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Read the status, operative signals, formal actors, comparable approaches, and evidence gaps before opening the relationship map.

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Policy intelligence brief

2026-18317 — Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”

The purpose of this supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking is for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army ("the agencies") to supplement and seek additional comment on certain aspects of an earlier proposal, published on November 20, 2025, to revise the regulations defining the scope of waters federally covered under the Clean Water Act in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. As stated in the agencies' November 20,…

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Legal stateProposed rule / commentA proposal or notice is not a final requirement.
JurisdictionUnited StatesFederal-source record
Latest recorded action2026-09-09Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking.
Primary sourceFed. RegisterOriginal public record linked

What the evidence says

Key findings

01
How it operates

Community participation

Gives affected residents a formal voice — hearings, comment periods, or benefit agreements — before or as a project proceeds.

02
Issues named in the record

Water

These themes are supported by explicit words in the title or stored summary, not graph proximity.

Comparable precedents

Related approaches worth comparing

Selected by shared tracked mechanisms or themes, with cross jurisdiction examples prioritized. Similarity is not legal equivalence.

https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-healey-no-data-centers-without-local-approvalMassachusetts · Official announcementGovernor Healey: No Data Centers Without Local ApprovalCommunity participationIL-HB5513Illinois · Introduced / in committeeHYPERSCALE DATA CENTERSCommunity participation · WaterHRES-1471United States · Introduced / in committeeExpressing the sense of the House of Representatives that every American and community impacted by the construction or operation of an artificial intelligence data center should have the right to transparency and local autonomy.Community participationMI-HB 6137Michigan · Introduced / in committeeBusinesses: other; community benefit agreements; require certain data centers to be subject to. Creates new act. TIE BAR WITH: HB 6135'26, HB 6136'26, HB 6140'26, HB 6141'26, HB 6138'26, HB 6142'26, HB 6139'26Community participation
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2026-18317 evidence graph

Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”

8 nodes · 7 evidenced edges
Policy record 1Policy theme 2Policy mechanism 1Documented actor 1Policy family 1Jurisdiction 1Original source 1
explicitly concerns: Theme named in the title or stored summaryclassified under: Fixed-vocabulary topic classificationsignals mechanism: Mechanism signal derived from the tracked record textapplies in: Jurisdiction recorded for this source typedocumented by: Original source URL stored with the policy recordissued by: Issuing agency named in the tracked public recordmember of family: standalonePolicy record2026-18317Updated Definition of “Wate…2026-18317: Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”Policy themeWaterExplicit record textWater: Explicit record textPolicy themeSiting & Land UseAI-assisted policy themeSiting & Land Use: AI-assisted policy themePolicy mechanismCommunity participationText-derived policy signalCommunity participation: Text-derived policy signalJurisdictionUnited StatesFederal policy jurisdictionUnited States: Federal policy jurisdictionOriginal sourceFed. RegisterOriginal public sourceFed. Register: Original public sourceDocumented actorDefense DepartmentagencyDefense Department: agencyPolicy familyUpdated Definition of …USUpdated Definition of “Waters of the United States”: US

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Inspectable edges

Relationship receipts

Each edge states what was observed and why it appears. An edge never implies private influence, support, opposition, or causation.