Water law in the United States

The Supreme Court has ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency in a decision that significantly narrows the Clean Water Act’s protections. The majority, 5-4 opinion was authored by Justice Samuel Alito and supported by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett—all conservative judges, two of whom were Donald Trump appointees.Bees Are Fish Now, I Guess?Technically, the decision was unanimous, with all nine SCOTUS judges agreeing that the EPA did not have the…

This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here.The Mississippi River is Drying Out | Extreme EarthIn exchange for his help passing the most far-reaching climate law in U.S. history, Senator Joe Manchin hoped to fast-track a 303-mile natural gas pipeline that’s being built in his home state of West Virginia. Those hopes were dashed yet again on Monday, when a federal appeals court ruled that the pipeline’s threats to water quality have not been adequately accounted for.The…

A wetland inside the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge in Michigan, on Oct. 7, 2022.Photo: Carlos Osorio (AP)A group made up of 24-Republican led states has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over a rule that decides which bodies of water receive federal protection. The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in North Dakota this Thursday.The rule the group is suing over is the result of decades of efforts to define the authority of the federal government when regulating bodies of…

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a landmark case concerning the Clean Water Act on Monday. And the justices, even many from the conservative majority—who have been widely expected to rule in favor of much narrower water protections—asked a lot of questions that signaled the case might not be as settled as assumed.Sackett v. EPA is, on paper, about whether or not the federal government can penalize an Idaho couple for building a house on their own land without a permit. But in actuality, it’s about whether the…