Posted on February 10, 2011 by Rick Glick
On December 20, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers submitted draft guidance to the Office of Management and Budget to determine when wetlands are subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act. This will be the third attempt to provide guidance on implementing the conflicting standards announced by a fractured Supreme Court in Rapanos v. United States.
In an opinion written by Justice Scalia, a plurality of the Court declared that Clean Water Act jurisdiction extended only to wetlands of a semi-permanent nature that abut open water. This is a test that many wetlands, previously thought to be jurisdictional, would fail to meet. A concurring opinion offered by Justice Kennedy announced a wholly different standard: A water or wetland is jurisdictional if there is a “significant nexus” between the wetlands and navigable waters, focusing on whether there is “a reasonable inference of ecological connection” between the two. The dissent written by Justice Stevens and joined by three others, finds both tests wanting and suggests that jurisdiction is present when either is met.
Agencies and courts have since strained to reconcile these opposing views. EPA and the Corps have attempted to provide guidance on when and how to apply each test, the first in June 2007 and the second in December 2008. Courts have dutifully tried to discern clarity in the Court’s opinions and have given the joint agency guidance Skidmore deference, meaning they use the guidance to the extent it is persuasive. Considerable uncertainty remains in determining when permits are needed in many cases, causing obvious problems for the development community.
The Obama Administration favors a legislative fix, but Clean Water Act reform seems unlikely just now . . . or during my lifetime. There have been a lot of cases decided since the 2008 guidance was released, so the new guidance perhaps will distill that experience and give us something useful to work with. OMB review can take up to 90 days, so look for the guidance no later than the end of March.
Tags: CWA, Clean Water Act, Rapanos, Water