Stroud Water Research Center Responds to the Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court Decision WITHOUT A FEDERAL WETLAND LAW, PROTECTION WILL BE INCONSISTENT ACROSS U.S.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has restricted the EPA’s jurisdiction over wetlands, and with that, its ability to protect them in accordance with the Clean Water Act.
In 1972 the Clean Water Act was made law to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.” Stroud Water Research Center has been dedicated to informing implementation of the Clean Water Act through research on the largest and smallest creeks, streams, and rivers in the country.
The authors of the Clean Water Act recognized the need for scientific principles to be reflected within the body of the act, and included “research” 44 times throughout the text. Scientists, including the Stroud Center’s founding scientist, Ruth Patrick, Ph.D., were brought in to advise and inform the content of the bill as it was being drafted.
In June 2022 a friendly petition to the Supreme Court was filed for Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , signed by twelve scientific societies representing more than 125,000 practicing scientists — hydrologists, ecologists, biologists, and more. The brief emphasizes the foundation of the Clean Water Act is science: .... |
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