Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller environmental shareholder Steve Miano spoke to Bloomberg Law on the implications of a federal Delaware River Basin water quality restoration program expiring this week. Established by Congress in 2016, the program provides federal grants to fund local conservation and water quality efforts within the basin in bordering states.
In May, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Sackett v. EPA, restricting federal waters and wetlands protections to only those that directly adjoin rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. With this decision, Steve says this program is especially important because it offers federal funding to restore wetlands that are no longer protected under the Clean Water Act.
Steve also notes that Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other northeastern states offer better protections than the Clean Water Act but says “states don’t have the resources to address the regulatory shortfall, and the infusion of federal funding is sorely needed.”
Read more about Steve’s thoughts on Delaware River Basin’s water quality restoration program and why it is crucial to reauthorize it.
