Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency

The Georgia Politics Podcast

Welcome to The Georgia Politics Podcast! On the show today we discuss another recent SCOTUS ruling that will have far reaching implications on environmental regulation, but didn’t get as much publicity as some of the higher profile rulings last term.

Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency was a case decided over the summer that dealt with the scope and limitations of the Clean Waters Act.

The case was focuses in large part on defining terms like "waters of the United States", “adjacent”, and “wetlands”. While nuanced and seemingly ambiguous to the non-lawyers listening to the show, the definitions are critical in giving guidance on where developers can build, what permits property owners need receive prior to building, and what properties are protected and regulated by the government.

Geoff Toy, an environmental lawyer with Trustees for Alaska, joins the show to help us understand some of these nuances and explain why the case may have not gotten as much attention as some of the others, despite its far reaching impact and its implications.

About Geoff Toy

Geoff joined Trustees for Alaska in August 2022. Prior to joining Trustees, Geoff spent three years as a staff attorney with the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law, working on land use, pollution, and agricultural issues in the Southeast and helping teach environmental law students. He also worked in civil litigation in Atlanta, Georgia after graduating from Emory Law in 2016. During law school, Geoff worked in the Turner Environmental Law Clinic and also interned with the environmental law department at Coca-Cola. Outside of the office, Geoff likes to read, cook, hike, and paint.

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