Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

1 hour ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

3 hours ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

4 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

4 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

4 hours ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

6 hours ago

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

23 hours ago

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

1 day ago

Cargo Ship That Caught Fire Carrying Electric Vehicles Sinks in the Pacific

1 day ago

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

2 days ago
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

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

DON'T MISS

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

DON'T MISS

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

DON'T MISS

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

DON'T MISS

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

DON'T MISS

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

DON'T MISS

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

UP NEXT

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

US Justice Department to Probe Hiring Practices at University of California

UP NEXT

Newsom and Legislature Tangle With Construction Unions Over Minimum Wage

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Orders CA to Strip Trans Athlete of Medals

UP NEXT

SoCal Vice Mayor Urges Street Gang ‘Cholos’ to Rise Up Against ICE

UP NEXT

How a Birthday Boat Ride on Lake Tahoe Turned Tragic

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

3 hours ago

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

4 hours ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

4 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

4 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

4 hours ago

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

4 hours ago

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

5 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

6 hours ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

6 hours ago

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

21 hours ago

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending unexpectedly fell in May as the boost from the pre-emptive buying of goods like motor vehicles ahead of ...

1 hour ago

Eastern Market in Washington, D.C.
1 hour ago

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

Obamacare Sign in San Ysidro, California
2 hours ago

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

Pride Flags Fly in New York
3 hours ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

3 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

4 hours ago

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

Olga Urbina carries baby Ares Webster as demonstrators rally on the day the Supreme Court justices hear oral arguments over U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to broadly enforce his executive order to restrict automatic birthright citizenship, during a protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the press after a hearing on the use of National Guard troops amid federal immigration sweeps, at the California State Supreme Court in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters FIle)
4 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

fresno
4 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

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

Search

Send this to a friend