National
Clean Water Policies
our wetlands and streams are at risk.
the president can do something about that.
Today, nearly 20 million acres of wetlands are at risk. Because they lack protection under the Clean Water Act, these vital parts of our water infrastructure are vulnerable to destruction by unaccountable polluters. The President has proposed to fix this problem and protect ALL of our wetlands. We support him and we need you to join us. Here's why:
- Wetlands protect us from floods – one acre of wetlands can hold 1 million gallons of floodwaters
- They provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife
- Wetlands provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and support local economies
The solution is simple: update the Clean Water Act to cover ALL wetlands. The President and the EPA have a plan to do that. We just need to make sure they know how much you support protections for our wetlands.
Help us continue our clean water progress and contact the President today!
Our Air & Fracking
methane, benzene, & sulfur dioxide
State governments in Marcellus country and in regions rich with oil and gas are failing us when it comes to protecting the air we breathe from drilling pollution. The oil and gas industry
releases millions of pounds of pollutants like methane, benzene, and
sulfur dioxide into our air each year. With little federal ovesight and poor regulation by the states, these toxins are making us sick.
We can change this! - if the EPA Acts.
You + Me + Congress = Action on Climate and Energy Legislation!
post by Christine LeMieux, Global Warming and Energy Programs Coordinator
While media headlines as of late are dominated by the latest healthcare happenings on the Hill, progress on climate and energy legislation continues. Both issues are related to critical questions about how we will take care of our public health and our economy in the coming decades. Over the past month, 6 Senate committees have held hearings and action is expected after Congress returns from recess in September.
A successful 2011
because of the power of clean water action members
We were able to make exciting progress in protecting our water and our health in 2011. With you at our side, Clean Water Action is going to be even stronger in 2012.
2011, which was shaping up to be dominated by attacks on environmental programs, ended being the Year of the Clean Water Advocate. It’s amazing how hard you and other Clean Water Action members worked to protect water for ALL of us. With your support and advocacy we made a powerful statement in 2011.
From the Blog
what's in store for 2012?
By Lynn Thorp, National Programs Director
On the first day back after the New Year, with 2011 and all the resolution making behind us, I wondered what would be in store for our work in 2012. If yesterday’s Washington Post is any indication, maybe we’ll find a renewed understanding of the critical need to protect public health and natural resources.
On the front page, above the fold, we learned that our nation’s public water systems and waste water systems need to upgrade and replace our water infrastructure to the tune of over $300 billion.
Update the Clean Water Act
clean water progress
Under current federal policies many water bodies are vulnerable to pollution and destruction. The Obama Administration has proposed to fix this problem but powerful special interests oppose this clean water progress. Last year, their allies in Congress attempted to block the Administration’s proposals several times last year. With your help we fended off those attacks.
As 2012 begins, we need to remind the White House that people support clean water policies and that they need to keep this process moving.
Stopping the Riders
ending the polluter free-for-all
Once again some in Congress want to load up spending bills with their dirty water and air agendas.
For years most streams and nearly 20 million acres of wetlands that provide drinking water for nearly 117 million Americans have languished without protections. Because these vitalparts of our water infrastructure are unprotected, polluters have been able to trash them without consequence. It's time to fix that. The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are working to address this problem.
Tell the Senate: Stop the Polluter Free-For-All!
Instead of supporting these efforts, many in Congress are standing in the way of this clean water progress. An Amendment by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), would permenantly bar the Army Corps from completing this essential work, ensuring that 117 million Americans won't have access to clean drinking water.
It's not just our water that Congress is aiming for. As the year comes to a close, both the Senate and the House are determined to make December a polluter-free-for-all when it comes to our air and health protections too. Whether it's allowing industry to emit unlimited amounts of arsenic, forcing the EPA to ignore science when it comes to Mountain Top Removal Coal mining, or not protecting the drinking water for 117 million of us, Congress is showing us who they really represent.
Preventing Accountability
the dirty water amendment: helping polluters avoid accountability
Nine years ago, the Bush Administration broke the Clean Water Act. Following two confusing Supreme court decisions, Administration policy opened millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of streams across this country to pollution without accountablity. This policy has prevented the EPA from prosecuting polluters and put drinking water for 117 million Americans at risk. We've been working to reverse this and fix the Clean Water Act ever since.
Tell the Senate: It's time to fix the Clean Water Act, not weaken it!
Coal's Dirty Backside
By now, most people are aware of the devastating impacts coal mining — especially the kind that removes entire mountaintops — can have on water and on the natural landscapes where it takes place. Similarly, the pollution that spews from power plant stacks where coal is burned is widely understood as a major water pollution source and public health threat, to say nothing of the added global warming burden. Mercury from coal plants is one of the main sources of contamination that has made so many fish caught by recreational fishing unsafe to eat.Clean Water Currents | Fall 2011
we can’t live without clean water. it’s that simple.
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Clean Water Currents Fall 2011
It's That Simple | Dirty Water Caucus in Congress | Fixing the Clean Water Act | Fracking Fights | Clean Water Jobs | Ban the Foam | Scoring Congress | Coal's Dirty Backside | Your Impact on Water Download Clean Water Currents
But sometimes, the people we elect seem to forget that. They’ve been
forgetting it a lot lately in Washington, DC and in too many of our
state capitols. But with your support, we keep reminding them how
important clean water is… to our health, to our quality of life, to our
economy and to our jobs!
This fall marked the 39th anniversary of the Clean Water Act — one of
our most successful environmental laws ever! The Clean Water Act has
restored lakes, rivers and streams around the country to health.
Because of this law, the Cuyahoga River doesn’t catch on fire, our Great
Lakes have come back to life, and thousands of rivers and streams are
healthier now than they’ve been in fifty years! But instead of
celebrating our progress, those of us who care about our water find
ourselves defending against an all-out assault.
