Comments call on agencies to officially adopt robust protections under the Clean Water Act
For Immediate Release.
WASHINGTON – Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Clean Water Network delivered support from nearly 100 groups Monday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers urging federal policymakers to officiallyrescind the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule (also known as the ‘Dirty Water Rule’) and restore protections for our nation’s waterways. In addition, Environment America Research & Policy Center and Environmental Action submitted 18,316 comments from their individual members on this issue.
This action comes as the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers consider which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act,
“The Trump Administration’s Dirty Water Rule left too many of our nation’s waters without federal protection from polluters,” said Environment America Research & Policy Center Clean Water Program Director John Rumpler. “We call on the EPA to officially repeal this destructive rollback, and urge the agency to quickly restore protections to all our streams and wetlands.”
The waters under consideration are enormously valuable but at tremendous risk. Headwaters and streams that do not flow year-round help provide drinking water to millions of people, support fish and estuaries prized for angling and recreation, and feed America’s rivers, lakes and bays. Wetlands filter out pollutants, protect communities from flooding, and provide habitat for wildlife. Today’s comments continue a steady drumbeat of public support on this issue. More than one million Americans — including 1,000 local officials, business owners and other community leaders – have previously urged the agency to restore Clean Water Act protections for all waterways.
“In adopting the Clean Water Act nearly 50 years ago, our nation resolved to make all of America’s waterways clean,” Rumpler added. “This administration can only serve that legacy by restoring federal protection to all of the waterways on which we – and our ecosystems – depend.”
