Supreme Court restricts EPA’s authority on wetlands

In a significant ruling on Thursday, the US Supreme Court curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) power to regulate the nation’s wetlands and waterways—favoring an Idaho couple who challenged the agency.

The ruling received praise from the coal industry, and conservative states and is considered a win for landowners. But it is a major blow to environmental groups who feel defeated.

It also provided the conservative majority with an opportunity to dismantle long-standing regulations of the Clean Water Act of 1972.

With the ruling, the Supreme Court has wiped out the federal protection that nearly half of the wetlands and more than 50% of the streams had.

The couple’s challenge
The Idaho couple who took the EPA to court sued the agency over a permit that didn’t allow them to construct a house on their property.

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s 9-0 decision overturned a lower court’s ruling against Chantell and Mike Sackett.

The Supreme Court has been supporting challenges to EPA’s regulatory authority in environmental matters. In a previous 6-3 ruling, the court restricted the EPA’s power to issue comprehensive regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act.