On Friday, April 22, the nation celebrates the 35th Earth Day.  While the Bush Administration has been feverishly working to roll back landmark, bipartisan environmental protections, Democrats are rededicating themselves to making our air and water cleaner, protecting our public lands and leaving an environmental legacy to future generations. 

Instead of protecting our children and families and enforcing environmental laws, the Administration has bent over backwards to meet the needs of special interests.  American families deserve better. 

Democrats Fight Back Against Bush Rollbacks 

Clean Air Act

As the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans continue their efforts to weaken the basic protections of the Clean Air Act, Democrats are fighting to preserve and strengthen the protections that keep our air clean and our children healthy.  Learn more.

Mercury

Exposure to mercury emissions poses a serious health threat to our families, but the Administration’s recent mercury regulations disregard sound science, blatantly violate the law and threaten public health.  Democrats are fighting this new Bush mercury rule to ensure that the American public is protected from mercury pollution.  Learn more.

The Clean Water Act

As the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans continue their efforts to weaken the protections of the Clean Water Act, Democrats are fighting to preserve and strengthen the protections that keep our water clean and our children healthy.  Learn more. 

The Safe Drinking Water Act

The Bush Administration is weakening the protections of the Safe Drinking Water Act by refusing to establish safe levels of rocket fuel in our drinking water and to require cleanup of sources where levels would harm public health.  Democrats will fight for establishing a safe level of rocket fuel in drinking water.  Learn more.

Toxic Waste and Polluter Pays

The nation’s worst toxic waste sites pose serious health and environmental risks for our children, but the Bush Administration has dramatically undermined the Superfund program, abandoned the “polluter pays” principle and shifted most of the clean-up costs to taxpayers.  Democrats will fight to restore Superfund funding to a level that will support an aggressive rate of cleanups across the country and to restore the “polluter pays” principle.  Learn more.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

While Republicans continue their efforts to open the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling, Democrats will fight to preserve our national treasures – such as the Arctic Refuge – for our children and our grandchildren.  Learn more.

Get the Facts on the President’s Budget:

Environment and the President's Budget

Cuts in Clean Water Funding in Your State

The Effect of the Republican Budget Cuts on the Environment and National Parks (Appropriations Committee)