Labrador Issues Statement Praising Supreme Court's Ruling in Wetlands Case

Statement

Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, issued a statement after Tuesday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., Inc. The unanimous court rejected the Obama Administration's argument and held that landowners may go to court to challenge a government determination that their property contains "waters of the United States." The decision will have wide-ranging impact by allowing property owners to contest a government decision earlier in the regulatory process.

Labrador's statement:

"The unanimous decision by the Supreme Court is a great victory for private property rights and a repudiation of executive overreach. I am pleased that the Court's decision will allow property owners to challenge a federal agency's determination that their property contains wetlands subject to the Clean Water Act rather than spending time and money securing a permit that may not be necessary.

"I'm also encouraged by Justice Kennedy's concurring opinion, in which he said the Clean Water Act "continues to raise troubling questions regarding the government's power to cast doubt on the full use and enjoyment of property throughout the nation.' I hope that his concurrence foreshadows a future court decision to invalidate the Administration's "Waters of the United States' rule."

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