The Big Story 

The White House announced Tuesday that it was setting a new goal to protect millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of miles of rivers and streams. 

© AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Specifically, the effort would protect 8 million wetland acres and  100,000 miles of rivers and streams. 

While this plan offers new specificity, it does not appear to be more ambitious than the administration's overarching goal of protecting 30 percent of the nation's lands and waters by 2030. 

There are 75.5 million acres of wetlands and more than 2.5 million river miles in the U.S.

To achieve the new goal, the administration announced it was launching a “freshwater challenge” that calls on states, tribes and cities to put forward their policies for conserving and restoring fresh water. Ten states, eight tribes and 24 local governments have signed on.

In addition, the White House announced $1 billion in funding to improve tribal access to water. This includes $700 million from the Indian Health Service and $320 million from the Bureau of Reclamation to speed up the delivery of drinking water and water infrastructure. 

Currently, more than half of tribal households either do not have clean water or adequate sanitation, the administration said. 

Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads 

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

What to know about the pivotal UN plastics negotiations

Pennsylvania governor eyes solar power for 50 percent of state agencies

Just 10 percent in new poll have heard a lot about Biden climate action

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read on The Hill:

California grid will require major upgrade to meet EV demands: Study

More than two-thirds of electricity distribution circuits in the Golden State will require capacity upgrades by 2045 in order to meet electric vehicle (EV) demands, a new study has found. California …

What We're Reading 

News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

• Osage Nation embarks on mission to locate and restore orphaned oil wells (KTUL)

   

• A gigantic green energy transmission project will cut through Indigenous lands in the Southwest (Grist)

   

• Our appliances are more efficient than ever. Why doesn’t it feel like it? (Vox)

What Others are Reading 

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

FTC votes to ban noncompete agreements

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 on Tuesday to ban noncompete agreements that prevent tens of millions of employees from working for competitors or starting a competing business after they leave a job. Read more

Trump brushed off warnings he’d be charged in documents case: Unsealed filings

Former President Trump brushed off warnings he could be charged for keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence, promising to pardon one of his now co-defendants if charges were filed, according to new court documents. Read more

Opinions in The Hill 

Op-ed related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: