Trump Declares War on Clean Water with Rule Repeal 

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, has announced that he will be repealing the 2015 Clean Water Rule. The Rule was finalized by the EPA and USACE in May of last year to restore the Clean Water Act and protect 20 million acres of waterways from pollution. The rule is meant to safeguard drinking water for one in every three Americans.

“President Trump and his crony Scott Pruitt are declaring war on clean water and putting the entire nation at risk by attacking this important rule.The clean water rule provides important protections for wetlands that filter pollutions, habitats for fish and wildlife, and floodwater absorption. It closes loopholes and ends different interpretations on how to protect clean water under the Clean Water Act. These are vital parts of our water infrastructure. These are called ‘Waters of The United States’ because they belong to all of US. They do not belong to developers, agribusiness, or polluters. They belong to the people of this country. Now we will see more flooding and water pollution and when people get sick from the dirty water, they won’t have any healthcare to get better,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The WOTUS is an important environmental rule and retracting them is shameful dirty water decision. It will leave vital parts of our water infrastructure like wetlands and the drinking water sources for more than 117 million Americans at risk of pollution and destruction.Given Christie’s attacks on wetlands and our water, this a one-two punch against clean water.”

Every person has the unquestionable right to clean water for our health, environment, and enjoyment. This safeguard would cement that right by protecting streams and wetlands from pollution throughout the US. It would protect drinking water, preserve fish and wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of flooding. Donald Trump has already attacked clean water by removing stream protections from coal-mining waste and gutting protections for wetlands and drinking water sources for more than 117 million Americans. It’s clear the last thing Trump cares about is “crystal, clear water”.

“Just as he has done from the beginning, Scott Pruitt is working on behalf of Trump in making dangerous decisions that remove important health and safety protection for Americans. For far too long polluters, especially from the coal and oil industry, have been allowed to pollute our waterways with impunity. The Obama Administration tried to curb this but Trump cares more about those polluters than the people. We need protections to make sure that the polluters follow the law and clean up their act. This will help not only protect the environment, but public health as well,” said Jeff Tittel.

This latest resolution would have put to rest a decade’s worth of conflicting Supreme Court decisions that caused confusion over which waterways should be protected. Those confusions have allowed for the exploitation of our lakes, rivers and streams by developers and fossil fuel companies. We support WOTUS as a method to preserve drinking water, health, the environment and recreational opportunities across the country.

“WOTUS would help to protect New Jersey from pollution and flooding from other states that don’t have the same levels of protection we have. This rule will help prevent the Christie Administration from trying to weaken water protections in New Jersey. This rule will help give the EPA more oversight authority to hold the Christie Administration accountable when it tries to rollback wetland and clean water protections here,” said Jeff Tittel.

The Waters of the United States safeguard would prevent polluter from being able to take advantage of the confusion of the Supreme Court and instead protects our waterways. Families should be able to enjoy visits to their favorite like or river without worrying about pollution and drink a glass of water knowing that it is safe to do so.

“This latest announcement is a continuation of the Trump Administration’s attack on the environment by overturning this important rule which is critical to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important to protect against storms and flooding, for fisheries, for providing critical habitat, and to refill our aquifers. Wetlands in this country have been under assault for decades. We have only half the number of wetlands that we started with in colonial times. This rule would close dangerous loophole to help preserve wetlands, protect us from future storms and clean up waterways,” said Jeff Tittel.

This safeguard would also benefit our economy. Businesses like boat rental companies, water parks, outdoor retailers, and fishing outfitters depend on clean water. Hotels, restaurants and bars do as well. Hospitals and medical offices can rest assured they aren’t contaminating their patients with polluted water. Every moment of every day Americans rely upon clean water.

“Every citizen deserves clean water. WOTUS would ensure that our streams, wetlands, and waterways are protected from pollution. It will ensure that we have safe water to drink and recreate in. There is nothing more important than clean water and this decision supports that sentiment. President Trump would rather deny us clean water by supporting polluters than protect our waterways. When Woody Guthrie said this land is your land, he also included the waters. WOTUS for all of us because these waters belong to all of US,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Undoing the WOTUS will mean more pollution in our waterways and more contaminated drinking water in our communities. We will continue to fight back against environmental rollbacks from Scott Pruitt and the Trump Administration.”