Critical Clean Water Protections Introduced in Senate Today
Clean Water Restoration Act Would Safeguard Public Health, Community Safety
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) introduced the Clean Water Restoration Act, critical legislation that would restore historic clean water protections for our nation’s streams and wetlands and protect public health and safety. Twenty-three Senators joined Senator Feingold in co-sponsoring this important legislation.
This legislation is urgently needed to restore Clean Water Act protections to the nation’s vast array of headwater streams and wetlands -- waters that are critical for clean drinking water, public safety, and fish and wildlife habitat. Protection of these waters is at risk due to recent Supreme Court decisions that called into question the scientific and legal relationship between these vitally important small streams and wetlands and large rivers downstream.
More than 160 leading freshwater scientists and engineers agree that protecting the nation’s vast array of headwater streams and wetlands is critical for clean drinking water, public safety, and fish and wildlife habitat. These scientists sent a letter to President Obama urging his support for the Clean Water Restoration Act in February of this year.
To view the letter, click here.
Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“Nothing is more vital to the health, safety and quality of life in our communities than clean water, and the science is clear that we cannot have clean water unless we protect our vast array of small streams and wetlands. Congress recognized the importance of protecting these waters when it passed the Clean Water Act thirty-seven years ago. Tragically, the Clean Water Act is now broken, and only Congress can fix the problem.”
“Every day of delay in passing the Clean Water Restoration Act is a day when the majority of the nation’s streams and 20 million acres of wetlands remain at risk from pollution and destruction. It is long past time for Congress to put an end to these dangers. We applaud Senator Feingold and his Senate co-sponsors for their leadership in ensuring that the nation’s streams and communities receive clean water protections. We urge Congress to immediately pass the Clean Water Restoration Act to ensure that all Americans get the clean water protections they deserve.”
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American Rivers is the leading organization working to protect and restore the nation’s rivers and streams. Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Since 1973, American Rivers has fought to preserve these connections, helping protect and restore more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and the annual release of America’s Most Endangered Rivers®.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 100,000 supporters, members, and volunteers nationwide. Visit www.americanrivers.org, www.facebook.com/americanrivers and www.twitter.com/americanrivers.
