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Clean Water Act Citizens Suits After Gwaltney: Applying Mootness Principles In Private Enforcement Actions, Reed D. Benson

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court recently held that a citizen plaintiff must make a good-faith allegation of an ongoing violation in order to bring an enforcement action under the Clean Water Act. The decision in Gwaltney of Smithfield, Ltd. v. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc., will prevent citizens from bringing suit for the assessment of civil penalties solely for past violations of the Clean Water Act.