Fred Wagner, Partner at Venable, LLC in Washington, D.C. has been a practicing environmental lawyer for 35 years. The debate around a definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) has persisted his entire career, and is likely to continue. The recent Sackett v. EPA introduces new uncertainty into an already fraught regulatory landscape. 

“If you've been looking for certainty over the last three or four decades over the definition of WOTUS, you've been sorely disappointed.”

Fred Wagner saw the debate over what constitutes Waters of the United States (WOTUS) begin the year he graduated law school, and he’s been at the center of his work ever since—on behalf of those trying to apply for permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, on behalf of the government trying to enforce, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. He’s even written a Supreme Court Amicus brief in the second litigation dealing with the recent Sackett v. EPA case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). 

Mike Rolband’s environmental career has spanned more than 40 years. What started as a path in construction and real estate development eventually led to his development of one of the first mitigation banks in the country. Now, Rolband serves as Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Director of the Department of Environmental Quality.

Jessie Mahr, Director of Technology at Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), has dedicated her career to all things wetland. She believes better technology and better data are the keys to impactful environmental decision-making. 

Ecobot, the premier digital solution for mandatory pre-construction assessments, has launched a new version of the platform, enabling all environmental consultants across the country to leverage the core benefits of a proven digitized permitting workflow that has been used to generate over 85,000 regulatory reports. New customers can begin a free subscription using the self-service portal at ecobot.com. 

Ever-changing Waters of the United States (WOTUS) policy impacts both the regulatory and consulting spaces, as well as environment and infrastructure.