Guest guest Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 > Tue, 14 Sep 2004 13:06:10 GMT > " BushGreenwatch " <info > Bush Administration Directs Agencies to > Ignore Clean Water Act > > *************************************** > BUSHGREENWATCH > Tracking the Bush Administration's Environmental > Misdeeds > http://www.bushgreenwatch.org > *************************************** > > September 14, 2004 > > BUSH ADMINISTRATION DIRECTS AGENCIES TO IGNORE CLEAN > WATER ACT > > Using a back-door route to deregulation, the Bush > administration > has removed clean water protections for 20 million > acres of > American wetlands and tens of thousands of miles of > streams, > lakes and ponds, according to documents obtained > through the > federal Freedom of Information Act. [1] > > The documents, used to produce the report " Reckless > Abandon: How > the Bush Administration is Exposing America's Waters > to Harm, " > outline the consequences of a 2003 federal policy > directive that > encourages regulators to routinely avoid enforcing > Clean Water > Act protections for American rivers, lakes, streams > and wetlands > unless otherwise directed. > > The report was produced by nonprofit environmental > groups > Earthjustice, the National Wildlife Federation, > Natural > Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Sierra > Club. It can be > found online at http://ga3.org/ct/V7zkGk91ijJW/. > > " For the first time in over 30 years of cleaning up > our waters, > we're going backwards, " said Paul Schwartz, national > policy > coordinator for Clean Water Action. Schwartz noted > that after > the Clean Water Act took effect in 1972, the > percentage of the > nation's waters deemed clean enough for fishing and > swimming > nearly doubled. But recent state reports now show > those numbers > declining, he said. > > " The water is getting dirtier, and the Bush > administration is > leading one of the most fundamental attacks on a law > that has > arguably done more to protect the environment and > public health > than any other environmental law, " Schwartz told > BushGreenwatch. > > > On January 15, 2003, the Bush administration > published > guidelines in the Federal Register directing field > staff at the > Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army > Corps of > Engineers to stop issuing protections for millions > of acres of > wetlands, streams and other waters unless they first > obtained > permission from national headquarters in Washington, > D.C. > > The directive further stated that no permission was > required to > ignore Clean Water Act protections for these waters > and that no > records would be kept of decisions not to invoke the > Clean Water > Act. > > The directive severely narrowed the types of > waterways > considered protected under the Clean Water Act to > those that > were navigable year-round by commercial vessels, a > major > departure from every previous administration's > policies since > 1972. [2] > > At the same time, the administration announced it > would take > steps to codify these guidelines through federal > rulemaking > procedures. It later backed off the rulemaking > process in > response to a massive public outcry. But the > guidelines were > left in place and have had the same impact, Schwartz > said. > > In response, 219 members of the U.S. House of > Representatives > and 33 senators have signed on to letters to > President Bush > asking him to rescind the policy directive and > restore > protections to American waters. A bill has also been > introduced > in both the House and Senate that would make clear > that all > waters of the U.S. should fall under the protections > of the > Clean Water Act. [3] > > " The Bush administration's policy is based on the > fantasy that > if you let polluters dump sewage, oil and other > toxic waste into > small wetlands and streams, it won't ultimately wind > up in our > lakes, rivers and coastal waters, " said Daniel > Rosenberg, an > NRDC senior attorney in the group's August 12 press > release. > > ### > > SOURCES: > [1] " Reckless Abandon: How the Bush Administration > is Exposing > America's Waters to Harm, " CWN, Aug. 12, 2004, > http://ga3.org/ct/Z1zkGk91ijJ5/. > [2] Federal Register, Jan. 15, 2003; EarthJustice, > NRDC, NWF, > Sierra Club press release, Aug. 12, 2004. > [3] Clean Water Authority Restoration Act HR 962 and > S 473. > > *************************************** > :: TELL A FRIEND ABOUT BUSHGREENWATCH > http://ga3.org/ct/K1zkGk91ijJ4/ > > :: READ BACK ISSUES > http://ga3.org/ct/K7zkGk91ijJf/ > *************************************** > > BushGreenwatch > 1320 18th Street NW 5th Floor > Washington, DC 20036 > (202) 463-6670 > Web site comments: info > > Copyright © 2003 Environmental Media Services > ----------------- > > If you received this message from a friend, you can > sign up for > BushGreenwatch at: > > http://ga3.org/bushgreenwatch/join.html?r=JpzkGk91wapeE > > ----------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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