Fireside Chat on Waters of the United States
This event is free and open to the public but you must register. Note: there is no in-person availability for this event.
- Please REGISTER HERE.
- Webinar information will be emailed upon registration.
- All times noted are EASTERN Time. The webinar will begin at 12:00 Noon Eastern, 11:00 AM Central, 10:00 AM Mountain, and 9:00 AM Pacific.
- There is no CLE for this course.
An ELI Public Webinar
In its 2023 decision in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of the most significant rulings in environmental history. By narrowing the legal definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), the Court has stripped away the federal government’s ability to protect millions of miles of streams and millions of acres of wetlands. But while tremendously consequential, the decision was also simply the latest in a long series of battles over WOTUS, and which rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and perhaps even farm fields are to be protected by the Clean Water Act.
Waters of the United States is an unprecedented exploration of this history—and its importance for today’s efforts to conserve a critical natural resource. The book not only examines how bodies of water are legally defined (and therefore protected), but who gets to decide on these definitions. The result is a fascinating look at the ongoing power struggle between the President and federal agencies, the courts, the states, and Congress over water quality.
Join the Environmental Law Institute and Royal Gardner, author of Waters of the United States, for a discussion about the book, the history of WOTUS, and where water protection stands today.
Panelists:
Rebecca L. Kihslinger, Senior Science and Policy Analyst; Director, Wetlands Program, Environmental Law Institute, Moderator
Royal C. Gardner, Co-Director, Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy and Professor of Law, Stetson University College of Law
Materials:
Materials will be posted as they are received.
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