Supreme Court weakens EPA's authority over water pollution.

The US Supreme Court has ruled that the Clean Water Act only extends to wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies of water that are "waters of the United States" in their own right. This could remove federal protection from up to half of all wetlands in the continental US, giving developers more latitude to disturb lands previously regulated under the Clean Water Act. The ruling could also affect the EPA's ability to protect upstream waters and downstream water quality, potentially resulting in silt and pollutants damaging downstream waters and habitat. The decision could have implications for other environmental laws, but some experts say it is not as expansive as some fear.