From PennFuture (http://www.pennfuture.org):
On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review former President Obama’s Clean Water Rule.
The executive order is another step toward Trump’s goal of gutting and repealing environmental regulatory safeguards. Removing this protection jeopardizes our clean water and turns a blind eye to polluters, increasing the environmental impacts from agriculture and stormwater runoff, sediment erosion, and acid mine drainage.
The Clean Water Rule, promulgated in 2015 and also known as the Waters of the United States rule, provides an essential federal backstop to preserve our natural resources and to ensure that our water remains clean and safe.
One-third of Americans get their drinking water from seasonal streams, creeks, and rivers protected by this rule. According to the New York Times, the Clean Water Rule “asserts federal power over small waterways such as wetlands, headwaters and ponds, requiring Clean Water Act permits for any actions that could harm or pollute them. The Obama administration said 117 million Americans’ drinking water relies on those waterways.”
Protecting clean water should not be a partisan issue and removing this protection for our drinking water is irresponsible. Regardless of party affiliation, all Pennsylvanians depend on clean, healthy, and safe drinking water.
Tell your member of Congress that we should not take clean water for granted. Tell your Representative that you oppose Trump’s plan to gut or repeal the Clean Water Rule.
Take action now at https://pennfuture.salsalabs.org/trumptogutthecleanwaterrule/index.html.
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