Join us for a discussion with Royal C. Gardner, the Professor of Law, Hugh F. Culverhouse Chair, and Director of the Stetson Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson Law. Royal will be give a talk about his new book: Waters of the United States: POTUS, SCOTUS, WOTUS, and the Politics of a National Resource. Registration is required for this event. Register on this short form here: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5bdFxJRkM0fFafk.
In 2023, the Supreme Court made one of its most devastating rulings in environmental history. By narrowing the legal definition of ‘waters of the United States’ (WOTUS), the court opened the floodgates to unregulated pollution. But while tremendously consequential, the decision was also simply the latest in a long series of battles over WOTUS, and which rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and perhaps even farm fields were to be protected by the Clean Water Act of 1972.
Waters of the United States is an unprecedented exploration of this history—and its importance for today’s efforts to conserve a critical natural resource. The book not only examines how bodies of water are legally defined (and therefore protected), but who gets to decide on these definitions. The result is a fascinating look at the ongoing power struggle between the president and federal agencies, the courts, the states, and Congress, over water quality.
Waters of the United States offers the detailed analysis necessary for any lawyer or environmental advocate to understand the nuances of water policy, while spinning a compelling narrative for readers who have never cracked a law book. The unique mix of insights into environmental law, history, and politics is required reading for anyone who cares about the future of the nation’s water.
About the Speaker:
Royal C. Gardner is Professor of Law, Hugh F. Culverhouse Chair, and Director of the Stetson Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson Law. Royal is an internationally recognized expert in wetland law and policy. Recent projects include testifying before a World Bank arbitration panel, advising the Government of Oman regarding wetland policy, coauthoring amicus briefs on behalf of environmental scientists, and creating interdisciplinary courses that facilitate discourse among experienced scientists, policymakers, and students. His research and scholarship focus on U.S. and international wetland legal and policy issues, with an emphasis on biodiversity offsets.