The US Supreme Court will decide whether to overturn rules aimed at protecting wetlands.
The justices heard oral arguments in a case challenging whether the Clean Water Act covers wetlands that are not directly in contact with navigable waters.
Scott Strand is a senior attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center. He says in the past the court has agreed they should be protected.
“In other words, that the Clean Water Act does not just is not just limited to rivers, lakes and streams that you can float a boat in, but extends to things like wetlands, where a pollution of a wetland could lead to pollution of the downstream water.” said Strand.
Conservative groups say the government rules implementing the Clean Water Act go too far and amount to government overreach.
Michigan's environment department says the state's wetlands face threats from agriculture, development, and invasive species.