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Kirsten Engel: “Wotus waters of the United States is being restricted.”

Featuring: Kirsten Engel, Democratic | Former Candidate, U.S. House Arizona, District 6

Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel

Published October 23, 2025 | Video Starts at 52:50

I was in the Arizona Senate when Arizona passed its, it called it waters of the state bill and I was at first so excited, you know, hey, Arizona is seeing what is happening on the federal level and how, you know, Wotus waters of the United States is being restricted. They're gonna jump in and make sure that Arizona, these very, very delicate and very important ephemeral streams are protected. And they didn't. (52:50–52:54)

CLAIM

Asserts that the jurisdiction of "waters of the United States" is being restricted.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Kirsten Engel

“There is an 83% cut in the Stag Fund, which is state and tribal assistance grants.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 17:11-17:34
“97% of Arizona's surface water are actually ephemeral streams and waters.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 26:34-26:43
“There is a proposed repeal of the endangerment finding for the emissions of greenhouse gases.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 31:57-32:05
“In April 2024, EPA finalized really the first ever nationwide maximum contaminant levels for different types of PFAS chemicals in drinking…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 34:00-34:12
“EPA took action to vacate the standards for four of those PFAs contaminants and to extend the compliance dates for the two others.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 34:25-34:36
“The administration initiated and Congress passed the repeal of that waiver that allows them [California] to do that.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 41:47-41:47
“We are seeing very large shifts in federal environmental regulation.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 02:26-02:32
“We see this federal retrenchment right now, working through the system.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 03:00-03:05
“The EPA administrator announced [deregulatory actions] back in March.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:33-05:38
“There is a proposed repeal of NEPA guidance, National Environmental Policy.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:52-06:01
“There is a retrenchment on the scope of the federal Clean Water Act.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:52-06:01
“Current federal retrenchment in environmental regulation, enforcement and funding.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:54-06:01
“The federal government kind of recedes in some of these areas.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 06:14-06:18
“The Environmental Protection Agency was established in the 1970s under the presidency of Richard Nixon.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:01-07:42
“William Ruckelshaus was the first administrator of the EPA.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:01-07:42
“EPA has no obligation to promote agriculture or commerce.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:42-08:11
“EPA has broad responsibility for research, standard setting, monitoring, enforcement regarding air and water pollution, solid waste…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:42-08:11
“There was a general perception that states were not doing enough with respect to environmental regulation.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 08:21-08:41
“Only the federal government can reduce interstate spillovers of pollution.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 09:42-09:47
“We need to prevent states from racing to the bottom by weakening or adopting weaker standards.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 10:09-10:33
“The prospect of attracting industry through lower standards has had an outside influence on states.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 11:21-11:44
“EPA under [administrator] Lee Zeldin is giving power back to the states and helping commerce and industry.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 12:30-12:52
“There have been cutbacks in staffing, dismantling of expert scientific panels, canceling climate or clean energy grants, regulatory…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 13:20-14:07
“There are proposed regulatory rollbacks affecting the energy industry, including the proposed repeal of mercury standards and greenhouse gas…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 14:08-14:21
“There are significant cuts in Superfund money.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 17:11-17:34
“Arizona's legislature is a part-time legislature.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 18:55-19:00
“There is a Republican majority in the Arizona legislature.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 18:55-19:00
“Arizona House is a 60 member body and the Arizona Senate is 30 members.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 20:20-20:26
“Arizona just lets the feds run the [Army Corps of Engineers 404 dredge and fill] program.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 23:34-23:34
“Arizona has about 4 of the federal permit programs.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:02-24:13
“Arizona really only has one state specific permit program, and that's an aquifer protection permit.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:02-24:12
“Out of $132 million, only 31 million comes from the general fund.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:38-24:45
“A full $102 million comes from fees from regulated parties.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:45-24:51
“Federal grants are a pretty big chunk of all the money that itself is just is $20 million.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:57-25:05
“Arizona does not have a nepa, no National Environmental Policy Act.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 27:42-27:48
“Arizona does have its own mini Superfund.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 28:34-28:38
“It has no joint and several liability.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 28:44-28:47
“Most of the major hazardous waste cleanups that are going on in Arizona are ones that are led by the federal government.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 29:27-29:36
“Arizona has a no more stringent than ceiling on state regulation.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 30:20-30:28
“There is a statutory prohibition upon state greenhouse gas regulations.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 31:50-31:56
“Arizona represents a state that really is very dependent on the federal government for funding its state environmental programming.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 32:11-32:21
“EPA had done in the basically 2023 time period, more studies and found that there needed to be a much more stringent [PFAS] standard.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 35:51-35:51
“The states that have the 70 parts per million there, the early state that's Arkansas, Colorado, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, I think Nevada…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 36:21-36:36
“We do have a little bit of, perhaps a little bit of bad news on Arizona's side. Probably one of the biggest news items in the state of…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 38:57-39:25
“Our state Corporation commission has actually proposed to repeal those [state renewable portfolio standard and state energy efficiency…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 39:33-39:41
“California has this waiver under the Clean Air act, as we discussed, for having these greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles as well…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 41:36-41:47
“California no longer has this waiver, although that's in litigation.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 42:10-42:14
“The federal government sought to preempt Hawaii that was filing a liability suit against the oil industry.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 42:16-42:27
“Your power to hold the oil industry liable is actually preempted by federal law.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 42:35-42:42
“It conflicts with the Clean Air Act as well as the federal authority over energy and climate policy.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 42:42-42:51
“We're going to see a greater impact on states that are very reliant on the federal government, especially for funding and for standard…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 43:29-43:38
“Those states that are sticking their neck out have been targets where we're seeing.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 45:54-46:02
“So much of this has been oriented toward the energy industry and the effort to build up, you know, domestic sources of energy, fossil fuels.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 46:22-46:36
“Arizona is doing a lot of things and, you know, in a lot of areas it's much more aggressive, especially in the area of water.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 48:17-48:24
“Preemption issues are very much legal issues. I think they're ending up in the courts.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 50:23-50:31
“Arizona passed its, it called it waters of the state bill.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 52:35-52:41