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Page Number: 42

8 

SACKETT v. EPA 

THOMAS, J., concurring 

done, . . . which tends to destroy the navigable capacity of
one of the navigable waters of the United States”); see also 
Northern  Pacific  R.  Co.  v.  United  States,  104  F.  691,  693 
(CA8 1900); Coombs, 12 Pet., at 78.  It does not mean that 
the land itself is a navigable water.2 

The  history  of  federal  regulation  of  navigable  waters 
demonstrates that Congress’ authority over navigation, as
traditionally understood, was narrow but deep.  It only ap-
plied to a discrete set of navigable waters and could only be 
used  to  keep  those  waters  open  for  interstate  commerce.
See Port of Seattle, 255 U. S., at 63; Rio Grande Dam & Ir-
rigation  Co.,  174  U. S.,  at  709.    Yet,  where  Congress  had 
authority,  it  displaced  the  States’  traditional  sovereignty
over their navigable waters and allowed Congress to regu-
late  activities  even  on  land  that  could  directly  cause  ob-
structions to navigable capacity.  Gilman, 3 Wall., at 724– 
725; Coombs, 12 Pet., at 78. 

In  light  of  the  depth  of  this  new  federal  power,  it  was
carefully  limited—mere  “effects”  on  interstate  commerce
were not sufficient to trigger Congress’ navigation author-
ity.  As one District Court presciently observed in interpret-
ing the term “navigable waters of the United States” in the 
Steamboat Act of 1838: 

“To  make  a  particular  branch  of  commerce  or  trade 
within a state, a part of the commerce among the sev-
eral  states,  it  would  not  be  sufficient  that  it  was  re-
motely connected with that commerce among the sev-
eral states; for almost everything and every occupation
and  employment  in  life  are  remotely  connected  with 

—————— 

2 The  early  20th  century  also  saw  the  Reclamation  Act  of  1902,  ch. 
1093, 32 Stat. 388; Federal Power Act, ch. 285, 41 Stat. 1063; Oil Pollu-
tion Act, 1924, ch. 316, 43 Stat. 604; and Flood Control Act of 1936, ch. 
688, 49 Stat. 1570, all of which relied on navigability.  See Walston 724– 
726.  Although the Acts were also designed to achieve incidental benefits
such  as  pollution  control,  Congress  located  its  authority  in  preserving 
navigation.  Ibid.