Algae Bloom on Ford Lake in the Huron River

U.S House to Vote on HR 2018, the Filthiest Water Bill to come out of Capitol Hill in decades.

Contact Your Representative TODAY and tell her or him to vote NO on H.R. 2018, The so-called Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011.

This dirty water bill is possibly the most brazen attack on the Clean Water Act (CWA) we’ve seen since the CWA was signed into law in 1972.  H.R. 2018, which sailed through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on June 22, 2011 without a single legislative hearing, would severely limit the federal government’s ability to oversee state compliance with the Act.  Specifically, this bill attacks two fundamental elements of the Clean Water Act: Water Quality Standards and the Dredge and Fill permit process.  By severely limiting the federal government’s ability to oversee state water quality standards and discharge permits, H.R. 2018 would return us to an era of patchwork, ineffective state standards.  In the words of EPA, this “bill would overturn almost 40 years of Federal legislation by preventing EPA from protecting public health and water quality.” It would give states the authority to dump untreated sewage or toxic chemicals into our rivers and streams.

Representatives DeFazio (OR) and Markey (MA) will be offering an amendment to nullify the restrictions and prohibitions on the EPA’s authority to protect waters from pollution when the waters provide flood protection for communities, are a valuable fish and wildlife habitat that provides economic benefit, or are coastal recreational waters.  Though H.R. 2018 so fundamentally undermines the Clean Water Act that even the DeFazio-Markey amendment cannot save it, we support their efforts to ensure that national safeguards for protecting communities’ public health, safety and economic well-being would still apply.

CONTACTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office.  You can also find contact information for your Representative at www.house.gov. If you have time please call your Representative’s District office too! The more they hear from our community about how bad this bill is the better! Please encourage others in your organization to make calls and send alerts.

The basic message to convey to your Representative is simple: a vote for H.R. 2018 is a vote for dirty water.  Americans expect and rely on clean water, and now is not the time to take steps backwards for the health of our environment, drinking water, and economy.  VOTE NO ON H.R. 2018.