With families
across Michigan headed to the Great Lakes for the Fourth of July holiday, Environment
Michigan and the Huron River Watershed Council joined Congressman John Dingell
near the Huron River to urge Congress to protect the Great Lakes and pass the Clean Water
Restoration Act (H.R. 2421 and S. 1870).
The Clean
Water Restoration Act would restore Clean Water Act protections to all U.S. waterways,
from streams and wetlands to the nation’s treasured waters like the Great Lakes. Environment Michigan is campaigning across the state this
summer to pass the bill.
“The Great Lakes can only be as healthy as the streams
and wetlands that feed and clean them,” said Danielle Korpalski, Environment
Michigan Campaign Director. “Thousands of Michiganders are asking
Congress to protect the Great Lakes and pass the Clean Water Restoration Act to safeguard all
of our waters from pollution,” she added
In 1972,
Congress passed the Clean Water Act with the goals of eliminating the discharge
of pollutants into waterways and making all U.S. waters swimmable and fishable. During the last thirty-five years, the
landmark environmental law has made significant improvements in water quality
in Michigan and around the country but the
original goals have yet to be met. Making
matters worse, several recent actions have undermined our ability to reach the
goal of clean water for all Americans.
Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings, SWANCC in 2001 and Rapanos in 2006, and the subsequent Bush administration policies to
exclude waters from the Clean Water Act have put thousands of U.S. waterways at risk of unlimited pollution
and development.
As a result
of the Supreme Court decisions and administration policies, waters covered by
the Clean Water Act for decades now are threatened with losing protection. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
estimates that almost half of the streams in Michigan are headwater or seasonal streams,
the types of streams most in danger. Nearly
300,000 Michiganders get their drinking water from public water supplies that
are fed at least in part by these streams.
In addition, nearly one million acres of Michigan’s wetlands are at risk of losing
protection.
Congressman
Dingell is helping to lead a bipartisan group of 198 members of the U.S. House
and Senate, including Senators Levin and Stabenow and six other Michigan members of the House of
Representatives, in sponsoring legislation to restore federal protections to
all U.S. waters. The Clean Water Restoration Act would clarify
that Clean Water Act protections apply broadly to America’s waters, including all streams and
wetlands in the Great Lakes region.
"Because
of the Clean Water Act, rivers like the Huron are cleaner. Congress has to pass the Clean Water
Restoration Act to clean up a mess left by the Supreme Court. The Justices' interpretation of the law would
eliminate Clean Water Act protections for more than 50 percent of the nation's
wetlands and streams. The Clean Water Act has been a good thing for Michigan and for our country. Allowing the Court's 'watering down' of the
original bill to stand would be a mistake," said Congressman Dingell.
The loss of
Clean Water Act protections for streams and wetlands, the source waters for larger
rivers and lakes, will have an impact on downstream waterways. These smaller waterways
supply water, filter out pollution, slow flood water, trap sediment, and provide
habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife.
“When BP
proposed to expand its toxic pollution into Lake Michigan last summer, public outrage and Congressional
action stopped this pollution increase in its tracks,” said Korpalski. “People throughout the region showed that
they demand a higher standard of care for the Great Lakes. And the recent flooding reminds us of the
importance of wetlands and streams to absorb and slow floodwaters. So many of the country’s wetlands have
already been destroyed, we must safeguard those that remain. Congress should act now to protect the Great Lakes and all of America’s waters.”
Environment Michigan delivered more than 2,000 postcards
from Michigan residents thanking Congressman Dingell for his leadership on
the Clean Water Restoration Act.
“Michiganders should know that Congressman Dingell stands
for policies that protect the Great Lakes and our other waterways,” said Korpalski. “He was an architect of the original Clean Water
Act and is helping to lead the charge to restore protections to all of our
waters. We look forward to working with him to pass the Clean Water Restoration
Act,” she added.
The House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is likely to vote on the Clean
Water Restoration Act in the next month, with full House passage anticipated
later this summer.
Environment
Michigan called on the other members of the Michigan Congressional delegation to support
the Clean Water Restoration Act. In
particular, Environment Michigan urged Representative Candice Miller to support
the bill when it comes up for a vote in the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee.
