After a decade and a half of litigation and federal regulatory changes, the U.S. Supreme Court may soon decide whether Michael and Chantell Sackett can build a home for themselves on a vacant lot they own in a suburban subdivision next to Priest Lake in Northern Idaho.
Their lot has sat untouched since 2007. That was when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told the Sacketts that their property contained wetlands regulated by the Clean Water Act. The couple, said the agency, must get a federal permit before continuing with construction or pay daily fines of up to $75,000.
