WASHINGTON — Today, Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) applaud the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water Rule to limit pollution in rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
“I congratulate the Obama Administration for bringing long-overdue clarity to the vital issue of clean water,” Rep. Grijalva said. “One in three Americans gets their drinking water from streams currently lacking clear protection. This Rule will help prevent the destruction of our nation’s water resources and support the numerous industries and jobs that depend on clean water.
“The Supreme Court left the scope of the Clean Water Act unclear, but protecting clean drinking water is far too important to be open to interpretation,” Rep. Grijalva continued. “It’s time to implement a clear Clean Water Rule that protects our drinking water supplies and ends the regulatory uncertainty that allows unscrupulous polluters to hide in the regulatory shadows. The new Rule does exactly that, without creating any new permitting requirements and maintaining all existing exemptions.”
"Clean water is vital to life in Minnesota. 970,000 Minnesotans drink water from public water systems that would be further protected under the EPA’s final rule, while others rely on our state’s waterways for business and recreation,” Rep. Ellison said. “But an ongoing statewide assessment of our waterways by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found that half of the waters assessed so far are unfit for swimming and fishing. This is why the EPA’s rule is so critical to our state.
“I applaud Administrator Gina McCarthy for writing a strong Clean Water Rule,” Rep. Ellison continued. “I look forward to working with my state and local partners to keep Minnesota’s water clean for generations to come.”
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