Are you worried about dirtier drinking water in your faucets? Dirtier air in your lungs? Spending more at the gas pump? Us too.

As we face these impacts and more from the Trump administration’s policies, it can be easy to feel frustrated and discouraged. But there is something we can do about it. We can push back today through the often overlooked (but very important) public comment period!

Submitting a public comment to regulations.gov is one way we can make our voices heard. Ready to speak up for your community, and the environment, right now? Keep reading to learn how in two easy steps.

What is a public comment period?

A public comment period is a chance to share your opinion on a proposed federal rule or regulation – like those that impact our air and water.

Before finalizing new rules, federal agencies accept public comments to gather information and get a pulse on popular opinion. Anyone can send a public comment on the regulations.gov  website, and anyone can view submitted comments.

How to submit a public comment to the Federal Register

Step 1: Write your public comment

Writing a public comment may sound like a big task, but it doesn’t have to be. Let’s break down what makes a good comment. As an example, we’ll use EPA’s proposed rule to eliminate clean water safeguards for many of our streams and wetlands.

To write an effective public comment, include these four key parts:

Introduction: This part’s easy: Introduce yourself! Explain why you’re interested in the rule, and why the agency should care about your opinion. Have personal experience or expertise with this topic? Say so here!

• Ex: My name is Jessie and I am a Michigan native and employee at the League of Conservation Voters. As a Michigander, I know clean water is the foundation of a healthy environment and healthy communities. I care deeply about protecting clean water and public health, both of which are jeopardized by this proposal.

Lay out your position and provide evidence: Clearly state your opinion and any relevant facts, stories, and evidence to back it up. Make it personal and address the impacts the rule would have on you and your community, both positive and negative.

• Ex: This proposal to eliminate protections for many of our waters under the Clean Water Act is a dangerous giveaway to polluters and would be a disaster for our environment and public health. The EPA and Army Corps’ proposal would strip safeguards from over 80% of our nation’s wetlands and millions of miles of streams. This would give polluters a free pass to dump into and destroy them.

Growing up, my favorite summer days were the ones spent at the lake near my uncle’s house. My cousins and I would spend the entire day in the water, swimming, fishing, and floating in tubes. I can’t imagine Michigan summers without these picturesque lake days. But if the protections guaranteed under the Clean Water Act are eliminated, this lake could become so polluted that it is not safe to swim in. It breaks my heart to think that future generations won’t be able to enjoy Michigan’s beautiful lakes and create the same kinds of core memories.

Michiganders don’t just rely on clean, fresh water for recreation. It supplies our drinking water and drives the tourism industry that keeps our economy afloat. If Michigan’s lakes, particularly the Great Lakes, become heavily polluted due to lost protections for the streams and wetlands that feed into it, it would spell disaster for the state.

Recommendations: Describe specific changes you would like to see made to the rule. It’s ok if the recommendation is just to ditch the proposal entirely!

• Ex: I am urging the EPA to do its duty of protecting the environment and safeguarding our health. EPA must abandon this rulemaking which would weaken the Clean Water Act.

Conclusion: Restate your main argument and recommendations.

• Ex: Clean water is a basic human right. Our families should be able to trust that their government is working to ensure they have water that is drinkable, swimmable, affordable and accessible. This proposal only benefits polluters at the expense of our communities and environment. Again, I urge EPA to withdraw this harmful rulemaking and instead focus on safeguarding as many of our waters as possible to ensure clean water for all.

Step 2: Submit your public comment to the Federal Register

The hard part is over! Now all you have to do is submit your written public comment to the Federal Register.

The easiest way to submit your public comment is on the website regulations.gov:

• Use the search bar to find the regulation you would like to comment on
• Click on the regulation to open the page containing the summary
• Click “Comment” on the left hand side
• Copy and paste your comment and upload any supporting documents
• Answer the questions on the submission page
• Click “Submit comment” at the bottom of the page

Congratulations, you have successfully submitted your public comment!

Let’s do this! What are the critical public comment periods open now?

Ready to get started? Here are the top currently open public comment periods on major environmental issues:

1. Polluted Water Rule: open through Jan 5, 2026

More pollution flowing into rivers, streams, and wetlands, and ultimately into our drinking water. That’s what many communities will face under the EPA and Army Corps plan to eliminate protections for many of our nation’s waters, including streams that provide our drinking water, and wetlands that filter pollution and help protect our communities from flooding. This proposed rule is a huge giveaway to polluters at the expense of the health of our families, communities, and local economies. Tell EPA and Army Corps to ditch this plan before the public comment period closes on January 5, 2026.

2. Hazardous Coal Ash: open through Jan 7, 2026

Coal ash is a toxic byproduct of burning coal that puts nearby communities at risk. This EPA proposal would delay the deadline for coal plants to comply with new requirements for the disposal of this hazardous waste. Coal ash poisons the land and water near coal plants with heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, chromium, cadmium and lead. Because of these toxins, nearby communities face higher risks of cancer, developmental disorders and birth defects, kidney disease, and heart damage. Tell EPA: trash this plan and make polluters clean up, before the  public comment period closes January 7, 2026.

3. Clean Car Standards: open through Feb 4, 2026

More money spent at the gas pump, and more smog from cars and trucks in the air. Both our wallets and our health could take a hit from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposal. The proposal would reverse the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars and trucks, which help to make cars more fuel-efficient and save families hundreds of dollars at the pump. The CAFE standards are critical to reducing air pollution and fighting the climate crisis while saving drivers money. Reversing these standards would allow automakers to make less fuel-efficient cars that are more expensive to drive. Tell NHTSA: we can’t afford to roll back CAFE, before the comment period closes February 4, 2026. 

Public Comment submitted! What’s next?

So you’ve completed your public comment, now what? While you’re on the page, you can check out additional public comments under the Document Comments tab to see what other people have to say. You can also stay up to date on whether the rule you commented on is rejected or approved.

We’ve got a lot of work to do, and every public comment and action helps. Here are three more actions you can take to continue to stand up for environmental protections and democracy:

1. Share this article with your friends and encourage them to submit their public comments on regulations.gov as well!
2. Sign up for our emails to get a heads up on critical public comment periods and draft comments you can submit in one easy form.
3. Visit our ‘Get Involved’ page and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Facebook, and X.