{"id":19398,"date":"2023-04-27T18:33:33","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T18:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=19398"},"modified":"2023-04-27T18:33:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T18:33:33","slug":"esa-policy-news-april-17-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2023\/04\/27\/esa-policy-news-april-17-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA Policy News: April 17, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this issue:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

ESA & ESAL Webinar \u201cProtecting Waterways for Healthy Communities and Ecosystems\u201d \u2013 Monday, May 8 at 2:00 pm<\/a><\/strong>
\nJoin ESAL and ESA to learn how science and policy intersect to protect waterways, hear from local advocates for ecologically sound practices, and discuss the potential impact of an ongoing Supreme Court Case.<\/p>\n

Congress<\/a>
\n<\/strong>President Joe Biden vetoes measure to nullify the administration\u2019s most recent Clean Water Act rule.<\/p>\n

Executive Branch<\/strong><\/a>
\nTop environmental official at the State Department to depart to lead the Wildlife Conservation Society.<\/p>\n

Courts<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Climate lawsuit filed by Hawai\u2019i teens advances in state courts.<\/p>\n

States<\/strong><\/a>
\nNew Mexico governor signed bill to limit prescribed fires.<\/p>\n

International<\/strong><\/a>
\nIPBES launches call for Indigenous and local knowledge.<\/p>\n

Scientific Community<\/a>
\n<\/strong>National Academies to hold webinar series titled \u201cPaving the Way for Continental Scale Biology: Connecting Research Across Scales\u201d starting April 24-25.<\/p>\n

Federal Register<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>ESA & ESAL Webinar \u201cProtecting Waterways for Healthy Communities and Ecosystems\u201d \u2013 Monday, May 8 at 2:00 pm<\/h2>\n

Monday May 8
\n2:00 \u2013 3:00 pm ET
\nRSVP here<\/a>\u00a0to receive instructions to join<\/p>\n

Join\u00a0Engineers &\u00a0Scientists\u00a0Acting Locally<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Ecological Society of America<\/a>\u00a0to learn how science and policy intersect\u00a0to protect waterways, hear from local advocates for ecologically sound practices, and discuss\u00a0the potential impact of an ongoing Supreme Court Case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rain fills our rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, but how does it get there? Wetlands are vital to managing how water flows after storm events to protect human environments from floods and natural environments from soil erosion and habitat destruction. Sound ecological science data clearly shows the vital role of wetlands for nature and to also protect human health and property. Planning requires the expertise of ecologists, landscape architects, environmental planners, and environmental engineers, and can be incentivized by local regulations.<\/p>\n

State and local waterway protections benefit communities by improving flood control, replenishing groundwater reserves, protecting biodiverse habitats, and supporting the maintenance of thriving outdoor spaces that everyone can enjoy. The Clean Water Act is a federal law that gives authority to states to protect the nation\u2019s waters. An ongoing Supreme Court case (Sackett vs. EPA) has the potential to shape the scope of this law. In this panel, co-hosted by Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally and the Ecological Society of America, we will hear from legal experts and implementers who will discuss the role of policy, both federal and local, in effective\u00a0ecosystem management.<\/p>\n

Confirmed panelists:<\/p>\n

Erika Harris-<\/strong>\u00a0Senior Planner, Puget Sound Regional Council
\nRoyal C. Gardner, JD<\/strong>\u2013 Professor of Law and Co-Director, Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, Stetson University College of Law.<\/p>\n

Congress<\/h2>\n

Clean Water Act:<\/strong> President Joe Biden vetoed a Congressional Review Act measure that would have nullified the administration\u2019s most recent Clean Water Act rule, which seeks to define the \u201cWater of the U.S.\u201d House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) called on additional Democrats to support a veto override \u2013 only nine Democrats supported the measure in the House and four Democrats and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) supported the measure in the Senate. It is unlikely the House or the Senate will have the votes to overturn the veto.<\/p>\n

The definition in the rule includes \u2018navigable waters\u2019, wetlands and other bodies of water adjacent to them if they are connected with \u2018relatively permanent\u2019 waters. Waterways are only included if they will \u2018virtually always significantly affect\u2019 traditional navigable waters or if waters they have a \u2018significant nexus\u2019 to larger downstream waters. The Biden administration said that rule aims to create a \u2018durable\u2019 definition of the Waters of the U.S. using the best available science after the rules finalized by the Obama and Trump administrations have been challenged in the courts.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Biden\u2019s veto, a federal judge in North Dakota halted<\/a> the implementation of Biden\u2019s new Clean Water Act rule in 24 states, writing that a pending Supreme Court case is likely to change the authority of the federal government under the Clean Water Act. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the Sackett v. EPA case by early summer 2023. In this case, Chantell and Michael Sackett sought a CWA Section 404 permit to develop wetlands on their Idaho property that was denied. The Sacketts are represented by the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation and backed by business and agricultural groups. This ruling leaves the US under a split regulatory regime, with 24 states subject to the Biden Clean Water Act rule and 26 states following previous Clean Water Act rules after lawsuits challenging Biden\u2019s rule.<\/p>\n

Forests:<\/strong> Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Doris Matsui (D-CA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) and 28 other lawmakers sent a letter<\/a> to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, urging their agencies to undertake a formal rulemaking to protect mature and old-growth forests. The letter citing President Joe Biden\u2019s Strengthening the Nation\u2019s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies executive order and the benefits of old-growth forest for carbon sequestration, water quality and more.<\/p>\n

NOAA: <\/strong>The House Science Committee will hold a hearing<\/a> tomorrow, Tuesday, April 18, to consider Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK)\u2019s draft legislation to take the National Oceanic Administration out of the Department of Commerce and make NOAA into an independent agency. The hearing witnesses are three former NOAA administrators.<\/p>\n

More News:<\/u><\/p>\n