News
Court deals blow to salt pond development in Redwood City
San Mateo Daily Journal, October 6, 2020
By Zachary Clark Daily Journal staff
A federal district court on Monday determined the Cargill salt ponds in Redwood City are covered by federal Clean Water Act protections, adding another barrier to any future effort to develop the site.
The decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California overturns a determination made in 2019 by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration, which claimed the salt ponds are not actually “waters of the United States,” but “fast lands” exempt from CWA protections.
“This is an important victory for protecting clean water in our communities. And it’s a good reminder to the Trump administration that it can’t use the San Francisco Bay as its political playground,” said Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a statement.
