Clean Water News

  Statement of Christy Leavitt, Environment America Clean Water Advocate

The Bush administration issued a final rule today that could increase the amount of pollution in America’s waterways.  Under the U.S. EPA rule, water polluted with toxic chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants now can be dumped into rivers, lakes and streams without a Clean Water Act permit. 

We are extremely disappointed by EPA’s decision to put people, the environment, fish, and other wildlife at risk.  By exempting transfers of polluted water from the Clean Water Act, the Bush administration has again undermined one of our country’s most important environmental laws.

Environment America, other national, state and local environmental organizations and 13 state attorneys general opposed the rule when EPA proposed it in 2006.  Federal courts have made clear decisions that transfers of polluted water should be regulated by permits.  Despite this, EPA once again listened to the special interests and finalized a rule that puts the environment and public health in danger.   

The goals of the Clean Water Act are clear: eliminate the discharge of pollutants into U.S. waterways and make all waters safe for swimming and fishing.  We are more than 20 years past due in meeting these goals.  For the Bush administration to issue a new rule that increases pollution in our waterways takes us a giant step backward when we need to be moving forward.

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Environment America, a federation of state environment groups. www.environmentamerica.org