US Supreme Court Limits Wetland Protection Regulations

The US Supreme Court has made it more difficult for the federal government to regulate water pollution, with a ruling that removes protections from isolated wetlands. The decision is the second in two years to limit federal environmental regulations, with the court’s conservative majority prioritising property rights over clean water. The ruling followed a case brought by a couple who wanted to build a house near Priest Lake in Idaho. The court found that wetlands could only be regulated if they had a “continuous surface connection” to larger bodies of water. Environmentalists have warned that the decision could remove protections from over half of US wetlands.