Four Decades
Clean Water Currents | Summer 2011
water is fundamental
Dirty water kills. Dirty water kills fish in our rivers and streams. Dirty water can sicken people, killing the most vulnerable…the young, the old or those with other illnesses. And dirty water kills jobs in fishing, tourism and other recreational businesses…multi-billion dollar industries in the US.
It seems like some legislators have forgotten how important clean water is, and the sorry state of our nation’s water resources forty years ago that led to passage of the Clean Water Act.
epa water initiative draws fire
U.S. House leaders promote "Dirty Water" bills and worse
Proudly proclaimed by its sponsors as the “Rein In EPA Act,” [H.R. 2018] would further weaken the Clean Water Act and overturn years of precedent by stripping EPA of its ability to oversee state pollution decisions and enforce the law.
This April, the Obama Administration announced plans to begin restoring critical water protections lost over the past decade. Two key agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, proposed steps long sought by Clean Water Action and others that would clarify what waters and wetlands should be protected under the Clean Water Act.
Not So Clean
The Administration’s March 2011 “Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future” presents a strong commitment to transforming the U.S. energy economy and curbing the global warming pollution which is already making current water problems even worse. Unfortunately, some of the plan’s recommendations include not-so-clean energy sources which pose particular threats to water.
fracking fights:
Rush to Drill Threatens Water
The rush to extract natural gas deposits trapped underground in layers of shale rock poses a huge threat to air and water quality in areas where drilling happens.
Budget Battles: What’s Water Got to Do With It?
In a Congress increasingly hostile to protections for clean air and water the attacks are coming fast and furious. This February’s budget showdown featured multiple “riders” aimed at undermining laws and agencies charged with environmental and health protection. The “riders” are a back-door way of using large bills like those on budgets to push through special-interest measures that are often totally unrelated. In this case, the riders served polluters’ narrow interests.
diesel clean-up: moving forward
Want to improve air quality where you live, work, commute or play AND do something about climate change at the same time?
More than half of U.S. black carbon comes from diesels: 41% from engines in on-road vehicles such as trucks, and another 16% from engines used off-road, often in construction equipment.
Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund organizers across the country are focused on helping people do just that this summer as construction season begins. Older, dirtier diesel engines and equipment will be in and around our neighborhoods contributing to new and upgraded community infrastructure but also causing air-pollution-related health and climate impacts.
taking out the trash
A recent report by Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund in California spotlights the litter from disposable plastics and other single-use containers, napkins and fast-food packaging. These are the culprits in the flood of 
trash making its way from city streets and neighborhoods into area waterways and then the ocean. Volunteer Òtrash patrolsÓ surveyed San Francisco area neighborhoods for the report, which has received national news attention. The report identifies specific companies behind much of the trash and strengthens the case for legislation already pending to ban disposable "Styrofoam" packaging at fast-food and convenience stores in the state.
Publication Date:
07/14/2011
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