A coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a federal rule published this month that would limit a state's review of energy projects under the Clean Water Act.
Attorneys general from California, Washington state and New York are leading the suit, filed July 21 in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California. The suit claims the rule, published in the Federal Register July 13, violates the Clean Water Act and “unlawfully usurps state authority to protect the quality of waters within their borders.” The suit also claims that the rule violates the Administrative Procedures Act.