Mealey's (August 7, 2019, 12:58 PM EDT) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thirteen states and the District of Columbia filed an amicus curiae brief in the nation’s high court July 19 in support of environmental groups seeking affirmation of a Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ ruling that held a Hawaii county was required under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for discharges from a point source that reach the Pacific Ocean through soil and groundwater, arguing that the act promotes federalism by empowering states to protect their navigable waterways (County of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund, et al., No. 18-260, U.S. Sup.)....