What's New

On May 22, 159 members of the House of Representatives, including Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, introduced the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007, a bipartisan bill to protect America’s waterways.

Clean Water Act protections provide communities and Americans with clean drinking water and the opportunity to safely swim, fish and boat. However, these goals have recently been jeopardized by polluter-led attacks to eliminate protections for many streams, wetlands and other waters across the country. The Clean Water Restoration Act would protect America’s waters by clarifying that ALL U.S. waterways should be safeguarded by the Clean Water Act.

How You Can Help

Ask your U.S. Representative to vote for this bill to ensure that all waterways in the U.S. remain protected.

Brief Summary

Over the last 30 years, we have made significant progress in cleaning up our water, but we still have important work to do. Many of America’s great waterways, from the Colorado River to the Chesapeake Bay to the Great Lakes, are struggling from too much pollution.

Instead of improving the quality of our water, the Bush administration is weakening water protections. The Bush administration has put in place a No Protection policy for America’s waters that removes basic Clean Water Act safeguards from water-bodies such as the intermittent streams that are so prevalent in Colorado and many wetlands that feed and clean our great waters. The No Protection policy puts these streams, wetlands and other waters at risk of unlimited development, pollution and destruction.

Additionally, a recent Supreme Court decision has left the extent of existing clean water protections in question. Absent some corrective action from Congress, this decision could leave some vital wetlands, sensitive streams, and other water bodies open to unregulated pollution, dredging or filling. Environment Colorado opposes any efforts by powerful developers and other polluters to weaken the Clean Water Act. We support all efforts, local, state and federal, to ensure clean and safe water supplies for all Americans.

Environment Colorado is calling on the Bush administration to drop the No Protection policy and Congress to restore the original intent of the Clean Water Act to protect all waters in the U.S.