The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it is “getting out of the business of regulating wetlands.” The EPA then moved to redefine which waters receive Clean Water Act protection after the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA narrowed federal jurisdiction to wetlands with a “continuous surface connection.” Scientific criticism emphasized that hydrology includes underground, seasonal, and connected isolated pools essential to ecosystem health. These federal changes could remove millions of acres of wetlands from protection against fill, crops, and development. With federal oversight retreating, local governments are positioned as the remaining barrier between development and waterways.
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