In San Francisco v. EPA, the Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority under the Clean Water Act by requiring permit-holders to comply with standards that states and EPA set for waters at the point of discharge. Photo: Shutterstock
March 5, 2025 (Boston, MA) – A ruling by the Supreme Court on Tuesday has weakened the ability of federal and state regulators to protect and restore our nation’s waters. In San Francisco v. EPA, the Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exceeded its authority under the Clean Water Act by requiring permit-holders to comply with standards that states and EPA set for waters at the point of discharge. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement in response to the ruling.
“This Supreme Court has taken away an important tool used by federal and especially state agencies for decades to keep our waters safe from toxic pollution,” said Brad Campbell, Conservation Law Foundation President. “This ruling will result in more pollution entering our waters and less power for states to protect the waters they know best. Rather than polluters bearing the expense of avoiding water pollution, the public will bear the costs of cleaning up after them.”
EPA has delegated its authority to issue the permits at the center of the San Francisco v. EPA case to agencies in most states (with notable exceptions like Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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