The Trump administration plans to increase “regulatory flexibility” for oil and gas companies trying to find ways to dispose of copious amounts of toxic wastewater. … Fracking generates massive quantities of this toxic wastewater that companies are struggling to manage. … Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s current rule, discharges of produced water are more restricted in the Eastern United States than in the arid West. The agency announced last week that it will revise that regulation to “help unleash American energy.” Among the items it’s considering: expanding the geographic range where treated oilfield wastewater can be discharged into rivers and streams. The EPA also said it will review new opportunities for using treated wastewater for industrial and agricultural applications, including for artificial intelligence and data center cooling, and to irrigate rangeland.

Other EPA news:

• NBC San Diego: New EPA administrator says agency will ‘ramp up’ border sewage crisis efforts
• KRCR (Redding, Calif.): Former Biggs City administrator appointed to lead EPA’s Pacific Southwest
• Scientific American: Trump’s EPA plans to gut research. What that means for clean air and water rules
• The Guardian: Trump’s EPA aims to cut pollution rules projected to save nearly 200,000 lives: ‘People will be hurt’
• Environmental Health News: Opinion: An open letter from EPA staff to the American public