City & County of San Francisco v. EPA

Overview

(U.S. Supreme Court, March 4, 2025): The Supreme Court struck down the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to impose “end-result” requirements in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits under the Clean Water Act. Instead, the Court held the EPA may determine appropriate action to protect water quality but cannot hold permittees responsible based entirely on the quality of the water into which the permittee discharges pollutants. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals previously upheld EPA’s authority to impose any necessary limitation to ensure water quality standards are satisfied. Read the full opinion here.

View all cases in the Judicial Trends in Public Health – May 20, 2025.

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