BEC has signed on to this letter urging senators to VOTE NO on dirty water amendments to appropriations legislation that undermine the Clean Water Act Dear Senator: Our organizations and our millions of members and supporters urge you to oppose all dirty water amendments and riders proposed for inclusion in appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2015. Clean water has consistently ranked as a top environmental concern for Americans in Gallup polls since 1989. The science is clear that what happens upstream, in small streams and wetlands, impacts the quality and health of downstream tributaries and larger rivers. These waters contribute to our drinking water supplies, support recreation and the businesses that depend upon it, and reduce flooding. We urge you to stand strong for clean water and oppose amendments that undermine the Clean Water Act in appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2015. For almost thirty years, the Clean Water Act was interpreted to provide comprehensive protections for water bodies across the country, from the smallest headwater streams to the Mississippi River. Following two Supreme Court decisions, protections for small streams and wetlands were put into question, leaving nearly 2 million stream miles (excluding Alaska) that contribute to the drinking water supplies of 117 million Americans vulnerable to pollution and degradation. The proposed Clean Water Rule is an important step towards clarifying protections for waters that contribute to our drinking water supplies, protect us from flooding, and support recreation and economic activity. Right now, the status quo of uncertainty surrounding what waters are and are not covered under the Clean Water Act works for polluters. Declining enforcement and increasing uncertainty over what waters are protected has become business as usual. For example, more than 1,500 major pollution investigations under the Clean Water Act of spills of bacteria, chemicals, and other pollutants into...
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 17:50:04 +0000
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