Stephen P. Smith Speaks with Greenwire on Future of Court-Mandated Drinking Water Rule in Trump Administration
Of Counsel and co-chair of B&D’s water practice, Stephen P. Smith (Washington, DC) recently spoke with Greenwire on a court-ordered proposed rule limiting perchlorate in drinking water that EPA must publish by November 2025.
In “The drinking water rule that Trump ‘can’t ignore’,” Greenwire writes that the Trump administration will need to take action on the chemical “regardless of whether it squares with the incoming president's deregulatory ambitions.”
Stephen suggested that the Trump administration may set a limit for perchlorate “that’s high enough that it doesn’t actually trigger a lot of additional requirements.”
Stephen, who was Associate Regional Counsel for EPA Region 4’s Office of Regional Counsel, further explained that “The court order does create a unique scenario here, certainly as it relates to the anticipated Trump deregulatory agenda to reduce the number of rules.”
Beveridge & Diamond has assembled a task force to monitor the change in administration across multiple environmental, energy, and natural resources subject areas. Nearly two-thirds of the firm’s lawyers have prior U.S. state or federal government experience, and members of the Task Force include several former EPA and DOJ attorneys who served under both the initial Trump and Biden administrations. Additionally, our Water practice group develops creative, strategically tailored solutions to challenges that arise under the nation’s water laws. The firm’s attorneys have represented clients in a range of industries and issues arising from the growing convergence of water supply, use, and quality issues.
