This is part of what may become one of the most controversial and important decisions in environmental land use laws in decades. Luckily for environmental protection, this simply states that landowners should have rapid court review if so desired. But it points out that the other issues in this case, championed by anti-environmental groups, still have to be resolved by a court that is showing itself to be willing to roll back decades of protections. More to come.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that property owners have a right to prompt review by a judge of an important tool used by the Environmental Protection Agency to address water pollution. The court sided with an Idaho couple who object to an EPA order that blocked construction of their new home near a scenic lake and threatened fines of more than $30,000 a day. The agency said part of the property was a wetlands that could not disturbed without a permit.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/03/21/2447060/court-sides-with-property-owners.html