Up to 70 million acres of wetlands could be in peril due to a Supreme Court ruling that gutted the Clean Water Act, putting U.S. homes and businesses at risk of more damaging floods, according to a new analysis.
The Natural Resources Defense Council report estimates the full effects of Sackett v. EPA, in which the high court eliminated federal protections for wetlands that lack a “continuous surface connection” to a river, lake, stream or other navigable water.
Under a “worst case” scenario, Sackett has left about 84 percent of wetlands that were previously covered by the Clean Water Act no longer protected by the law, NRDC found. The Trump administration has signaled that it will exempt even more wetlands and streams from federal oversight, which could further increase flood risks and water pollution, said Jon Devine, director of freshwater ecosystems at NRDC.
“This analysis confirms our worst fears,” Devine said. “The more we lose protection for these wetlands, the more we can expect to see them filled in and destroyed without adequate avoidance and minimization like the Clean Water Act requires.”
