The U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous March 21 ruling, said that an Idaho couple could legally challenge an Environmental Protection Agency compliance order that told them to restore wetlands on property they had purchased to build a new home.
Construction industry groups say the case is not only a win for landowners, but also for developers and construction firms. “It’s a victory for all people who develop land, not just the small mom and pops” says Tom Ward, vice president of legal advocacy for the National Association of Home Builders, which filed a “friend of the court” brief in the case.