Effort to Loosen Water Quality Standards is Back Before Federal Court - Again

A pair of environmental groups and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are challenging the federal government’s approval of a measure that Montana lawmakers passed last year, which loosens water quality standards.

In a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Great Falls on Monday, Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, Flathead Lakers, and CSKT contend that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to approve House Bill 664 is “inconsistent with” the Clean Water Act. The complaint also argues that the EPA failed to adequately consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assess...