The Army Corps of Engineers did not announce any official response to the ruling. A lawyer for the Army Corps of Corps, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that it would review the decision and consult with other federal agencies, but gave no indication of how the decision would affect its permit process. What is considered an isolated body of water will only be defined with decisions by the Army Corps of Engineers to refuse permits and ruling by the court, says Rosenburg. The Army Corps of Engineers does not refuse many permits. Read broadly, the decision potentially eliminates federal control over discharges from factories, sewage treatment plants, and other 'point sources' into intrastate, isolated bodies of water.
Wetlands serve much the same purpose for the environment that kidneys serve for the human body.
They filter contaminants, such as nitrogen, out of water. In addition, wetlands help to prevent flooding because the thirsty roots of trees and plants that make them up absord water. Wetlands are important sanctuaries to migratory birds particularly seasonal ponds that could be greatly affected by the Supreme Court's ruling, says Rosenburg. Critics of the decision argue that states are not prepared monitor these wetlands properly. In addition, environmentalists argue that the states do not have the necessary laws in place to protect these wetlands.