A proposed federal rule could dramatically reduce the number of wetlands in Louisiana that qualify for protection under the Clean Water Act, a move that could expose millions of acres to development.

Under the proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, only wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” to waters that are “relatively permanent” — meaning they hold water year-round or with only brief interruptions — would remain federally protected. Wetlands that are seasonal, intermittent or connected only after storms would likely fall outside federal jurisdiction.

The change is intended to conform with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, which sharply restricted how wetlands can be regulated

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