EPA Touts WOTUS Rule’s Legal Basis In Face Of Expected Wetland Losses

EPA’s proposed rule narrowing the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) to align with the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision anticipates major wetland losses to result from the plan, though the agency is emphasizing that it is bound by the high court’s finding that the water law does not define jurisdiction based on ecological importance. “While the potential cost savings or forgone benefits of the rule inform the agencies’ interpretation of the definition of ‘waters of the United...