About the legal work: On June 22, 2020, Earthjustice filed legal challenges as the Trump administration's Navigable Waters Protection Rule went into the effect. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Quinault Indian Nation of Washington state, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa of Minnesota, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Tohono O’odham Tribe of Arizona, Mi Familia Vota, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, Idaho Conservation League, and the Sierra Club.

On Aug. 30, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona said Trump’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule must be vacated, because the rule contains serious errors and has the potential to cause significant harm to the nation’s waters if left in place while the Biden administration works on revisions to the rule.

Thanks to this lawsuit and the court’s ruling, the country will now return to water protections that were in place for years starting in 1986, wiping the Trump Dirty Water Rule off the books. This outcome ensures Clean Water Act protections are in effect while the Biden administration works to develop a new rule.