Watch the three-minute video or read the transcript on the UW Law website. Start learning about the issue below…
Wetlands provide important functions to ecosystems. They reduce the impact of pollution, provide homes for animals and protect land from flooding. In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, giving the Environmental Protection Agency oversight in protecting the country’s bodies of water, including wetlands. With these safeguards, however, compliance can come at a cost. Real estate development can be delayed—or halted altogether.
On October 3, 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency where property owners were petitioning for the right to build a home on their property without securing a federal permit. At its core, the case challenges the EPA’s ability to enforce its regulations on wetland properties and questions whether its rules are sufficiently clear.
In just three minutes, Todd Wildermuth, UW Law Associate Teaching Professor, covers the case and warns of the possible consequences the ruling may have on property owners, the environment and the EPA.
