EPA Water Cybersecurity Rule Temporarily Blocked by 8th Circuit

An EPA plan to beef up cybersecurity for drinking water systems was temporarily suspended by a federal judge after conservative states launched a challenge that said the move would impose costs on small and rural public water systems.

The Mar. 3 rule requires all drinking water systems to check their vulnerability to hacking and other cybersecurity threats—which have become increasingly common and threaten water quality. Missouri, Arkansas, and Iowa sued, claiming that the rule intrudes on states’ sovereignty and is an overstep of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate.

“EPA’s actions impose costs on everyone now and waits ...