Video shows 10 voices for clean water that Senate committee just voted against

Environment Colorado

Denver, CO—With a key Senate committee voting today to block restored protections for wetlands and streams, Environment Colorado announced a campaign to galvanize public support for the Clean Water Rule throughout the state.

The initiative includes online videos, print ads, organized phone calls to Sen. Bennet, and person-to-person outreach to more than 53,000 households statewide. It’s part of a $1.8 million effort in five key states to promote restored protections to 2 million miles of streams and wetlands across the country.

“From the Boulder Creek, to the Colorado and Arkansas rivers, our rivers and streams will be cleaner thanks to President Obama’s historic action,” said Kim Stevens, State Director with Environment Colorado, “and so will the drinking water for nearly 3.8 million Coloradans.”

The 3-minute video [http://on.fb.me/1QpdxxC] released today features mothers, public health professionals, brewers and recreational businesses across the state discussing their support for the Clean Water Rule. 

“It’s very important to me and to recreation economy of Colorado in general for rivers and streams to be protected. If people are afraid to get in the water they won’t go paddling,” said Jonathan Kahn, the owner of Confluence Kayaks, filmed in his local kayak shop.

More than a dozen businesses, public health groups, elected officials, farms and other environmental groups also cosponsored the campaign’s print ad [link here] —a measure of the broad support the Obama administration’s Clean Water Rule has earned.

“Clean water is one of the most vital ingredients of our health, our beer and our lives as a whole. At the Aspen Brewing Company, we understand and honor the necessity of keeping our waterways clean as well as restoring waterways nationwide so that the craft beer industry may continue to flourish.” – Willis Brown, Marketing Director, Aspen Brewing Company, one of the many brewers to cosponsor the ad campaign.   

“Here at the headwaters of the San Miguel River at 13,000 feet, we are acutely aware of the importance of protecting our water sources, not just for our own communities, who depend so heavily on it, but for all the Americans downstream of mountain rivers, who rely on clean water every day. As a County Commissioner there is only so much I can do to insure the health of our river. This clean water rule gives meaningful protection that will make a real difference to all Americans.” – Joan May – County Commissioner, San Miguel County

Last month, Obama administration officials finalized the rule to restore Clean Water Act protections to 68% percent of Colorado’s streams that have been vulnerable to pollution and development for a decade or more. The move was backed by over 80 percent of the American public, according to a recent poll, 800,000 comments, and more than 1,000 farmers, mayors, and small businesses.

Big developers, polluting industries, and other special interests have lined up against the Clean Water Rule, however, and congressional leaders are following their lead. Today’s vote to block the rule is one of a several attempts senators have planned to derail the clean water protections.

Despite multiple votes and millions spent against the Clean Water Rule, the president and his officials have stood firm against the attacks, championing the protections for streams and wetlands as good for public health as well as the economy.

With continued advocacy from the Obama administration, broad support from the public, and strong backing from enough members of Congress — including Senator Bennet — the Clean Water Rule can survive attacks from the polluters, said Environment Colorado.

“We want to make sure Senator Bennet knows how popular the Clean Water Rule is,” said Stevens, “and that he continues to stand up for our rivers, streams, and drinking water every step of the way.”

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Environment Colorado is statewide, citizen-funded advocacy organization working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future.www.Environmentcolorado.org