On Tuesday, the Supreme Court substantially weakened federal limitations on raw sewage discharge into nearby bodies of water. Its 5–4 decision will, in practice, free cities to dump substantially more sewage into rivers,

The justices ruled that the agency cannot impose generic prohibitions against violating water quality standards.

The 5-to-4 decision is the latest setback for the agency and could have sweeping implications for curtailing water pollution offshore.

An environmental lawyer who wrote an amicus brief in San Francisco v. EPA believes a criticized ruling actually means tougher standards.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling limits EPA's ability to regulate sewage discharge into U.S. waterways affecting water quality standards.

The Supreme Court's decision is the latest in which conservative justices have reined in pollution control efforts.

But over the past 50 years, some places have occasionally run afoul of the act. In San Francisco, the wastewater system discharges a mix of sewage and stormwater into the bay during major storms, often causing bacteria levels to exceed EPA regulatory standards .

The Supreme Court has made it harder for environmental regulators to limit water pollution, ruling for San Francisco in a case about the discharge of raw sewage that sometimes occurs during heavy rains.

The Supreme Court sided with San Francisco on Tuesday in its challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A majority

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that EPA cannot enforce requirements in wastewater permits that “do not spell out what a permittee must do or refrain from doing,” in a majo