States at the forefront of fights over wetlands protections after justices slash federal rules

The Supreme Court in May sharply curtailed the Clean Water Act's power to protect millions of acres of wetlands. After the federal court decision, the fight over wetlands protections will be fought more often at the state level. Roughly half of states link their protections to standards set by the federal government, and those protections will weaken after the justices' decision. Some states may try and strengthen their rules. Others like North Carolina can loosen them after the federal change, a win for developers and agricultural groups.