Baykeeper v. EPA: A Big Win for the Bay

Federal Judge Rules that Trump's EPA Cannot Declare South Bay Salt Ponds to be Land

Judge William Alsup of the US Northern District of California Court ruled today on the case Baykeeper vs EPA that Trump's EPA misapplied the Clean Water Act when it determined that the South Bay salt ponds, owned by Cargill, are in fact land. The ruling vacated the EPA's determination, and requires the agency, in any future determination, to consider whether developing the salt ponds "significantly affect the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Bay." Plaintiffs included Save The Bay, San Francisco Baykeeper, Committee for Green Foothills, and Citizens' Committee to Complete the Refuge.

In response, Baykeeper Executive Director Sejal Choksi-Chugh, issued the following statement:

"Only Trump’s crooked EPA would ignore its own regional office to do the bidding of a corporate bad actor and declare that ponds aren't really water. The South Bay's salt ponds are in fact wet and very much connected to the Bay -- not dry land as bizarrely claimed by the administration. This ruling is a big legal win for common sense and for San Francisco Bay. Cargill's irresponsible development proposals will now and in the future have to comply with the Clean Water Act and protect the Bay and local residents."