Royal C. Gardner – författare

"Lawyers, Swamps, and Money" is an accessible, engaging guide to the complex set of laws governing America's wetlands. After explaining the importance of these critical natural areas, this book examines the evolution of federal law, principally the Clean Water Act, designed to protect them. Readers will explore topics including the fundamentals of administrative law; the geographic scope and activities covered by the Clean Water Act; the role of entrepreneurial wetland mitigation banking; and, private property rights. This book concludes with insightful policy recommendations. A prominent legal scholar, Royal C. Gardner has a rare knack for describing landmark cases and key statutes with uncommon clarity and even humour. Students and professionals will gain the thorough understanding of administrative law needed to navigate wetlands policy - and they may even enjoy it.

In 2023, the Supreme Court made one of its most devastating rulings in environmental history. By narrowing the legaldefinition of ‘waters of the United States’ (WOTUS), the court opened the floodgates to unregulated pollution. But whiletremendously consequential, the decision was also simply the latest in a long series of battles over WOTUS, and whichrivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and perhaps even farm fields were to be protected by the Clean Water Act of 1972.Waters of the United States is an unprecedented exploration of this history—and its importance for today’s efforts toconserve a critical natural resource. The book not only examines how bodies of water are legally defined (and thereforeprotected), but who gets to decide on these definitions. The result is a fascinating look at the ongoing power strugglebetween the president and federal agencies, the courts, the states, and Congress, over water quality.Waters of the United States offers the detailed analysis necessary for any lawyer or environmental advocate to understand the nuances of water policy, while spinning a compelling narrative for readers who have never cracked a law book. The unique mix of insights into environmental law, history, and politics is required reading for anyone who cares about the future of the nation’s water.