Water Environment Federation Supports Clean Water Restoration Act
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has sent a
letter to Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) of the House Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee in support of H.R. 2421, The Clean Water
Restoration Act (CWRA). Intended to restore the original jurisdiction
of the Clean Water Act, the legislation was introduced in response to
recent Supreme Court cases that began to narrow the scope of the
federal government’s protection of smaller water bodies, such as small
tributaries and intermittent streams.
“As water quality professionals, we believe it is vitally important
to clarify what should be defined as waters of the United States”, said
WEF President Adam Zabinski. “WEF fully supports a watershed approach
in addressing water quality issues but it will only work if all
waterbodies within a given watershed receive protection under the Clean
Water Act. We commend this action by Chairman Oberstar and his House
co-sponsors to proactively address this issue and clear up any
confusion caused by the recent court rulings.”
For more than
three decades the U.S. Clean Water Act has been utilized by federal and
state governments to clean up the nation’s most polluted waters and
protect smaller waterbodies and wetland areas from pollution and
development. Some of those protections ended after two U.S. Supreme
Court decisions - Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
v. Army Corps of Engineers and Rapanos et ux., et at. v. United States
- left about 20 million acres of geographically isolated wetlands at
risk and 60% of the nation’s stream miles unprotected.
The
CWRA, introduced in the House of Representatives by Chairman Oberstar
last May, restores those protections and clears up confusion created by
the rulings. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) introduced the companion
bill in the Senate in August. The legislation does not expand the
jurisdiction of the federal government or place increased regulatory
restrictions on wastewater treatment plants, agriculture, and
forestry. WEF’s letter of support was sent on November 6th conditioned
on the understanding that the legislation will not affect the current
regulatory wastewater treatment exemptions.
“I appreciate
WEF’s support for this important bill,” said Chairman Oberstar. “With
enactment of this legislation, the understanding of clean water
jurisdiction that existed for nearly 30 years will be reestablished,
there will be regulatory certainty, and the nation will be better able
to protect and maintain its water-related environment. WEF’s support
for the bill will put us one step closer to restoring the environmental
protections afforded by the Clean Water Act.”
A hearing on the legislation is scheduled for December 6th. For more information, visit www.wef.org.