Southeast Michigan Beaches Some of Most Polluted in State; Great Lakes Region Most Frequently Contaminated

Macomb, MI - Pollution from stormwater runoff and sewage overflows continue to plague America's beaches, contributing to 119 closing and advisory days in Southeast Michigan (including beaches in Macomb, Monroe, Wayne, and St. Clair counties) and the second-highest number of closing and advisory days nationwide in more than two decades last year, according to the 21st annual beachwater quality report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

re: Perchlorate Regulatory Determination
RIN: 2040-AF02 / 2040-AF08
January 13, 2011

Pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA must regulate a contaminant if it may have an adverse effect on human health, if it is known to occur (or there is a substantial likelihood that the contaminant will occur) in public water systems with a frequency and at levels of public health concern; and if its regulation would present a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public water systems.¹

Precipitous drops in Pennsylvania's support for environmental protection, inspection and enforcement, since 2000

State support for core environmental protection halved

In 2008, the Green Communities Act was passed and it set in place new energy efficiency standards that greatly expanded current programs, creating an opening for quality green jobs creation in Massachusetts. In 2009, the state’s utility companies incorporated suggestions to create good quality green jobs, provide pathways out of poverty for local residents and jumpstart global warming reductions in communities around the state. These suggestions came from the Green Justice Coalition (GJC) a group of climate activists, low-income communities and labor groups; Clean Water Action is one of these groups.

Naturally vegetated buffers along streams are good for Pennsylvania's communities, environment and economy. They help to filter out pollution from runoff, prevent erosion and flooding, and provide important habitat for aquatic life.

Clean Water Action surveyed municipalities in more than a dozen counties across Pennsylvania and found that 192 municipalities had a riparian buffer ordinance and over 30% of those ordinances required 100 foot or greater buffers on some streams.

Executive Summary

For decades, the Clean Water Act protected the Nation's surface water bodies from unregulated pollution and rescued them from the crisis status they were in during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now these vital protections are being lost. This report details the threat to our Nation's waters by examining dozens of case studies, and highlights the urgent need for Congress to restore full Clean Water Act protections to our waters.

Less than three days after the Bush Administration left office, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has overturned the State of South Dakota's approval of the massive BigStone II coal-fired power plant. The EPA's decision comes after the state failed to require state-of-the-art pollution controls for the coal plant that would address concerns about harmful soot, smog and global warming pollution.

EPA decision on Big Stone II, part 1 (pdf, 2.12 MB)

In our annual report:

• Two years of victories
• Our priority issues: clean water, healthy legacy, Great Lakes, Global Warming and clean energy
• Staff transition updates, and strategic planning
• What's next for Clean Water: future work and key strategies

See our full annual report. (1234 kb, pdf)

Evidence from decades of scientific scrutiny has overcome skepticism that mankind can alter the climate of the Earth. In 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change (IPCC) issued a scientifica assessment, concluding, "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last fifty years is attributable to human activities."

Releases of untreated or partially treated sewage and industrial wastes threaten our water, beaches, health and overall quality of life.

Get the report, October 2001 (pdf, 139 KB)