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Washington, D.C. – Polluted water does not remain in isolation. It flows into other bodies of water, goes through the water cycle, and finds its way into places and ecosystems that impact human health such as our drinking water, and the soil where our food is grown and our children play.
The most recent attack on clean water protections by Trump’s EPA will open the floodgates for increased water pollution in every state and Tribal Nation, putting all our public health at risk.
This rollback focuses on eroding section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), which requires that any project seeking federal permits for activities that may result in discharge into waters of the United States have to obtain a water quality certification from a State or Tribal Nation. This crucial section provides States and Tribal Nations mechanisms to enforce water quality standards, including conditionally approving or denying permits.
Climate Justice Alliance, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and GreenLatinos submitted a joint public comment letter opposing many aspects of the EPA’s proposal and urged the EPA to preserve States and Tribal Nations’ ability to holistically evaluate projects and enforce strong water protections through the water quality certification process.
Communities across the United States rely on strong, comprehensive, and precautionary federal protections to guarantee safe water quality and defend against water pollution and contamination. The EPA cannot abandon its mission to protect public health and the environment in favor of protecting industry and corporate dollars.
We call on the EPA to maintain a strong CWA Section 401 that protects water quality, public health and the environment, ensuring people can live, play, work, gather food, and pray in waters that are clean, protected, and preserved for future generations.
Read the full comment letter here.
