A federal appeals court ruled on June 18 that the Environmental Protection Agency acted unlawfully in declining to update water pollution control standards for seven major industries.

The industries include petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturers, and factories that manufacture plastics, fertilizer, pesticides and nonferrous metals.  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with conservation groups that the Clean Water Act requires the EPA to consider technological advancements in controlling water pollution when the agency updates its pollution reduction standards, known as effluent limitation guidelines.  

The EPA has not updated 80 percent of the 59 categories of water-pollution technology standards in more than 30 years.