Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Judge Tosses EPA Approval of Bay Area Wetlands Development
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 6, 2020

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Monday blocked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from allowing the dredging and filling of salt ponds near San Francisco without going through a permitting process that could stall redevelopment of the area.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the vast Redwood City ponds are “waters of the United States” entitling them to protection under the Clean Water Act.

The judge said the EPA — which last year ruled the ponds weren’t protected — ignored its own regulations and misinterpreted legal precedent. He vacated that decision and ordered the agency to go back and reconsider.

The 1,365-acre area near San Francisco Bay has been used for commercial salt harvesting since the early 1900s. Dikes and levees produced evaporation ponds for saltwater.

Cargill, the corporation that owns the former wetlands, had planned to develop housing there. Conservationists want to see the salt marshes and wetlands restored.

California’s Attorney General and Conservation Groups Sued to Challenge the Ruling

In 2009, Cargill announced plans to build more than 12,000 housing units on the site but later withdrew the plan in the face of public opposition.

In 2016, the EPA tentatively ruled that most of the pond acreage should be considered “waters of the United States” but under the Trump administration, the EPA issued a final decision last year that the ponds didn’t qualify for Clean Water Act protection, potentially fast-tracking development.

California’s attorney general and conservation groups sued to challenge the ruling.

The Clean Water Act protections mean that California can review proposed development projects “and impose conditions on federal dredge and fill permits to ensure projects comply with state laws,” said a statement from the attorney general’s office.

“This is an important victory for protecting clean water in our communities. And it’s a good reminder to the Trump Administration that it can’t use the San Francisco Bay as its political playground,” Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in the statement. “The EPA can’t ignore its own scientists and come up with an arbitrary rule that opens the door for development of a vital ecosystem.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

DON'T MISS

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

DON'T MISS

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

DON'T MISS

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Allows DOGE Broad Access to Social Security Data

DON'T MISS

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

DON'T MISS

Abrego Garcia Is Returned to US From El Salvador

DON'T MISS

Proud Boys Convicted in Jan. 6 Attack Sue Government on Claims of ‘Political Persecution’

DON'T MISS

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

DON'T MISS

Documentary Series Goes Inside Trump’s Bubble

UP NEXT

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

UP NEXT

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

UP NEXT

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

UP NEXT

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

UP NEXT

Newsom Promises Funding to Jump-Start ‘Science of Reading’

UP NEXT

Rancho Cucamonga Prepares for First US Bullet Train Hub in 2028

UP NEXT

8 Ways Musk and Trump Could Inflict Pain on Each Other

UP NEXT

D-Day Veterans Return to Normandy to Mark 81st Anniversary of Landings

UP NEXT

Lambda Legal, a Nonprofit Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights, Exceeded Fundraising Goal by $105M

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

13 hours ago

US Supreme Court Allows DOGE Broad Access to Social Security Data

13 hours ago

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

13 hours ago

Abrego Garcia Is Returned to US From El Salvador

13 hours ago

Proud Boys Convicted in Jan. 6 Attack Sue Government on Claims of ‘Political Persecution’

14 hours ago

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

14 hours ago

Documentary Series Goes Inside Trump’s Bubble

14 hours ago

Tulare County Gang Member Convicted of Trying to a Murder Police Officer

14 hours ago

Newsom Promises Funding to Jump-Start ‘Science of Reading’

15 hours ago

Feds Indict SoCal Hospice CEO for Medicare Fraud in Fresno and Kern Counties

15 hours ago

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

The world’s largest almond processor, Blue Diamond Growers, says it will close its Sacramento processing plant this year The almond co...

12 hours ago

12 hours ago

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

13 hours ago

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

13 hours ago

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

14 hours ago

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

14 hours ago

US Supreme Court Allows DOGE Broad Access to Social Security Data

14 hours ago

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

14 hours ago

Abrego Garcia Is Returned to US From El Salvador

15 hours ago

Proud Boys Convicted in Jan. 6 Attack Sue Government on Claims of ‘Political Persecution’

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend