9th Circuit: Lawsuit would make agricultural runoff exemption “dead letter”
… The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit that challenged the lack of a Clean Water Act permit for an agricultural drainage project in California. Agricultural organizations feared that if the lawsuit’s interpretation of the Clean Water Act prevailed, irrigated agriculture across the West would face a tremendous new regulatory burden. Originally filed 14 years ago by fishing and environmental organizations, the complaint alleged the Grassland Bypass Project has violated the Clean Water Act because it discharges non-agricultural pollutants into a wetland along with runoff from irrigated farmland.
Related articles:
- Progressive Farmer: Fed court upholds irrigation exemption
- Inside Climate News: House bill amending the Clean Water Act could mean dirtier water nationwide
