EPA limits state power to veto energy projects, setting up clash with Democratic governors

The Trump administration is revising water quality regulations that give states veto power over energy infrastructure, initiating a battle with Democratic governors who have used the authority to block several high-profile fossil fuel projects.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulations, which Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed on Monday, deal with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, which has long given states the authority to block infrastructure projects if those projects would threaten state water quality.