September 27, 2017.
I recently joined Pennsylvania Secretary Patrick
McDonnell (Department of Environmental Protection),
Secretary Russell C. Redding (Agriculture) and Secretary
Cindy Adams Dunn (Department of Conservation
www.fishandboat.com

and Natural Resources) in signing a letter in response
to the proposed WOTUS rule, which explains the
Commonwealth's position on draining our swamps and
reducing protections to our headwater streams. This letter
is included on pages 6 and 7.
We ask that Pennsylvania anglers and boaters
join Rachel Carson, President George H. W. Bush,
our Commonwealth agencies, many of our nation's
conservation groups and over 20,000 scientists who
have already spoken out about how draining America's
swamps and allowing impacts to our headwater streams
puts aquatic resources at risk not only in Pennsylvania but
across the entire nation.
Remember fish can't talk, so only we can speak out in
defense of our aquatic resources.

Your Director,
><(John{(°>

Tiner, R.W. 1984. Wetlands of the United States: Current Status and Recent
Trends. National Wetland Inventory, United States Fish & Wildlife Service,
Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2017

http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-07/documents/2017-13997.pdf http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-07/documents/2017-13997.pdf http://www.fishandboat.com

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