Repealing the Clean Water Rule turns the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency on its head

Media Contacts

PennEnvironment

“Repealing the Clean Water Rule turns the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency on its head: the Trump administration is proposing to stop protecting drinking water sources for more than 8 million Pennsylvanians. It defies common sense, sound science and the will of people of the Commonwealth,” said Adam Garber, PennEnvironment Deputy Director.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt proposed repealing the Clean Water Rule, which restored federal protections to half our nation’s streams and thousands of wetlands across the country. Adam Garber, PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center Deputy Director, issued the following statement:

Repealing the Clean Water Rule turns the mission of the EPA on its head: instead of safeguarding our drinking water, the Trump administration is proposing to stop protecting drinking water sources for more than 8 million Pennsylvanians. It defies common sense, sound science and the will of the people of the Commonwealth.

Clean water is vital to our ecology, our health, and our quality of life. From tubing down the Delaware River to kayking along the Susquehanna and fishing in the Three Rivers, Pennsylvania’s waterways are the lifeblood of our communities. The last thing we should do is weaken protections for our water.

Finalized in 2015 with widespread public and scientific support, the Rule restored federal protections to 49,000 miles of PA streams, which feed iconic waterways like the Delaware and Susquehanna and provide drinking water to more than 8 million Pennsylvanians. The rule also protects wetlands, which help filter out pollutants and provide wildlife habitat.

More than 50,000 Pennsylvanians have supported it – including more than business owners, local officials, farmers, and health professionals –supported the historic Clean Water Rule. On the other side, the most vociferous opponents of the rule include the oil and gas industry, coal companies, developers, and lobbyists for corporate agribusiness.

We call on the EPA to reconsider this reckless repeal and stand up for our drinking water, not for polluters.