Supreme Court Curtails EPA Power in Sackett Case
The Supreme Court unanimously scaled back the Environmental Protection Agency’s power under the Clean Water Act (CWA) by defining the “waters of the United States” on Thursday in Sackett v. EPA.
Clean Water Act
EPA Finalizes Water Rule that Repeals Trump-Era Changes
President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday finalized regulations that protect hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands, and other waterways, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts had thrown out and that environmentalists said left waterways vulnerable to pollution.
Supreme Court Tackles Homeowner Fight Against EPA in Justice Jackson’s First Argument
WASHINGTON, DC – The Supreme Court heard arguments in a major case involving would-be homeowners being threatened with millions of dollars of fines if they ever build their house in a case on the reach of the federal government, as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson participated for the first time on the nation’s highest court.
Biden Will Let States and Tribes Block Pipelines, Reversing Another Trump Energy Policy
Joe Biden plans to undo Donald Trump’s energy policies by giving power to states and tribes to stop pipeline construction through aggressive enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
Environmentalists File Lawsuit to Prevent Cattle Grazing at National Park Already Restricted to Protect Nature
Environmentalists are suing the feds, charging that the federal agency’s agreement on cattle grazing on public lands violates laws.
‘Extremely Disappointed’ Biden Is Reversing Trump’s Protection from Water Regulations: ‘Blow to Agriculture’
Farmers are unhappy with the prospect of Biden’s EPA reversing Trump’s protections from harsh water regulations under the Clean Water Act.
EPA Warns Gavin Newsom: ‘Piles of Human Feces’ on Street Violate Clean Water Act
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote to the State of California on Thursday, warning it that it may be violating federal water quality laws by failing to deal with the homeless crisis and the pollution it causes.
Oil, Gas Industry Workers Praise Trump for Exec Orders Streamlining Pipeline Permit Process
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Wednesday to streamline the permitting process for energy infrastructure projects.
Donald Trump Backs Scott Pruitt: ‘A Good Man’ Who Has Done ‘Terrific Job’ at the EPA
“I think he’s done a fantastic job at EPA. I think he’s done an incredible job,” Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One. “He’s been very courageous. Hasn’t been easy, but I think he’s done an absolutely fantastic job. I think he’ll be fine.”
Matthews: I Wonder If the Dow Going up Is Good News Because It Means Regulations Are Being Killed
On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” host Chris Matthews stated he wonders if the Dow Jones going up is good news because the surge in the stock market means pieces of legislation like the Clean Water Act and Clean Air
Marines Blowing Up Dams to ‘Re-Wild’ Orange County
The U.S. Marines have started blowing up 10 dams in Orange County, in the midst of an ongoing rainy season, and despite President Trump’s executive order to curtail the Obama administration’s controversial “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) regulation.
Trump Relaxing EPA Water Regulation; Heartland Farmers Applaud
Farmers in Michigan are expressing relief that President Donald J. Trump has, through an executive order, started the process of reviewing, revising, or rescinding the Waters of the U.S. portion of the Clean Water Act that threatened to put huge swaths of land under federal control.
Farmers Applaud Trump for Repealing EPA’s WOTUS Rule
Farmers are applauding President Donald Trump’s executive order Tuesday that reverses the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule, which gave the agency virtually limitless authority to regulate water on private land.
America on Verge of Zika Pandemic; Aerial Pesticides Next
With the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issuing their first warning for Americans to avoid travel to an American neighborhood, the U.S. is on the verge of a Zika pandemic that may soon require extreme measures, including aerial pesticide spraying.
Supreme Court Gives Win To Property Owners vs. Environmental Agency
In an opinion written by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 in Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co. that a landowner can sue an agency over its “approved” version of a “Jurisdictional Determination.”
House Democrats Condemn Easing Pesticide Regulations to Combat Zika
Liberal Democrats in the House rejected a bill that would end a redundant Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit requirement to spray federally approved pesticides into bodies of water to combat the mosquito that carries the Zika virus.
BP to Pay Texas $780M Over Oil Spill
Texas will receive more than $780 million from BP as part of a $20.2 billion settlement agreement with Gulf states in connection with the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill. The settlement agreement follows a federal judge ruling that found BP at fault for gross negligence in the spill, which released nearly 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
