{"id":2016335,"date":"2023-08-30T02:57:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T06:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-significantly-shrinks-what-qualifies-as-federal-waters-after-supreme-court-ruling\/"},"modified":"2023-08-30T03:00:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T07:00:26","slug":"epa-significantly-shrinks-what-qualifies-as-federal-waters-after-supreme-court-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-significantly-shrinks-what-qualifies-as-federal-waters-after-supreme-court-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA Reduces Federal Waters Scope Post Supreme Court Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fepa-significantly-shrinks-what-qualifies-as-federal-waters-after-supreme-court-ruling%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2016335&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<h2>The EPA Reduces Wetlands Covered by Federal Dumping Regulations<\/h2>\n<p>The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has \u2062recently \u2064made changes to the number of wetlands \u2064covered by federal dumping regulations, effective\u200c Aug. 29.<\/p>\n<p>This decision comes \u200bafter a May ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Sackett v. EPA, which narrowed the interpretation of &#8220;waters of the United States&#8221; subject to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-suspends-funding-for-wuhan-lab\/\" title=\"White House halts funding to Wuhan Lab.\">federal\u2064 regulation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;While I am disappointed by the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in \u200dthe Sackett case, EPA and Army [Corps of Engineers] have\u2062 an obligation to apply this\u200c decision alongside our state co-regulators, Tribes, and partners,&#8221; EPA Administrator Michael S.\u200d Regan said in a statement announcing\u2062 the change.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/environmental-protection-agency-to-toughen-water-pollution-rules-for-meat-production-plants-5094271\">Environmental Protection Agency to Toughen Water Pollution Rules for Meat\u200d Production Plants<\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">3\/2\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/scotus-curbs-epa-the-sackett-case-5319937\">SCOTUS Curbs EPA: The Sackett Case<\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">6\/8\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve moved \u200dquickly to finalize amendments \u200dto the \u200ddefinition of &#8216;waters of the \u2062United States&#8217; to \u200bprovide a clear path \u200cforward that adheres to the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling,&#8221; stated\u200b EPA \u200dAdministrator\u2063 Michael S. Regan.<\/p>\n<p>The Clean Water \u200cAct of 1972 (CWA) prohibits dumping pollutants, including fill, into &#8220;the waters of the United States.&#8221; The\u2063 term \u200c&#8221;waters of the United States&#8221; has been subject to \u2063interpretation by regulating agencies since the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, any wetland with a &#8220;significant nexus&#8221; to \u2062navigable waters was \u2064considered part of the &#8220;waters of the\u2064 United\u200c States,&#8221; even if it wasn&#8217;t directly connected.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This definition has caused frustration and claims of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-gov-abbott-pushes-back-against-bidens-climate-agenda\/\" title=\"Texas Gov. Abbott pushes back against Biden\u2019s climate agenda\">federal overreach<\/a> from farmers and land developers. In the Sackett case, the EPA classified land as &#8220;waters of the United States&#8221; and ordered the owner to remove fill or face fines, based on the land&#8217;s proximity to a creek that fed into a navigable body of water.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court overturned this order and rejected the \u200b&#8221;significant nexus&#8221; test, stating that wetlands must have a \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-decision-repeals-wetlands-protections-from-clean-water-act\/\" title=\"Supreme Court ends Clean Water Act's Wetlands Protections.\">continuous surface connection<\/a> to bodies of\u2063 water that are &#8220;waters of\u2064 the United States&#8221; in their\u2063 own right.<\/p>\n<p>A previous Supreme Court decision \u200bnoted that the\u2062 EPA had classified &#8220;the waters of the United States&#8221; to cover millions of acres of swampy lands, including half of Alaska and an area the size of California in the lower 48 states.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA has not provided an estimate on \u2063the number of acres of wetlands no longer considered &#8220;waters of the United \u200bStates&#8221; under the new definition.<\/p>\n<h2>Change Welcomed<\/h2>\n<p>Lawmakers from agricultural states have praised the Supreme Court ruling and criticized the EPA&#8217;s perceived \u200cintrusion into farming practices.<\/p>\n<p>Sen.\u2062 Charles Grassley\u200b (R-Iowa) wrote on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a>\u200b X on May 25, &#8220;ALL 9 JUSTICES AGREE: EPAs massive overreach\u2062 w\u200d Waters of\u2062 the US reg exceeds its authority. \u2062After all these yrs it&#8217;s \u200da huge victory \u2062for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-significantly-shrinks-what-qualifies-as-federal-waters-after-supreme-court-ruling\/\" title=\"EPA Reduces Federal Waters Scope Post Supreme Court Decision\">farmers builders &#038; common sense<\/a>. The farmers of\u200d Iowa can b thankful for \u2063Supreme Court making sure normal farming operations aren&#8217;t regulated by EPA.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In May, the Supreme Court ruled that EPA overstepped its authority in its 2023 WOTUS rule,&#8221; Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) wrote on X on Aug. 29.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Today, EPA narrowly amended its rule without farmer input. Congress, not the EPA, should define Waters of the US.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Rainwater moves toward the mouth of the Los Angeles \u2064River in Long \u200dBeach, Calif., on March 1, 2023. (John \u2062Fredricks\/The Epoch \u2063Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Environmental Concerns<\/h2>\n<p>While the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that the EPA had overstepped in the Sackett case, several justices, led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, believed the majority opinion defined &#8220;waters of \u200dthe United States&#8221; too narrowly.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The ordinary meaning of the\u2062 term &#8216;adjace<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The EPA has decreased wetlands under federal dumping rules, starting Aug. 29. This follows the U.S. Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling in Sackett v. EPA, limiting the definition of &#8220;waters of the United States&#8221; subject to federal regulation. Though disappointed, the change aligns with the court&#8217;s decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1793,"featured_media":2016336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2016335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1793"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2016335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2016336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2016335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2016335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2016335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}