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ASLA Advocates for Definition of WOTUS10-06-22 | News

ASLA Advocates for Definition of WOTUS

NAHB Critical of President's Proposal
by Staff

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on October 3 about the Sacket v. EPA case.

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) published a news release they titled WOTUS V. SCOTUS which refers to the Supreme Court's ongoing deliberation on establishing a standard for recognizing the extent of the EPA's wetlands regulatory jurisdiction. The association is advocating for a definition of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) that ensures healthy and safe drinking water, reduces adverse health consequences, bolsters community tourism and recreation, and facilitates placemaking for coastal communities.

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In their statement, the ASLA explained the effect this has had on the profession, "Landscape architects have been greatly impacted by the lack of a clear definition of WOTUS, causing significant delays in project execution and completion."

Additionally, the association is also concerned that the current standing of WOTUS leaves several bodies of water unchecked for contaminants and pollutants. This, in turn, impacts communities with uncertainty about clean drinking water.

Meanwhile, "NAHB has been critical of the Biden administration's proposed WOTUS rule, as well as its decision to rescind the Trump administration's WOTUS rule that relies upon Justice Scalia's "continuous surface connection" test rather than "significant nexus" to establish Clean Water Act jurisdiction over only those wetlands and tributaries that maintained a direct surface water connection to another traditional navigable water."

https://www.asla.org/NewsListingDetails.aspx?id=61909

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