The recent United States Supreme Court decision to reverse the landmark Chevron doctrine will have a significant impact on duck, fisheries, and forest management in Arkansas. The Chevron doctrine, established in 1984, gave regulatory authority to executive branch departments, allowing agencies like the EPA and US Fish and Wildlife Service to make laws independently. This decision led to a 20-year battle between the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission over minimum flow regulations in rivers.
The Chevron reversal now imposes federal regulatory authority on Congress and restores the judiciary’s power to apply constitutional standards to federal regulations. This holds federal regulators accountable and allows states and private entities to question the reasoning behind federal hunting and fishing regulations. Congress will now be required to create comprehensive legislation directing regulatory processes.
This decision will have a positive impact on Arkansas’s Game and Fish Commission, allowing them to have more influence over federal agencies like the Corps of Engineers in managing water resources in wildlife management areas. It also seeks to address the damage to fisheries caused by federal policies, such as wing dams on the Arkansas River. By empowering the Commission to work as partners with federal agencies, the Chevron reversal aims to improve wildlife habitat and conservation efforts in Arkansas.
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