Protecting Wisconsin's Waters

By Senator Russ Feingold

Wisconsin is known for natural beauty, including our Great Lakes, the mighty Mississippi, and the wild St. Croix and Namekagon rivers. Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has protected these waters, which in turn contribute to human health and well-being, our economy, and our environment. Yet, as we celebrate the 35-year anniversary of the Clean Water Act this month, many of those protections have been severely eroded, to the point where the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 60 percent of our nation’s waters have lost protections.

Two recent Supreme Court decisions interpreting the Clean Water Act could undermine the safety of our drinking water, habitats for wildlife, and fragile ecosystems around the country. These decisions have put our waters in jeopardy. We must protect those waters from pollution as Congress intended when it passed the Clean Water Act thirty-five years ago.

It’s up to Congress to reaffirm the original intent of the Clean Water Act and our commitment to provide clean, safe water to the American people. The Clean Water Restoration Act, which I have introduced, will re-establish protection for all waters historically covered by the Clean Water Act.

It will end the legal wrangling over the definition of waters protected by the original Clean Water Act by defining “waters of the United States” based on longstanding definitions in Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps regulations. Wisconsin has already demonstrated national leadership by passing legislation to protect waters threatened by the 2001 Supreme Court decision, but without Congress passing my legislation there is no federal law to reaffirm the original intent of the Clean Water Act.

As Wisconsinites, we are rightly proud of our state’s beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams, which provide recreation, drinking water, and essential economic benefits. We have a responsibility to protect our nation’s waters for future generations. Congress should not stand aside while the courts roll back more than three decades of federal protections for our waters. On the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Clean Water Act, we must step in to bring clarity to a law left murky by the U.S. Supreme Court by passing the Clean Water Restoration Act.



Home | Statements Index