On Thursday, May 25, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated WOTUS ruling (Sackett vs. EPA), pushing back against federal government expansion of the Clean Water Act (CWA). In a unanimous decision, the Court significantly narrowed the definition of areas regulated under the CWA, limiting its scope only to wetlands that are \u201cas a practical matter indistinguishable from waters of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ruling is based on Justice Antonin Scalia\u2019s 2006 plurality opinion in the case of Rapanos v. United States, which emphasized a narrower definition of \u201cwaters of the United States\u201d than Justice Anthony Kennedy\u2019s \u201csignificant nexus\u201d test. This decision is being hailed as a major victory by farm groups, who have fought back against EPA\u2019s efforts to overregulate private farmlands, ditches, and puddles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bob Mattive, NPC VP of Environmental Affairs, welcomed the decision saying, \u201cSince its passage in 1972, the Clean Water Act has proven invaluable in protecting and restoring our nation\u2019s vital water resources and ecosystems. NPC welcomes the Supreme Court\u2019s decision that restores a clear and common-sense interpretation of the CWA, allowing growers to continue to feed America while demonstrating their commitment to being stewards of our shared water resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there are still questions about how federal agencies will enforce the new standard, it marks an important shift in regulatory policy that could impact environmental regulations for years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Thursday, May 25, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated WOTUS ruling (Sackett vs. EPA), pushing back against federal government expansion of the Clean Water Act (CWA). In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,9,10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n