# The power struggle over the country's water quality

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576/the-power-struggle-over-the-country-s-water-quality
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576/the-power-struggle-over-the-country-s-water-quality.md
Podcast: [River to River](https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576)
Published: 2026-04-21T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/river-to-river/2026-04-21/power-struggle-countrys-water-quality-archive
Audio file: https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/4c9587f2-e550-4709-b293-ad0300ce922d/5d200c83-8a20-48a7-ab87-ad51012cafbe/5a6a3b34-c872-4f3e-9b1b-b43200fbffe9/audio.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/river-to-river-1060576/episodes/the-power-struggle-over-the-country-s-water-quality
Duration seconds: 2884

## Resource

In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the definition of the Waters of the United States in the case Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. The result of that decision is estimated to have eliminated more than half of the nation's wetland acres eligible for protections by the Clean Water Act. Host Ben Kieffer discusses that decision and how it impacts Iowa with Royal Gardner, author of 'Waters of the United States: POTUS, SCOTUS, WOTUS, and the Politics of a National Resource.' (This episode was originally produced in October 2025.)

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## Transcript

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