The Penobscot Nation and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians are involved in a legal struggle over water quality on Maine rivers that also involves the EPA and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The EPA imposed stricter criteria for a pair of Maine rivers at the end of President Barack Obama’s administration, but court documents say the EPA wants to revisit those standards.
Tribes fear that means weaker protections, and their lawyers are pushing back at the possibility of a standards rollback.
A federal judge held a hearing on an EPA motion related to the case Tuesday. He has yet to make a decision.
