EPA advances tribal water quality rule
The Biden administration is preparing to set water standards for rivers, streams and lakes on hundreds of Native American reservations for the first time, a move welcomed by tribes as key for safeguarding natural resources. EPA proposed a rule last spring to establish “baseline” water quality standards for the majority of tribes that do not already have standards of their own. The standards already exist in every state and are the foundation of efforts to control pollution from wastewater treatment plants, energy projects, and manufacturing and chemical industries.