The Senate may vote as early as this week on legislation that would make it impossible to protect many important streams, wetlands, and other waters under the Clean Water Act. Please take a moment today to tell your Senators to vote NO on this dirty water legislation.The “Barrasso-Heller Dirty Water Amendment” to the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill would block the Environmental Protection Agency and US Army Corps of Engineers from working to clarify exactly what waters of the United States are protected under the Clean Water Act. After recent Supreme Court decisions, there is some legal uncertainty over how to apply the Clean Water Act. With encouragement from the court, both EPA and the Corps are already in the process of drafting more specific rules to help restore critical protections.In the Gulf, the Clean Water Act is crucial to protecting the wetlands that protect our communities from flooding and storm surge. Defining “waters of the United States” also determines whether the Clean Water Act can be used to limit the amount of pollution that can be discharged into local rivers and streams, which often serve as the source of our drinking water. The Corps and EPA need to be allowed to clarify the coverage of the CWA to ensure that wetlands and waterbodies receive the full protections of the law.Please send an email to your Senators asking them to vote NO on this dirty water legislation:http://grn.convio.net/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=314Cynthia Sarthou is GRN’s Executive Director.
