County of Maui, Hawaii v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund
(U.S. Supreme Court)
Scope of Clean Water Act jurisdiction
The U.S. Supreme Court should rule that the federal Clean Water Act does not regulate groundwater because the Act by its terms applies only to surface waters and would conflict with other environmental laws specifically tailored to protect groundwater. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held in 2018 that groundwater is jurisdictional under the Clean Water Act, reasoning that groundwater can serve as a conduit to jurisdictional surface waters. Under this "conduit theory" of jurisdiction, certain industrial activities on dry land could give rise to lawsuits alleging such activities polluted nearby surface waters through groundwater connections. On appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the NAM’s amicus brief argued that this broad interpretation goes far beyond the scope and intent of the Clean Water Act, interferes with other environmental statutes focused on groundwater protection, would be impossible to implement, and would impose incalculable liability risk on manufacturers and other regulated industries. Unfortunately, in a 6-3 decision, the Court held on April 23, 2020 that the CWA does regulate groundwater "if the addition of the pollutants through groundwater is the functional equivalent of a direct discharge from the point source into navigable waters."
Related Documents: NAM Brief (May 16, 2019)
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Hawaii Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui
(9th Circuit)
Opposing conduit theory under Clean Water Act
The NAM filed an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit to oppose a district court decision that broadly interpreted the scope of liability under the Clean Water Act. The district court adopted a liability theory, the "conduit theory," which stated that any pollutants released to dry land or underground that might seep into groundwater then to nearby surface waters are an illegal "discharge" under the Clean Water Act (CWA). That ruling could impose incalculable liability risk on manufacturers and other regulated industries. The NAM’s brief argued that the CWA clearly distinguishes between point sources and nonpoint sources, and the conduit theory impermissibly extends the EPA's authority. Unfortunately, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s ruling.
Related Documents: NAM amicus brief (March 28, 2016)
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