Update Aug 2: Congress is now adjourning for their summer break until September 6. Many of the dirty water bills and riders that are listed below are now on hold. However, many representatives and senators go back to their districts/states to talk to their constituents, if you have the opportunity, tell them to oppose all the “dirty water” bills.
Thank you for all of your calls and actions.
We will keep you updated as new developments arise.
We lost a battle, but we can still win the war.
The War on Water, as we’ve discussed here, is a coordinated group of attacks on our nation’s water laws that would destroy the Clean Water Act, gut the Environmental Protection Agency and set our nation back 40 years in clean water protection. This “war” is being waged with an arsenal of bills and riders (attachments to bills) that force us to coordinate our response on several different fronts.
That is why we are asking everyone to contact their U.S. Representative (and in some cases, U.S. Senator) at least once, or even better, every time one of these bills comes up for a vote. Please stay tuned to this website, follow us on Facebook, and/or the Clean Water Network’s excellent website that monitors these bills. We, and clean water advocates throughout the nation, are sending a strong message that these kind of attacks are not going unnoticed!
Here’s how to get started:
Call your Representative and say something like this to the staff person who answers the phone: “I oppose all the “dirty water” bills that would destroy our nation’s water laws.” It is important to name which bills you oppose (i.e.–House Appropriations Bill for the Interior and Environment) because they keep a record of comments per bill. See below for the list of dirty water bills. Be sure to tell your Representative that you will be watching to see how they vote!
Here is a summary and update on the “dirty water” bills:
(We don’t want to overwhelm you, but do want you to know that we are not using the term “war” lightly.)
1. HR 2018 (Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011)
HR 2018 guts some of the most important protections in the Clean Water Act by severely weakening EPA’s authority. As a New York Times editorial put it: “This bill is not about protecting states’ powers. It is about allowing industries, farmers and municipalities to pollute.”
UPDATE: HR 2018 passed the House on 7/14/11. See how your Representative voted.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Send an email of thanks or disappointment depending on how your Representative voted. Stay tuned to call your Senator when this bill goes to the Senate.
2. House Appropriations Bill for Interior & Environment
This spending measure significantly slashes Interior Department, Forest Service and EPA spending. It has several ugly riders that would:
- Block EPA from finalizing a guidance document that clarifies what waters are protected under the Clean Water Act;
- Delay EPA from issuing new rules on stormwater discharges, stream buffers, thermal discharges;
- Prevent EPA from developing and proposing standards for the use of cooling water at power plants;
- Remove EPA’s authority to regulate pesticide discharges;
- Prevent rules to protect streams & block EPA oversight of mountaintop removal coal mining;
- Prevent the regulation of coal ash as a hazardous substance;
- Remove EPA’s authority to make stormwater programs more effective; and
- Prevent the regulation of stormwater discharges from many forestry operations.
UPDATE (Aug 2): The full House was expected to take up the measure the week of July 25, 2011; we will post results here as soon as we know.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Thank you to all of our members who called their Representative and told them to oppose the House Appropriations Bill for Interior and Environment. This bill has several destructive riders that would set our nation back years in its progress toward clean water. (See list above.)
3. H.R. 1391 (Recycling Coal Combustion Residuals Accessibility Act of 2011)
H.R. 1391 is a bill that would prevent EPA from regulating coal ash as a hazardous substance. See our post for talking points.
UPDATE: H.R. 1391 went through a mark-up and will go back to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Call your Representative. Tell him/her that you know Illinois has the second greatest number of coal ash contamination sites in the nation, and that you want our water protected from the toxic chemicals in coal ash. The EPA must be able to regulate coal ash by adopting science-based regulations to protect health and the environment.
4. H.R. 2273 (Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act)
H.R. 2273 is a misleading bill that would hinder the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from establishing federally enforceable safeguards for the disposal of coal ash. This bill would leave hundreds of communities who live near these toxic sites vulnerable to coal ash pollution, specifically in their drinking water.
UPDATE: This bill passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee on a vote of 35-12 on 7/13/11 and was expected to go to the House floor the week of July 18, 2011; we will post results here as soon as we know.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Thank you to all of our members who called their Representative and told them there should be federally enforceable safeguards to protect our drinking water from the arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury and other chemicals in coal ash.
4. S 718 (Pesticide Clean Water Act Exemption)
S 718 eliminates Clean Water Act protections against pesticide pollution.
UPDATE: The Senate Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 872 (the bill’s House version) during a closed-door business meeting. The bill will goe to the Senate floor for a vote.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: THIS ONE REQUIRES A CALL TO YOUR SENATOR. Tell him/her that reducing pesticide pollution is important to you and that you oppose this attempt to remove Clean Water Act protections.
5. H.R. 2401 (Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2012)
H.R. 2401 would delay by 18 months two significant rules to clean up coal-fired power plants’ mercury and ozone pollution and has an amendment that would block two of the rules that have drawn concern from electric utilities: the Mercury/Air Toxics Standards and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. Power plant mercury emissions rapidly accumulate in fish and other aquatic wildlife, which has led every state to issue consumption advisories for fish based on high mercury levels.
UPDATE: H.R. 2401 cleared a key congressional committee with support from both parties.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Stay tuned by email or Facebook and be prepared to make a call.
6. H.R.2354 Water & Energy Appropriations Spending bill 26-20, section 109
H.R. 2354 is a rider that kills the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers guidance designed to restore Clean Water Act protections.
UPDATE: This bill passed the House on 7/15/11. It moves on to the Senate.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please let your Senator know that you oppose this spending bill, which would eliminate the Obama Administration’s ability to finalize the new clean water guidance and undertake a rule-making, both of which are top clean water priorities.
7. House Appropriations Committee USDA Conservation Funding
This bill would inflict serious cuts to programs that pay farmers to protect wetlands and waterways. It would cut $171 million from the Conservation Stewardship Program and $350 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. It would reduce eligible acreage for sign up to the Wetlands Reserve Program and Grasslands Reserve Program.
UPDATE: This bill will go to the House floor for vote.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Call your Representative and let him/her know that you oppose the cuts to these important agricultural programs to protect wetlands and waterways, and you want the funding to be restored.
