Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that narrowed the scope of wetlands covered by the Clean Water Act. The court ruled that many wetlands adjacent to larger bodies of water are no longer protected by the law. In response, Trevor Higgins, senior vice president of the Energy and Environment department at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
This ruling is yet another example of the extremist Supreme Court rolling back fundamental rights and protections. It is a major loss for clean water and a victory for big polluters, who will not hesitate to fill in a wetland or degrade water sources for everyone downstream. Once again, the Supreme Court is changing the meaning of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws to suit its whims, putting public health and the environment at risk.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].