An ELI Public Webinar
In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court sharply limited the scope of the federal Clean Water Act’s protection for the nation’s waters in its Sackett v. EPA ruling. Some state and local governments have since started crafting their own regulations to fill this jurisdictional gap. One example is Maryland’s recent passage of the Clean Water Justice Act of 2024. The new law allows residents to bring civil suits for the discharge of pollutants affecting ephemeral streams, intermittent streams, or nontidal wetlands that do not have a continuous surface connection to surface water. It aims to mirror the standing previously provided under the Clean Water Act’s citizen suit provision, as well as to increase public enforcement of water pollution laws.
Join the Environmental Law Institute, authors of the Environmental Forum’s recent “Clean Water Injustice” article, and other expert panelists for a discussion of Maryland’s Clean Water Justice Act and how state and local governments can fill post-Sackett gaps in water protection. How did the Clean Water Justice Act come to fruition, and what will its passage mean for clean water implementation and enforcement in Maryland? What can other states learn from this, and what additional opportunities exist at the state and local levels for water protection? How can communities get involved to protect the water in their localities? We will discuss these questions and many more.
Panelists:
Rebecca Kihslinger, Ph.D., Senior Science and Policy Analyst; Director, Wetlands Program, Environmental Law Institute, Moderator
Evan Isaacson, Senior Attorney; Director, Environmental Action Center, Chesapeake Legal Alliance
Betsy Nicholas, Vice President of Programs, Potomac Riverkeeper Network
Eric Schaeffer, Co-Founder; former Executive Director, Environmental Integrity Project
Brent Walls, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper, Potomac Riverkeeper Network
Materials:
Materials will be posted as they are received.
ELI members logged on to the Members site will have access to a recording of this session (usually posted to this page within 1-3 business days). If you are not an ELI member but would like to have access to archived sessions like this one, please see the many benefits of membership and how to join.