California AG Released a Statement following SCOTUS’ Sackett v. EPA Ruling

MAY 25, 2023

California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA. The case asked the question of what exactly is covered by the Clean Water Act’s “waters of the United States” term, and the justices’ ruling narrowed the definition considerably. AG Bonta made the following statement: “Despite today’s disappointing decision, California will continue to do all we can to protect our waterways and the communities and biodiversity they sustain. The Supreme Court’s decision today narrowed federal protections under the Clean Water Act, making it all the more critical for states to use their authority to increase water quality protections. We urge Congress to broaden the scope of the Clean Water Act in light of today’s ruling, but in the meantime, we will continue to use every tool available to us under the law to protect our precious waterways and the people and ecosystems that depend on them.”