The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dropped its appeal of our lawsuit victory restoring Clean Water Act protections to the Redwood City Salt Ponds. The move came a week after 57 Bay Area elected officials and organizations asked the Biden Administration to withdraw the Trump EPA’s appeal of a federal court order upholding those legal protections.
“We’re thrilled that the Biden Administration is agreeing to uphold the law and restore protections for San Francisco Bay wetlands. Climate change makes this even more urgent,” said Save The Bay Executive Director David Lewis. “It’s an early indication of what a difference the new President can make for the Bay and our planet.” Read more here.
Save The Bay and other environmental plaintiffs sued Trump’s U.S. EPA in 2019, over its waiver of Clean Water Act jurisdiction on the ponds. The Federal District court ruled in October 2020 that EPA misapplied the Clean Water Act and ignored its own agency regulations, ordering the Agency to provide a legally sound jurisdictional determination.
In 2016, EPA Region 9 scientists and legal counsel completed an exhaustive site investigation and legal review, concluding that the vast majority of the site is jurisdictional wetlands under the federal CWA and is protected by that law. For 15 years, Save The Bay has fought development on these ponds. Now it is time for Cargill to transfer this sensitive site for addition to the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
With your help we can achieve permanent protection and restoration of the Redwood City Salt Ponds.
