Rewriting the Rules: The Supreme Court's Landmark Decision on Clean Water Act Permits
H2-OWOW! – A Reflective Conversation with John Goodin, Former Director of EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds – Reflections on Water Podcast
Reflections on Sackett - Reflections on Water Podcast
On-Demand Webinar | Linear Infrastructure Redux: Adapting Your Projects to Meet the New Regulatory Climate
California stands at a pivotal juncture in 2025, confronting an array of environmental and housing challenges. As usual, the California State Legislature is considering numerous strategies to address these issues. This year’s...more
California’s regulatory authority over “waters of the state” continues to grow even as the federal definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) narrows under shifting legal and regulatory frameworks. In Sackett v. EPA...more
Welcome to the April edition of Nutter’s Environment & Energy Insights, a periodic update of current trends in environment and energy law. This month we cover: EPA is changing the meaning of “waters of the United States.”...more
The landscape of coastal real estate development in North Carolina has undergone a seismic shift following major regulatory changes over the last few years. For developers eyeing coastal properties, understanding the...more
The California legislature continues to advance Senate Bill 601 (SB 601), the “Right to Clean Water Act,” which aims to safeguard protections for California’s streams and wetlands that lost federal protection under the Clean...more
Beginning on April 29, 2025, the EPA will hold a series of six listening sessions to receive input from stakeholders on key topics related to the regulation of “waters of the United States” (or “WOTUS”) in the wake of the...more
On Monday, March 24, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) issued a Federal Register Notice soliciting stakeholder feedback concerning the implementation...more
On March 24, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published plans to seek stakeholder input on implementing a new definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The EPA’s goal...more
On March 12, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army took steps to address lingering questions about the meaning and implementation of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS)...more
The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule is an ongoing conundrum to all those subject to it, most especially in trying to ascertain exactly which water ways qualify under the Rule. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...more
Colorado authorities recently published proposed regulations that will have major implications for construction and development projects that impact state waters. The regulations establish a permitting system for projects...more
After last year’s Supreme Court's decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, there remains confusion regarding how the ruling affects economic development projects such as residential and commercial building,...more
The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the United States House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a September 11th hearing titled: Waters of the United States Implementation...more
A United States District Court (Idaho) (“Court”) in an August 29th Memorandum Decision and Order (“Order”) addressed an issue arising out of a federal government Clean Water Act enforcement action. See U.S. v. Ace Black...more
The 74th General Assembly of the State of Colorado has enacted House Bill 24-1379 which is described as: …concerning the regulation of state waters in response to recent federal court action and, in connection therewith,...more
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) Vicksburg District issued a May 29th Special Public Notice (“SPN”) styled: Vicksburg District Regulatory Update - ...more
The environmental organization Earthjustice has developed charts that provide the organization’s views on the impact of the United States Supreme Court decision Sackett v. EPA on the scope of the Clean Water Act term waters...more
Sam Hess of Inside EPA has a fulsome report on EPA's everything but the kitchen sink attempt to avoid a nationwide freeze of its most recent definition of Waters of the United States in litigation filed by a North Carolina...more
We're approaching the first anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Sackett v. EPA holding that, contrary to the view of EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers for the past 40 years, the Clean Water Act protects only...more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) on March 22, 2024, announced its plans for enhancing the protection of the country's wetlands following the U.S. Supreme Court's Sackett v. EPA decision. In Sackett, the Supreme Court...more
EPA picked another Clean Water Act fight with the United States Supreme Court last week and I don't understand why EPA thinks it is a fight it can win. As many of you know, the jurisdictional reach of the Clean Water Act is...more
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Sackett case in May of 2023, the U.S. EPA (“EPA”) and the U.S. Army Corps (“Army Corps”) have amended federal regulations to conform to Sackett and the Army Corps has resumed...more
In the decision Sackett v. EPA, the U.S. Supreme Court provided a clear statement regarding what wetlands are subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act, holding that the Clean Water Act “extends to only those wetlands...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (“Fifth Circuit”) addressed in a December 18, 2023, Consolidated Opinion whether certain Louisiana wetlands were subject to Clean Water Act jurisdiction. See Lewis v....more
Earlier this month, in Lewis v. United States the 5th Circuit issued a decision interpreting the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA. The 5th Circuit decision is a model of clarity and demonstrates what I’ll call the...more