Izaak Walton League Opposes EPA Proposal to Further Endanger Wetlands and Clean Water
On November 17, the EPA proposed regulations that would gut Clean Water Act protection for wetlands and tributary streams threatening the safety of drinking water for one in three Americans and the $1 trillion outdoor recreation economy.
The League’s 40,000 members nationwide and thousands of Save Our Streams volunteers who document water pollution in communities across the country are appalled at the EPA’s latest giveaway to industrial polluters and oppose the rule.
The proposed rule:
- eliminates protections for more than 80 percent of wetlands in the contiguous United States despite their importance for improving water quality, reducing flooding and providing essential fish and wildlife habitat;
- terminates—in an unprecedented turn in the nation’s history—federal jurisdiction over waters that cross state lines removing essential safeguards all Americans depend on if upstream states’ pollution control and public health standards are weaker than their state’s standards;
- replaces clear and consistent definitions based on science and the statutory purpose of the Clean Water Act with vague terms like “wet season,” despite no definition anywhere in the proposed regulation.
“Americans need cleaner water, not fewer protections against pollution. The Clean Water Act was designed to protect all waters that impact the health of rivers, lakes, wetlands and drinking water sources. Willfully stripping away essential safeguards for our nation’s wetlands and tributary streams defies science as well as the law,” said League Conservation Director Jared Mott.
Contacts:
Michael Reinemer, Communications Director, mreinemer@iwla.org
Jared Mott, Conservation Director, jmott@iwla.org
Izaak Walton League of America
707 Conservation Lane
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Your kit will include a bottle containing 25 nitrate test strips which you can use to test your water source(s) throughout the year. You’ll also receive postcards explaining how to use your nitrate test strips and how to share your Nitrate Watch results on the Clean Water Hub.
Your kit will include four test strips so you can test your waterway throughout the season. You’ll also receive a chart to help you interpret your results and a postcard with instructions for completing a Salt Watch test and reporting your findings.