1. RIVERS:
Corps comes under fire for suspending CWA determination for Ariz. river

The Santa Cruz River. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

A recent decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to suspend a Clean Water Act determination for stretches of Arizona's Santa Cruz River is shaping up as an important test case for new CWA guidelines, which have the potential to ease the way for more development along waterways -- especially in the arid West.

The decision has set off a flurry of public criticism in part because it could clear a significant regulatory hurdle for a controversial copper mine proposed for the Santa Rita Mountains. Also, many are suspicious that inappropriate political pressure by certain Pima County staffers influenced the agency's decision.

As the corps mulls over the question of whether the Santa Cruz River's flows qualify for CWA protections, Congress has introduced legislation to prevent such uncertainty by essentially defining all U.S. waters as subject to federal oversight. Go to story #1