WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden The administration on Tuesday set a new goal to protect vast U.S. water supplies, from rivers to wetlands, as part of a series of announcements marking Earth Week.
The administration plans to announce a new goal of protecting, restoring and reconnecting 8 million acres (3.2 million hectares) of threatened wetlands and 100,000 miles (161,000 km) of rivers and streams, according to White House documents.
The White House, which is hosting a water summit on Tuesday, also plans to pledge $1 billion to provide clean water to families on Native American lands.
Half of tribal families do not have access to clean water or adequate sanitation, the administration said. However, much of the west of the country has been plagued by drought for decades, driven by climate change.
The Biden administration last year weakened a rule regulating pollution of waterways following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory reach.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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