WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed a revision to the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, formally narrowing the scope of federal protection for waterways across the country.

The move follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, which curtailed the federal government’s authority under the Clean Water Act. Officials said the proposed rule intends to provide “greater regulatory certainty and increase Clean Water Act program predictability and consistency.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who attended an announcement of the proposed rule in Washington, called the agency’s decision a “wonderful turnaround” in policy.

“For too long there’s been a great deal of uncertainty about this term ‘waters of the Unit

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