This year we mark 50 years of the Clean Water Act.
When Congress passed this landmark environmental law in 1972, our waterways were suffering from centuries of nearly unchecked pollution. The Clean Water Act gave the EPA much-needed authority to regulate our waters and stop the most egregious examples of industrial pollution into our oceans, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and streams.
Fifty years later, the Clean Water Act is increasingly under attack by polluters even as the climate crisis makes its protections more important. The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in Sackett v. EPA, where a ruling against EPA would significantly erode critical CWA protections for wetlands.
In response to these attacks and the need for stronger protections as we confront the disruption to water systems resulting from the climate crisis, Congress must act again to defend and strengthen the Clean Water Act.
If the Supreme Court acts to weaken CWA protections for wetlands, Congress must act immediately to ensure the Act will continue to protect wetlands and waterways from harmful pollution.
In addition, Congress can strengthen our water protections to better respond to the climate crisis and the water crises of today. From the recent crisis in Jackson, Mississippi to the presence of forever chemicals like PFAS in drinking water systems across the country, Congress must ensure that the EPA has the full authority to regulate our waterways and guarantee clean water for everyone. Thanks.
