Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh today announced he is joining a coalition of 19 other state attorneys general and jurisdictions in a lawsuit 
challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent rule change under the the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Attorney General Frosh joins a coalition challenging The EPA’s recent decision to finalize changes to the definition of “waters of the United States.” The EPA announced the decision towards the end of April that would narrow the definition, therefore limiting what waters are protected under the CWA. The coalition states in the filed lawsuit that they believe that the rule change conflicts with the goals of the CWA and harms states and jurisdictions by exposing them to pollution from other areas.
From the lawsuit:
the definition of “waters of the United States” is critical for effective implementation of other key provisions of the Act, including establishment and achievement of water quality standards, certifications by states that federally permitted activities will comply with the Act and state law requirements, and control of oil spills.
From the press release:
“Repeated efforts by the EPA to weaken water quality protections threaten the health of our rivers, streams, and lakes – potentially rolling back decades of hard-fought progress in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Attorney General Frosh. “We will continue to fight back against this relentless assault on environmental protections.”
Attorney General Frosh joins the coalition composed of attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the Commonwealths of Massachusetts and Virginia, and the District of Columbia, along with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the City of New York.
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