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Sam Sankar, Senior VP of Programs at Earthjustice, explains the Supreme Court’s opinion in Sackett v. EPA. Millions of acres of wetlands risk losing federal environmental protections, threatening the future of the nation’s clean water.

A lawyer analyzes the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Sackett v. EPA threatens more than half of the 118 million acres of wetlands in the United States. Here’s what we can do now to fight for clean water.

Generations will face repercussions of Court’s decision to eliminate protections for more than half of 118 million acres of wetlands

A North Dakota judge blocked the Biden administration’s “Waters of the United States” rule in 24 states, putting our nation’s clean wetlands, rivers, streams, and drinking water jeopardy.

Judge adopts unsupported claim by states intent on dismantling the Clean Water Act

A federal district court in North Dakota stayed the Environmental Protection Agency’s science-based rule revising the definition of “Waters of the United States.” The ruling halts current clean water safeguards and potentially strips protections from many types of wetlands, streams, and interstate waters in 24 states.

WOTUS injunction decision in Texas/Idaho

Supreme Court overreach may weaken EPA’s science-based rule

Polluters' legal challenge aims to maximize profits at the expense of the health of communities and our environment

In 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. The court ruling…

Earthjustice letter to DEP on WOTUS Sept. 1 2021

EPA letter to DEP on wetlands permits and WOTUS 12-9-2021

Michael Youhana, Attorney, Northeast Office, Earthjustice: “The court reaffirmed today that leaving the Trump water rule in place would harm communities and water quality. We will continue to stand up for people’s right to clean water and oppose efforts by polluters to erode clean water protections.”

Christina Reichert, Attorney, Florida Office, Earthjustice: “The developer has started clearing that property. This entire area was protected under the Clean Water Act.”

Now it’s up to the Biden administration to boost protections for waterways, rivers, and ephemeral streams that are critical for the environment.

On August 30, 2021, a U.S District Court for the District of Arizona said Trump’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule is illegal and should be vacated. The ruling restores protections for thousands of waterways across the Nation. It represents the culmination of a lawsuit brought by six federally recognized Indian tribes, who are represented by Earthjustice and sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers for passing a rule that eliminated Clean Water Act protections for thousands of waterbodies by redefining them as not “waters of the US.”

Navigable Waters Protection Rule, repudiated for gutting water protections, is no longer the law of the land