Polluters Use Courts to Bypass Clean Water Act
Chris Thomas, News Director
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Environmental groups say the Clean Water Act needs some cleaning up. A new bill in Congress would clarify what most people already assumed -- that U.S. lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands have federal protection from industrial pollution. But in recent court cases, industries and developers have challenged the 30-year-old law, saying it was only intended to cover "navigable waters." Joan Mulhern, an attorney for the group Earthjustice, says if that's true, then people and fish may be in trouble.
“Even a charitable interpretation of the position of those industries would leave 60 percent of the nation's streams and rivers, and about 20 million acres of wetlands, at least, outside of the protections of the federal Clean Water Act.”
Mulhern emphasizes that the law has been working for more than 30 years, and that changing it would be a step backward for water quality.
“It needs to be settled law again. It doesn't do the country any good to have one of its most important, bedrock environmental laws so up in the air as the Clean Water Act is right now.”
Last year, one developer's case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where a split decision didn't repeal the act, but didn't redefine it, either. So, Congress has taken on the task. More than 150 lawmakers from both parties have cosponsored the new bill, which is called the "Clean Water Restoration Act."
Washington cosponsors are Reps. Norm Dicks (D-6th District), Jay Inslee (D-1st Dist.) and Jim McDermott (D-7th Dist.)
get more stories like this via email
Health and Wellness
A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …
Social Issues
Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …
Social Issues
Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…
Social Issues
A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …
Social Issues
Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …
Social Issues
Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…