EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have finalized the Clean Water Rule. . EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announced details on Wednesday and says this replacement of WOTUS is designed to protect streams and wetlands from pollution and degradation. She says the rule is not an expansion of their regulatory powers.

McCarthy says this final rule does not put any additional regulations on common agricultural practices and leaves long held exemptions in place.

McCarthy says the final rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more precisely defined. She says this will make permitting easier, faster and less costly for business and industry.