The Biden administration's policy has been effectively upended by the Supreme Court's ruling that narrowed the federal government's authority over regulating bodies of water. The unanimous decision, delivered by Justice Samuel Alito, rejected the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) broad definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). The Sacketts, two Idaho residents, had their attempts to build a home near a wetland prohibited years ago by the EPA under the Clean Waters Act (CWA) of 1972, with penalties of over $40,000 per day for non-compliance. The EPA classified the wetlands on the Sacketts' lot as 'waters of the United States' because they were close to a ditch that fed into Priest Lake, a navigable, intrastate lake. The Sacketts sued, arguing that their property was not 'waters of the United States.'

The Supreme Court's ruling was a resounding victory for those on the right, with the high court split 5-4 in determining the federal government's WOTUS definition. According to the ruling, the federal government's WOTUS definition must be restricted to a water source with a 'continuous surface connection' to major bodies of water. The ruling's distinction was that wetlands that are distinguishable from otherwise covered 'waters of the United States' would substantially broaden the existing statute to define 'navigable waters' as 'waters of the United States and adjacent wetlands'. The decision was welcomed by Republican lawmakers and landowners, as the EPA's broad definition of WOTUS was seen as an example of federal overreach.

The EPA had announced that they approved the WOTUS regulation on the final working day of 2022. Industry groups, Republican lawmakers, and several states had criticized the regulation as an example of federal overreach and demanded that it be rescinded. In April, a federal judge granted a request from 24 states and several trade groups to pause implementation of the regulation. The House and Senate both approved a regulation rejecting the regulation. The Supreme Court's ruling on WOTUS is a statement against Biden administration's attempts at overregulating the lives of American citizens. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said the court protected America's farmers, ranchers, builders, and landowners from overreach under the Clean Water Act.

The Biden administration's policy has been effectively upended by the Supreme Court's ruling that narrowed the federal government's authority over regulating bodies of water. The unanimous decision, delivered by Justice Samuel Alito, rejected the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) broad definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). The Sacketts, two Idaho residents, had their attempts to build a home near a wetland prohibited years ago by the EPA under the Clean Waters Act (CWA) of 1972, with penalties of over $40,000 per day for non-compliance. The EPA classified the wetlands on the Sacketts' lot as 'waters of the United States' because they were close to a ditch that fed into Priest Lake, a navigable, intrastate lake. The Sacketts sued, arguing that their property was not 'waters of the United States.'
The Supreme Court's ruling was a resounding victory for those on the right, with the high court split 5-4 in determining the federal government's WOTUS definition. According to the ruling, the federal government's WOTUS definition must be restricted to a water source with a 'continuous surface connection' to major bodies of water. The ruling's distinction was that wetlands that are distinguishable from otherwise covered 'waters of the United States' would substantially broaden the existing statute to define 'navigable waters' as 'waters of the United States and adjacent wetlands'. The decision was welcomed by Republican lawmakers and landowners, as the EPA's broad definition of WOTUS was seen as an example of federal overreach.
The EPA had announced that they approved the WOTUS regulation on the final working day of 2022. Industry groups, Republican lawmakers, and several states had criticized the regulation as an example of federal overreach and demanded that it be rescinded. In April, a federal judge granted a request from 24 states and several trade groups to pause implementation of the regulation. The House and Senate both approved a regulation rejecting the regulation. The Supreme Court's ruling on WOTUS is a statement against Biden administration's attempts at overregulating the lives of American citizens. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said the court protected America's farmers, ranchers, builders, and landowners from overreach under the Clean Water Act.

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