Recent action

Will Congress protect our waterways?

As the U.S. House and Senate prepared this spring for hearings on legislation to restore clean water protections for smaller streams and wetlands, Environment America built support for the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would reinstate protections for all of America’s waters.  Our work has helped to enlist 175 representatives and 21 senators as co-sponsors of the bill. 

Over the past five years, the Bush administration’s “No Protection” policies, along with decisions made by the Supreme Court that favor polluters, have chipped away at protections for streams and wetlands by narrowly defining the Clean Water Act. The Bush administration’s policies put 59 percent of stream miles in the continental United States at risk of increased pollution. More than 110 million Americans rely on drinking water fed by these streams.

During our lobby day in March, we worked to cultivate the leadership of the Great Lakes states’ congressional delegation, including co-sponsoring Reps. John Dingell (Mich.) and Rahm Emanuel (Ill.).

Environment America denounces EPA smog decision

Environment America continued to press for stronger smog standards that force polluters to clean up air pollution. On Jan. 3, Margie Alt, Environment America’s executive director, joined several of our allies in urging EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to strengthen the nation’s smog standards. Unfortunately, he failed to raise limits on smog pollution to the level needed to protect public health, and actually took the opportunity to change the way that smog rules are set, arguing that the cost to polluters should be a factor.

Half of all Americans live in places where air pollution threatens public health. Several studies and the agency’s own recommendations say that the new smog standards are too low to fully protect our health. 

We’re pushing for stronger protections for rivers, lakes and streams.