Supreme Court Slashes EPA's Ability to Regulate Water Pollution

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court restricted the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate water pollution in the nation’s wetlands. The court determined that the 1972 Clean Water Act only applies to “wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies that are waters of the United States in their own rights.” “Wetlands that are separate from traditional navigable waters cannot be considered part of those waters, even if they are located nearby,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court’s majority opinion. The justices, ruling on Sackett v. Environmental Protection...