EPA Says Louisiana Water Lawsuit Aims to Shrink State Authority

Louisiana and 10 other states will shrink state authority over natural gas pipelines and other polluting projects if they win their legal challenge to an EPA water quality rule, the agency argued.

Eleven states led by Louisiana sued the Environmental Protection Agency in 2023, challenging its Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Rule, which governs the state approval process for federally permitted infrastructure projects such as natural gas pipelines.

The litigation pits two groups of states against each other: Eleven that support natural gas pipelines, export terminals and other interstate energy infrastructure are trying to prevent a ...