Supreme Court makes it harder for EPA to police sewage discharges

Supreme Court Lifts Restraints on Wastewater Discharges, Further Eroding Clean Water Act

The U.S. Supreme Court has further eroded the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and state governments to safeguard water quality under the Clean Water Act. In Tuesday’s 5-4 ruling, the majority overturned measures limiting the discharge of wastewater into harbors and coastal areas, including limits on the release of raw sewage. This comes less than two years after the Supreme Court gutted Clean Water Act protections for about half of …

WA Agency Again Ordered to Rewrite Mega-Dairy Permits to Safeguard Public Health, Clean Water

Yesterday, in response to a challenge from community and conservation groups, the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board ordered the Department of Ecology to rewrite pollution discharge permits for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to better protect water resources and public health. Earlier, a unanimous 2021 Washington Court of Appeals decision required the Department of Ecology to rewrite these permits because they viol…

Supreme Court slaps down EPA over wastewater treatment rules

The Supreme Court ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, finding that it created a moving target for local governments trying to comply with wastewater treatment standards.

West Coast Regional Council cracks down on dodgy sewerage systems

The West Coast’s three district councils have been put on notice to lift their game and fix dodgy sewerage plants.

Supreme Court Takes Big Ol’ Poop In Body of Water Near You

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court decided yet another case making it harder to protect the environment, siding with the city of San Francisco in its challenge to limitations on dumping sewage in public water. For the last five years, the city’s failure to comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations has resulted in billions of gallons of sewage flowing across beaches, into the Pacific Ocean, and sometimes even through streets and i…

Supreme Court water ruling might have unexpectedly clean result in Southern California

An environmental lawyer who wrote an amicus brief in San Francisco v. EPA believes a criticized ruling actually means tougher standards.