For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have used broad and vague interpretations of the Clean Water Act to regulate almost every water imaginable. This has undermined property rights, led to massive confusion, and frightened landowners, including farmers from engaging in ordinary activities. The United States Supreme Court just released its much-anticipated opinion in Sackett v. EPA. The case deals with one of the most important and longstanding environmental law questions in recent memory: What waters can be regulated under the Clean Water Act?

Join Pacific Legal Foundation Attorney Charles Yates, who represents Chantell and Mike Sackett, and CEI Deputy Director of the Center for Energy and Environment Daren Bakst, in conversation with CEI President Kent Lassman for a discussion of the Court’s landmark opinion, explaining the implications for landowners, the rule of law, and what we might expect from Congress and the Biden administration.

When: 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Register: https://cei-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5-DUddIIRl2iww7UQZyALg

Sign up to join the conversation live and receive a link to the video archive following the event.

Registration confirmation and event reminder emails will be sent from CEI Events at [email protected]  

Questions: [email protected] or 202.331.2764

Daren Bakst is deputy director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and Environment.  Before joining CEI, Daren was a senior research fellow in environmental policy and regulation at the Heritage Foundation, and he worked on environmental policy and regulation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the John Locke Foundation. Bakst received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from George Washington University. A licensed attorney, he holds a law degree from the University of Miami and a master of laws degree from American University.

Kent Lassman hosts and moderates the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Online Event series. His day job as CEI president and CEO involves managing the organization’s operations and overseeing strategy for policy, communications, and development. Since CEI’s Online Event series began in early 2020, Lassman has interviewed policy makers and leading thinkers, including Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), then-EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and Harvard’s Cass Sunstein.

Charles Yates is an attorney in Pacific Legal Foundation’s environmental practice group, where he litigates to defend private property rights and uphold the structural protections guaranteed by the Constitution’s separation of powers. His practice at PLF focuses primarily on the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and related regulatory issues. After obtaining a B.A. in political science and international relations from the University of Western Australia, Yates earned his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

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