Posts by growthzone
SWS files amicus brief in Clean Water Rule suspension case
On Monday, the Society of Wetland Scientists filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to emphasize the importance of science in agency rulemakings. Several states and organizations have filed suit against the Trump administration for the suspension of the Clean Water Rule. The SWS brief asserts that…
Read MoreBrief of the Society of Wetland Scientists as Amicus Curiae Brief of the Society of Wetland Scientists as Amicus Curiaein Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment
Summary of Argument: An agency must provide a reasoned explanation when promulgating or amending a rule. An agency’s implausible explanation or its failure to consider relevant and significant aspects of a problem renders a rulemaking arbitrary and capricious. Because the EPA and Corps refused to consider the scientific basis of the Clean Water Rule, including…
Read More2018 USA Science and Engineering Festival
The Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS) had a booth at the USA Science and Engineering Festival (SEF) in Washington, D.C. on April 7 and 8, where SWS members volunteered. The SEF is free to attendees and allows children, teens and families to interact with over 3,000 hand-on exhibits “from the world’s leading scientific and…
Read MoreWaters of the United States applicability date published
On February 6, the U.S. Army and EPA published a revised Clean Water Rule in the Federal Register that includes an applicability date. The purpose of the applicability date is to provide continuity and regulatory certainty for regulated entities while the agencies continue to consider possible revisions to the 2015 rule. Categories Biofuel CASS Chapter News Clean…
Read MoreNorth American Wetlands Conservation Council Meeting via teleconference
The North American Wetlands Conservation Council will meet via teleconference on February 22, 2018, at 2 p.m. EST, to select U.S. small grant proposals for reporting to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. This teleconference is open to the public, and interested persons may present oral or written statements. Contact…
Read MoreSupreme Court decision on WOTUS jurisdiction spurs EPA action
Written by the American Fisheries Society On January 22, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that challenges to the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule must be heard in district courts rather than in U.S. Federal Courts of Appeal presenting a procedural hurdle to the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal and replace the 2015 rule with a narrower rule.…
Read MoreThe Second Warning to Humanity and Wetlands
Originally published in December 2017 Wetland Science & Practice. Written by C Max Finlayson (Institute for Land, water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia, and IHE Delft, Institute for Water Education, Delft, Netherlands); William R Moomaw (Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts…
Read MoreScience Societies oppose the proposed addition of applicability date to Clean Water Rule
Dear Administrator Pruitt and Mr. Fisher: On behalf of our nearly 200,000 members, the undersigned science societies respectfully submit the following comments in response to your solicitation regarding the proposed rule, Definition of “Waters of the United States” – Addition of an Applicability Date to 2015 Clean Water Rule, EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0644, published in the Federal Register…
Read MoreScience Societies oppose the proposed addition of applicability date to Clean Water Rule
The Honorable Scott Pruitt Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Policy Regulatory Reform Mail Code 1803A 1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20460 The Honorable Ryan Fisher Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Department of the Army 104 Army Pentagon Washington, DC…
Read MoreIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is seeking reviewers
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is seeking reviewers for its first order draft of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, as indicated in this outline. Wetlands and wetland management are relevant in several places: Volume 1, chapter 1; Volume 4, chapter 7; and Volume 5, chapter 6. Based…
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