New EPA rule weakens protections for wetlands after supreme court ruling

Rule requires wetlands to be more clearly connected to other waters, overturning half-century of federal regulation

The Biden administration weakened regulations protecting millions of acres of wetlands on Tuesday, saying it had no choice after the supreme court sharply limited the federal government's jurisdiction over them.

The rule would require that wetlands be more clearly connected to other waters like oceans and rivers, a policy shift that departs from a half-century of federal rules governing the nation's waterways.