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House of Representatives Seal Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Clean Water & the Environment

Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano continues her work as the Chair of the House Water and Power Subcommittee of the Resources Committee. Securing a safe and reliable water supply for southern California has always been one of Napolitano’s top priorities. Without it, families and businesses cannot thrive. Below are some of the key projects she will be working on this year:

Groundwater Cleanup

Congresswoman Napolitano will continue to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hold polluters responsible and require them to provide the funds necessary to restore clean groundwater. Contamination from perchlorate, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and other chemicals remains a problem in local drinking water, causing many cities to shut down wells and install costly equipment to remove contaminants. The Congresswoman will continue to seek federal funding for cleanup.

CALFED Bay-Delta Program

As Chair of the House Water and Power Subcommittee, Congresswoman Napolitano will focus on securing federal funding for CALFED in addition to continuing Congressional oversight of the program. A key component of the CALFED program is its Water Use Efficiency component, which helps expand Southern California’s popular and effective water recycling and desalination projects and the creation of more opportunities to implement innovative technologies to protect and preserve a clean, stable water supply for Southern California.

Moab

Since 1999, Congresswoman Napolitano worked to ensure that the 10 ½ ton pile of uranium waste sited 750 feet adjacent to the Colorado River near the town of Moab, Utah be transferred to the Department of Energy for remediation and removal to an off-river site. Now that the Department of Energy has finalized its preferred alternative plan in its final environmental impact statement to transport the uranium waste to the Crescent Junction site, 31 miles north of Moab, far from any streams or rivers, Napolitano will work with other Colorado River delegation Members to secure annual funding for Department of Energy to carry out its cleanup work. The uranium mine tailings causing the pollution must be removed. The uranium tailings pile is the waste byproduct of 30 years of uranium mining near Moab. Since mining ended in 1984, the pile has remained just 750 feet away from the Colorado River, leaching into it thousands of gallons of uranium waste material each day. The river is the source of drinking water for 25 million Americans in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Southern California receives a third of its drinking water from the Colorado River.

Related News:

Water Rep. Napolitano Helps Secure Native American Water Rights (12/1/2010)

Water Rep. Napolitano Commemorates 75th Anniversary of the Hoover Dam (9/28/2010)

Water Napolitano's Hoover Dam Bill Leaves Committee, Awaits Senate Vote (7/22/2010)

Water House Passes New Hoover Dam Bill (6/8/2010)

Water Rep. Napolitano Calls for Increased Communication Between Scientists, Lawmakers During UC Irvine Visit (4/12/2010)

Water Rep. Napolitano Calls for Protection of Grand Canyon Waters at Hearing (4/12/2010)

Water Rep. Napolitano's Hearing on Colo. River Highlights Need for Cooperation (4/12/2010)

Water Rep. Napolitano's Congressional Hearing in L.A. Highlights Need for Increased Water Efficiency (1/26/2010)

Water Rep. Napolitano Announces Oversight Field Hearing on Southern California Drought Solutions (1/13/2010)

Water Rep. Napolitano Introduces Hoover Dam Bill with New Provisions for Native Americans (12/16/2009)

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