Big Win for Ag: Supreme Court overturns ruling in Sackett vs. EPA

Today, the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Sackett vs. EPA, and the High Court overturned the 9th Circuit ruling that had been in EPA’s favor.

Justice Alito for the majority dramatically narrowed the amount of wetlands covered by the Clean Water Act to include only those with a “continuous surface connection” to larger bodies of water. This effectively rewrites the Clean Water Act to exclude wetlands that are adjacent to, but not directly connected to larger bodies of water.

This is considered a big win for agriculture. The majority opinion adopted the 2006 Waters of the U.S. rule.

The full rule is below:

Sackett Case.pdf

Roger McEowen with Washburn School of Law joined us on Market Day Report for a deeper dive into the ruling an what it means for the 2023 WOTUS rule.

Related Stories
Congressman Gary Palmer of Alabama joined us to discuss federal overreach, transparency efforts, and legislative solutions impacting agriculture on this week’s Champions of Rural America.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins hints at new fertilizer plan while trade deals, soybean markets, and farm bill momentum drive ag policy discussion.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Restructuring Aims to Improve Government Efficiency and Better Serve American Farmers
U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman and U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin meet with Ohio farmers to discuss E15 expansion, rising input costs, trade concerns, and the need to move forward on a new farm bill.
New farm bill amendment renames the 1890 National Scholars Program after Rep. David Scott, highlighting support for HBCU ag education.
Led by Sen. Rand Paul, lawmakers aim to prevent a November federal hemp ban, advocating for state control as farmers face planting uncertainties.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Mon, 3/4/24 – 8 PM ET | 7 PM CT | 6 PM MT | 5 PM PT
What can these facilities do to protect themselves? I wrote about this issue last spring, and since that time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has issued a significant opinion. That makes an update in order.
Updated Dicamba information is the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post by RFD-TV’s agri-legal expert Roger McEowen with the Washburn School of Law.
On January 31, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed tax legislation containing provisions of importance to farmers and ranchers in particular and many taxpayers in general.