The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in a significant case affecting environmental regulation, specifically limiting the EPA's authority under the Clean Water Act. The court decided that while the EPA can dictate specific discharge limits for municipalities, it cannot impose vague 'end-result' requirements that hold them accountable for maintaining water quality. Justice Alito highlighted that following permit requirements does not guarantee compliance with broader water quality standards, a point echoed in dissent by Justice Barrett, who noted ongoing concerns over San Francisco's wastewater discharges impacting local waters.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court that the EPA can set specific limits that tell cities and counties what can be discharged. But the agency lacks the authority "to include 'end-result' provisions,..."
One conservative justice, Amy Coney Barrett, joined the court's three liberals in dissent. Limits on discharges sometimes still don't insure water quality standards are met, Barrett wrote.
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