Washington, D.C. -- Today, on the 46th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton proclaimed October 18, 2018 "David Zwick Day" in honor of Clean Water Action's founder. Clean Water Action and David Zwick were a driving force during the passage of the Clean Water Act, and the organization has led efforts to strengthen and defend the law over the past 46 years. Despite the law's success at making the nations water more fishable, swimmable, and drinkable, the Clean Water Act is under serious attack from corporate special interests and their allies in Congress and the White House.
Clean Water Action's President and CEO, Bob Wendelgass, celebrated the Clean Water Act and affirmed the organization's commitment to protecting the bedrock law.
"David Zwick not only helped spark the grassroots campaign to demand and win passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act, he launched a movement for clean water. He knew that writing and passing the law weren't enough, that it would need to be defended from attacks by corporate polluters and our elected officials would need encouragement from the public to strengthen and update the law over time. He built the framework to protect the Clean Water Act and found new ways to engage the public in campaigns for our water and heath. It's only right David is honored today and we thank Governor Dayton for his proclamation.
Today is a day to celebrate David and the Clean Water Act, and recommit to cleaner water and healthy communities. The threats to our water and the laws that safeguard it, are as grave as ever. The Trump administration is committed to its scheme to gut protections for streams, wetlands, and drinking water, made decisions that could allow coal plants to dump more toxic coal ash into lakes, and doing everything it can to make it more difficult to protect clean water. Corporate special interests have powerful allies in Congress who are determined to put their profits before commonsense safeguards for our health and environment.
Clean Water Action has been at the forefront of campaigns to protect clean water for 46 years. We're not going to stop now. On David Zwick Day we're going to take a page out of David's book and keep on keeping on putting people power to work to make sure our water and health are protected. "
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Since our founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table. We will protect clean water in the face of attacks from a polluter friendly Administration and Congress.
