As Americans, we take for granted that the water we drink, swim in, and fish in is clean. In the not so recent past, this was not the case. Rivers were catching on fire and many rivers and lakes were dead. To a large extent, we owe our clean water to Congress passing the Clean Water Act in the 1970s. Now Congress is seeking to gut this vital piece of law. All of the waters of the United States need your help! GRN canoe trip on the Leaf River in Hattiesburg, MS – June 11th 2011Congress will soon vote on a series of Dirty Water bills that will weaken EPA’s ability to ensure that your waters are clean. These “Dirty Water Bills” sacrifice public health by removing protections that safeguard our water. Congress will soon vote on 3 dirty water bills. They are:HR 2018 (the so called Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011) would reduce the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to make sure state rules for allowable pollution entering our waters are adequate to safeguard human health , as well as the health of local rivers and streams;S 718 (Pesticide Clean Water Act Exemption) will eliminate Clean Water Act protections against pesticide pollution;The Water & Energy Appropriations Spending bill 26-20, section 109, will kill recent guidance issued by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear up confusion about what wetlands and water bodies are covered by the Clean Water Act. This guidance is the first step in a process to restore protection for streams from pollution and wetlands from destruction.For forty years, the Clean Water Act has been critical to protect our nation’s water and wetlands from pollution and destruction. If these bills are passed, Congress could turn back the clock and put the health of millions of Americans, as well as fish, and wildlife at risk.Please send a message to your Senators and Representative today. Tell them that a return to the days of Dirty Water is unacceptable and that votes for these bills are a vote for dirty water.http://grn.convio.net/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=257Cyn Sarthou is GRN’s Executive Director
