Another day, another Republican bill to harm the environment while issues like deficit reduction, job creation, and bringing our troops home remain unsolved. This time around, House Republicans are attempting to repeal key provisions of the Clean Water Act that have been critical to improving our nation’s water over the last 40 years.
This “Dirty Water” legislation that Republicans passed earlier today would return us to state-by-state regulation of clean water, the failed model that was in place before the Clean Water Act was enacted. That’s why it is opposed by environmental groups and hunting and fishing organizations across the country. President Obama has issued a statement stating that this legislation “could result in adverse impacts to human health, the economy, and the environment through increased pollution and degradation of water bodies that serve as venues for recreation and tourism, and that provide drinking water sources and habitat for fish and wildlife.”
I strongly agree and voted against the bill.
The Clean Water Act divides responsibility for water pollution prevention between the federal government and state governments. This is an approach that has worked well for decades: the law directs the Environmental Protection Agency to set clear national standards for water quality, and then states are given the authority to implement those standards. But the Republican bill would substantially limit the federal government's ability to revise standards and to oversee the states' implementation of the law.
We cannot risk endangering our rivers, streams and lakes that sustain our health and economy. They provide the clean drinking water we need. They support fish and wildlife populations. And they support millions of jobs in the Bay Area and across the nation in the tourism, outdoor recreation, and fisheries industries.
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