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May 26, 2023

Supreme Court Guts Clean Water Act
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Here in the United States, the Supreme Court has sharply limited the
authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to protect and preserve
wetlands under the Clean Water Act, a landmark, half-century-old
environmental law. Thursday's 5-4 majority opinion, written by Justice
Samuel Alito, effectively ends protections for about half of all the
wetlands in the contiguous United States. Conservation groups called the
ruling a devastating setback for clean water and called on Congress to
pass new legislation protecting wetlands. This is White House Press
Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: "The court's decision today aims to
take our country backwards. It will jeopardize the sources of clean
drinking water for farmers, businesses and millions of Americans. Look,
the Clean Water Act is the reason why America's lakes today are
swimmable, why we can fish in our streams and rivers, and why safe
drinking water comes out of our taps."



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