Missouri’s waterways need a voice, and we are here to serve as that voice!

Henry Robertson, Climate and Energy Director at Great Rivers, filed an opening brief in the Missouri Supreme Court in a suit against the State of Missouri over its passage of House Bill 1713 in (HB 1713), which endangers Missouri’s water quality by upsetting the balance between the public interest and regulated interests at the Clean Water Commission. The Commission enforces the federal Clean Water Law and grants permits to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).

Henry Robertson, Climate and Energy Director at Great Rivers Environmental Law Center

Great Rivers represents the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) and Carolyn Johnson, a resident of Stoddard County on this matter. They challenge the bill because the way the legislature passed it in 2016 was unconstitutional. The bill was originally about “wastewater treatment systems,” so it was misleading to add such a wide-reaching change to the bill as the composition of the Commission. However, the Court ended up dismissing the lawsuit because the plaintiffs did not have “standing” to sue; in particular, none of their tax money was spent on the Commission.

You can read Henry’s full brief here, and learn more about this case in our December press release.