The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact was signed into federal law with great fanfare in 2008. However, states must do more to realize the Compact’s potential to better manage Great Lakes waters in and outside of the basin through comprehensive water conservation and efficiency programs, improved data sharing and more comprehensive permitting.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's submission on the Navigation Protection Act ReviewLOWaterkeeper
On Wednesday, November 30, 2016, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper submitted comments to the Government of Canada on changes made to the Navigation Protection Act (formerly, "Navigable Waters Protection Act") – one of Canada’s oldest laws. Until 2009, the law remained substantially unchanged, when sweeping changes to the legislation eliminated protections for the majority of navigable waters in Canada and focused the law on specific acts of navigation on waters of interest to the federal government. Waterkeeper was the only environmental organization to participate in the committee review prior to the 2009 changes, and again in 2012. Here are Waterkeeper's recommendations for the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities’ consideration.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's comments on review of changes to the Fisheries ActLOWaterkeeper
The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is in the process of reviewing changes that were made to the Fisheries Act by the previous government. Prior to the rollbacks to environmental laws, the Fisheries Act was one of the strongest legal tools for water protection in Canada and pivotal to Waterkeeper's work in protecting fish and fish habitat.
On November 14, 2016, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's founders, Mark Mattson and Krystyn Tully presented "9 Things the New Fisheries Act Must Do To Make Canada Healthy and Prosperous" on behalf of the organization, Fraser Riverkeeper, Fundy Baykeeper, North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper, and Ottawa Riverkeeper.
After studying and reviewing the scope of application of the Fisheries Act, the Standing Committee will provide its recommendations in a report to the House by February 28, 2017.
Appendix A: Accompanying case study to November 30, 2016 submission to the Fi...LOWaterkeeper
This is a support document to the November 2016 Fisheries Act submission by Fraser Riverkeeper, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Fundy Baykeeper, North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper, and Ottawa Riverkeeper. This support document is prepared by Pippa Feinstein for Lake Ontario Waterkeeper / Swim Drink Fish Canada.
Born with a Grey Beard: Canada's Navigable Waters Protection ActLOWaterkeeper
Presented at the 6th Canadian River Heritage Conference Ottawa, Ontario June 15, 2009, this paper examines the process by which the Navigable Waters Protection Act was amended, the reasons and trends behind the changes, and some of the flaws with the process. The paper suggests that fanciful notions of “navigation” and “rights” still matter in todayʼs Canada. It describes how our collective respect and understanding for the act of navigation has crumbled and how, in our hurry to “modernize” our laws, our Parliamentarians have laid the groundwork for two-tier justice and the unnecessary surrender of wealth.
Written by Krystyn Tully, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper.
9/9 FRI 9:30 | Emerging Megatrends in Water Law and Policy 1APA Florida
Thomas Mullin
Water policy has long been a driving force for Florida’s development. Early history saw efforts to drain the Everglades to attract people. Water has again become a topic of discussion at the
federal, state, and local levels. Today water is discussed in terms of supply, demand, quantity, quality, preservation, restoration, conservation, harvesting, aquifers, well fields, stormwater, and
potable water. As water policy evolves, so does its influence on development and how we live. Hear from state experts on how water law and its policy have evolved from a history of draining the Everglades to a future of hydrating them.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact was signed into federal law with great fanfare in 2008. However, states must do more to realize the Compact’s potential to better manage Great Lakes waters in and outside of the basin through comprehensive water conservation and efficiency programs, improved data sharing and more comprehensive permitting.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's submission on the Navigation Protection Act ReviewLOWaterkeeper
On Wednesday, November 30, 2016, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper submitted comments to the Government of Canada on changes made to the Navigation Protection Act (formerly, "Navigable Waters Protection Act") – one of Canada’s oldest laws. Until 2009, the law remained substantially unchanged, when sweeping changes to the legislation eliminated protections for the majority of navigable waters in Canada and focused the law on specific acts of navigation on waters of interest to the federal government. Waterkeeper was the only environmental organization to participate in the committee review prior to the 2009 changes, and again in 2012. Here are Waterkeeper's recommendations for the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities’ consideration.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's comments on review of changes to the Fisheries ActLOWaterkeeper
The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is in the process of reviewing changes that were made to the Fisheries Act by the previous government. Prior to the rollbacks to environmental laws, the Fisheries Act was one of the strongest legal tools for water protection in Canada and pivotal to Waterkeeper's work in protecting fish and fish habitat.
On November 14, 2016, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's founders, Mark Mattson and Krystyn Tully presented "9 Things the New Fisheries Act Must Do To Make Canada Healthy and Prosperous" on behalf of the organization, Fraser Riverkeeper, Fundy Baykeeper, North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper, and Ottawa Riverkeeper.
After studying and reviewing the scope of application of the Fisheries Act, the Standing Committee will provide its recommendations in a report to the House by February 28, 2017.
Appendix A: Accompanying case study to November 30, 2016 submission to the Fi...LOWaterkeeper
This is a support document to the November 2016 Fisheries Act submission by Fraser Riverkeeper, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Fundy Baykeeper, North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper, and Ottawa Riverkeeper. This support document is prepared by Pippa Feinstein for Lake Ontario Waterkeeper / Swim Drink Fish Canada.
Born with a Grey Beard: Canada's Navigable Waters Protection ActLOWaterkeeper
Presented at the 6th Canadian River Heritage Conference Ottawa, Ontario June 15, 2009, this paper examines the process by which the Navigable Waters Protection Act was amended, the reasons and trends behind the changes, and some of the flaws with the process. The paper suggests that fanciful notions of “navigation” and “rights” still matter in todayʼs Canada. It describes how our collective respect and understanding for the act of navigation has crumbled and how, in our hurry to “modernize” our laws, our Parliamentarians have laid the groundwork for two-tier justice and the unnecessary surrender of wealth.
Written by Krystyn Tully, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper.
9/9 FRI 9:30 | Emerging Megatrends in Water Law and Policy 1APA Florida
Thomas Mullin
Water policy has long been a driving force for Florida’s development. Early history saw efforts to drain the Everglades to attract people. Water has again become a topic of discussion at the
federal, state, and local levels. Today water is discussed in terms of supply, demand, quantity, quality, preservation, restoration, conservation, harvesting, aquifers, well fields, stormwater, and
potable water. As water policy evolves, so does its influence on development and how we live. Hear from state experts on how water law and its policy have evolved from a history of draining the Everglades to a future of hydrating them.
Indigenous Customs Relating to Water Rights and Use Under Conditions of the S...AkashSharma618775
The aims of this study include gathering and documenting the indigenous traditional norms and
knowledge of Al-Ghyoul water resources shares and distributions in selected Yemeni Region. It also studies,
analyzes, identifies common and variable practices and problems under the conditions of different
communities/regions. It also attempts to formulate appropriate actions to remedy threatening obstacles. The field
data collection for the study covered selected governorates where such traditional irrigation systems prevail like
Taiz, Bib, Hadhramaut, Shabwah. It used a descriptive approach through literature review, like documents and
reports, field observations, survey questionnaire, individual interviews with key informant (KII), and discussion
meetings with specialists, local officials, local leaders, and farmers. The study identifies some prevailing norms and
mores that characterize traditional Al-Ghyoul irrigations systems including the rules of water shares distribution,
rehabilitation and maintenance as well as conflict resolution. However, it observed some slight variation from one
location to another. Some of the inherited local customs have been changing due to the introduction of modern
technologies and socio-political changes, draught and climatic change. This in turn has negatively affected the
common indigenous irrigation practices. The study concluded with some recommendations for future
consideration.
Chad Forcey at the Irrigation Association outlines the current state of water law across the U.S., and what irrigation contractors can do to stay up to date on their local regulatory environment.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Darlington Relicensing Hearing presentation- Novem...LOWaterkeeper
This is Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's presentation at the Darlington Relicensing Day 2 Hearing in Courtice, Ontario. Represented by Pippa Feinstein and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Public Interest Articling Fellow, Tristan Willis.
The Future Dams Research Consortium (originally known as DAMS 2.0) hosted a public lecture by Prof Michael Hanemann of Arizona State University on the economics of water.
The lecture discussed ‘why the economics of water is so hard’ providing a historical and contemporary US overview of the issues that make water challenging to price.
Traditional Water Rights & Reservations of Water - A River Management Perspec...rshimoda2014
Dave W. Schade - Section Chief, Alaska Department of Natural Resources Mining, Land and Water / Water Resources Section
This presents an overview of the concepts of traditional water rights vs the more recent concept of Reservations of Water with a review of west and east coast issues.
In the current times, many systems have allocated 100 per cent of the water, yet there is a growing recognition that wildlife must have water to survive. In many states, including Alaska, water “rights” can be held which keep the water in the river/lake for wildlife and other purposes. However, that does not remove the conflicts which are already apparent, and at times, conflicts and priorities for the future.
Indigenous Customs Relating to Water Rights and Use Under Conditions of the S...AkashSharma618775
The aims of this study include gathering and documenting the indigenous traditional norms and
knowledge of Al-Ghyoul water resources shares and distributions in selected Yemeni Region. It also studies,
analyzes, identifies common and variable practices and problems under the conditions of different
communities/regions. It also attempts to formulate appropriate actions to remedy threatening obstacles. The field
data collection for the study covered selected governorates where such traditional irrigation systems prevail like
Taiz, Bib, Hadhramaut, Shabwah. It used a descriptive approach through literature review, like documents and
reports, field observations, survey questionnaire, individual interviews with key informant (KII), and discussion
meetings with specialists, local officials, local leaders, and farmers. The study identifies some prevailing norms and
mores that characterize traditional Al-Ghyoul irrigations systems including the rules of water shares distribution,
rehabilitation and maintenance as well as conflict resolution. However, it observed some slight variation from one
location to another. Some of the inherited local customs have been changing due to the introduction of modern
technologies and socio-political changes, draught and climatic change. This in turn has negatively affected the
common indigenous irrigation practices. The study concluded with some recommendations for future
consideration.
Chad Forcey at the Irrigation Association outlines the current state of water law across the U.S., and what irrigation contractors can do to stay up to date on their local regulatory environment.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Darlington Relicensing Hearing presentation- Novem...LOWaterkeeper
This is Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's presentation at the Darlington Relicensing Day 2 Hearing in Courtice, Ontario. Represented by Pippa Feinstein and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Public Interest Articling Fellow, Tristan Willis.
The Future Dams Research Consortium (originally known as DAMS 2.0) hosted a public lecture by Prof Michael Hanemann of Arizona State University on the economics of water.
The lecture discussed ‘why the economics of water is so hard’ providing a historical and contemporary US overview of the issues that make water challenging to price.
Traditional Water Rights & Reservations of Water - A River Management Perspec...rshimoda2014
Dave W. Schade - Section Chief, Alaska Department of Natural Resources Mining, Land and Water / Water Resources Section
This presents an overview of the concepts of traditional water rights vs the more recent concept of Reservations of Water with a review of west and east coast issues.
In the current times, many systems have allocated 100 per cent of the water, yet there is a growing recognition that wildlife must have water to survive. In many states, including Alaska, water “rights” can be held which keep the water in the river/lake for wildlife and other purposes. However, that does not remove the conflicts which are already apparent, and at times, conflicts and priorities for the future.
On September 24, 2014, Kenneth Cook from WaterCentric joined us at the North Texas Commission offices to discuss Texas Water Rights and Alternative Sourcing. The North Texas Commission Webinar Series, Topic: North Texas, is presented by Verizon.
EPA Proposed “Waters of the United States” Ruleartba
EPA’s proposed “waters of the United States” rule extends federal authority too far and would lead to greater project delays, ARTBA explains to a joint House and Senate committees.
Big changes have already hit the construction industry in California in the form of a new Industrial Storm Water General Permit, but even more changes are looming. The State Water Resources Control Board is working on a new permitting process for protecting “waters of the state.” Learn the latest on this important regulatory front and how it may impact your operations.
Policy fíriefingSenate Bill Aims to Prevent ChemicalCont.docxLeilaniPoolsy
Policy fíriefing
Senate Bill Aims to Prevent Chemical
Contamination of Surface Water
IHE CHEMICAL spill that
' recently occurred in West
Virginia and interrupted
water deliveries to approx-
imately 300,000 of that
state's residents has led to the introduc-
tion of federal legislation aimed at pre-
venting the recurrence of such events.
Although improved protection of sur-
face water enjoys broad support, ques-
tions have arisen as to who should over-
see and fijnd the additional regulatory
efforts called for in the bill.
On January 9 it was discovered that
thousands of gallons of chemicals used in
coal processing had leaked from storage
facilities at a tank farm located along the
Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia.
The chemicals entered the waterway ap-
proximately 1.5 mi upstream of a pub-
lic water supply intake, forcing officials
to recommend that residents of a nine-
county area in and around Charleston
not use their drinking water. Lasting for
more than a week, this situation caused
considerable concern about health ef-
fects and spurred calls for regulatory
protections.
On January 27 Senator Joe Man-
chin (D-West Virginia) introduced the
Chemical Safety and Drinking Water
Protection Act of 2014 (S. 1961), leg-
islation that aims to protect surface wa-
ter from contamination from chemical
storage facilities. The bill would revise
the Safe Drinking Water Act to estab-
lish state programs for overseeing and
inspecting chemical storage facilities
that are deemed to pose a risk to pub-
lic water sources. Within one year of en-
actment of the legislation, states would
have to set requirements for chemical
storage facilities covered by the new
programs. These requirements would
address such topics as "acceptable stan-
dards of good design, construction, or
maintenance," along with leak detec-
tion, spill and overfill control, inventory
control, inspections of facility integrity.
and life-cycle maintenance, according to
the legislation.
Additional requirements would per-
tain to emergency response and commu-
nication plans, employee training and
safety plans, and the financial responsi-
bility of the owners of chemical storage
facilities. States would share with drink-
ing water providers the emergency re-
sponse plans for chemical storage facili-
ties located within the same watershed,
along with an inventory of each chemi-
cal stored at each facility.
Under S. 1961 states also would im-
pose minimum inspection requirements
for chemical storage facilities covered
by the new program. In particular, fa-
cilities regarded by states as potential
contamination sources under existing
drinking water protection plans would
have to be inspected every thtee years,
while all other facilities would have to
be inspected every five years. The legis-
lation does not stipulate the entity that
would conduct such inspections. What
is more, ownership of chemical storage
facilities covered by the state ptogtams
could not be transferred unless the faci.
The Article Critique is required to be a minimum of two pages to a m.docxSANSKAR20
The Article Critique is required to be a minimum of two pages to a maximum of four pages, double-spaced, APA style,
from the journals and articles available in our CSU Library Databases. The article should deal with any of the material
presented in the first three units of this course. The article itself must be more than one page in length. The article critique
should include the following components:
A brief introduction of the article
Analysis of the key points in the article
Application and comparison of some points in the article that might be applied to the company you work for, or
have worked for
Summary of the article's conclusions and your own opinions
the article is:
Policy fíriefing
Senate Bill Aims to Prevent Chemical
Contamination of Surface Water
IHE CHEMICAL
spill that
' recently occurred in West
Virginia and interrupted
water deliveries to approximately
300,000 of that
state's residents has led to the introduction
of federal legislation aimed at preventing
the recurrence of such events.
Although improved protection of surface
water enjoys broad support, questions
have arisen as to who should oversee
and fijnd the additional regulatory
efforts called for in the bill.
On January 9 it was discovered that
thousands of gallons of chemicals used in
coal processing had leaked from storage
facilities at a tank farm located along the
Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia.
The chemicals entered the waterway approximately
1.5 mi upstream of a public
water supply intake, forcing officials
to recommend that residents of a ninecounty
area in and around Charleston
not use their drinking water. Lasting for
more than a week, this situation caused
considerable concern about health effects
and spurred calls for regulatory
protections.
On January 27 Senator Joe Manchin
(D-West Virginia) introduced the
Chemical Safety and Drinking Water
Protection Act of 2014 (S. 1961), legislation
that aims to protect surface water
from contamination from chemical
storage facilities. The bill would revise
the Safe Drinking Water Act to establish
state programs for overseeing and
inspecting chemical storage facilities
that are deemed to pose a risk to public
water sources. Within one year of enactment
of the legislation, states would
have to set requirements for chemical
storage facilities covered by the new
programs. These requirements would
address such topics as "acceptable standards
of good design, construction, or
maintenance," along with leak detection,
spill and overfill control, inventory
control, inspections of facility integrity.
and life-cycle maintenance, according to
the legislation.
Additional requirements would pertain
to emergency response and communication
plans, employee training and
safety plans, and the financial responsibility
of the owners of chemical storage
facilities. States would share with drinking
water providers the emergency response
plans fo.
Disputes concerning the regulation and use of water in the Murray-Darling Basin have now reached a critical point where extended periods of extreme drought and climate change have forced threats of High Court litigation. Whilst a number of similar threats have been made since settlement, no court has ever made an authoritative judgment on such water disputes. As such, many important questions about the rights of States and their residents to take and use water remain unresolved. Professor Williams and Matthew Lee assess both the genesis and development of water law in Australia in order to provide an explanation of how we have arrived at this current water crisis.
1. Running head: FINAL PAPER 1
Final Paper
Dr. Maser
ESM 222
Trevor Lee
Portland State University
2. FINAL PAPER 2
An Editorial (2012) from the New York Times described how Environmental Protection
Agency proposed a badly needed policy to encourage the Army Corps of Engineers duty under
the Clean Water Act to protect all bodies of water from harmful pollution. The 1972 Clean Water
Act is to protect “the waters of the United States” from pollution and restore the damage of
natural resources, which is under pressure of court rulings and protections are at risk. The Clean
Water Restoration Act of 2009 has been weakened and misunderstood by two rulings, the first in
2001 (SWACC) and the second (Rapanos). Due to these two rulings, the CWA only protects the
“navigable” bodies of water, as many as 10,000 bodies of waters are not protected by the EPA.
All bodies of water in America is needed to be protected like rivers, lakes and estuaries, they are
all interrelated as a whole system for our future generations of healthy environment and
economy.
Background information
The Clean Water Act was weakened. The Clean Water Restoration Act was passed over
President Nixon’s veto in 1972. Its purpose is to prohibit “point and non-point” discharge into
US water bodies. It restores and maintains the chemical, biological integrity of US waters. It also
provides clean, safe drinking water, fishing, swimming and eliminates all uncontrolled
pollutants. The CWA focuses on point source pollutants, control of effluent from industries,
water qualities and standards, controlled by permits from the EPA, national pollution discharge
elimination system (NPDESC), and streams exceeding state standards (TMDL). This Act
protects all the “waters of the United States” and the law prohibits unpermitted point-source
pollution by businesses, oil spill prevention program and the impaired water cleanup program.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of engineers, regulates
and implement the law successfully until recently. The CWA covers tributaries of various water,
3. FINAL PAPER 3
wetland and intrastate waters with linkages to interstate commerce. However, in 2001 a Supreme
Court case called Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers-challenged that non-navigable intrastate waters are not protected by the CWA, just
because they could serve as habitat for migratory birds. The “waters of the United States” are
segregated by the CWA.
Congress created controversy. According to an article named, “Restoring America’s
Clean Water Legacy” written by the NRDC (2008), the Congress decision was a messy split. The
Court did not invalidate the existing rules, but the various opinions suggested different tests.
Justice Kennedy would require the agencies to show a physical, biological, or chemical
linkage—an important connection between a water body and an actually navigable one to protect
it. Four other justices would require most water bodies to be continuously flowing or standing,
and would require wetlands to have a continuous surface connection to such waters (NRDC,
2008). The confusion allows businesses and polluters an opportunity to pressure EPA and Army
Corps of Engineers to weaken the rules. So the agency rejected overwhelming support to keeping
the law intact and stopped applying the CWA protections to many waters, unless they have
permission from Congress. The confusion of the Supreme Court’s decisions impacted the Corps
and tried to protect the “navigable waters”, while ignoring small streams, millions of acres of
wetlands, nation’s drinking water and aquatic ecosystem.
The rational argument from the opponents stated that the water on particular properties in
disagreement do not connect with the interstate bodies of water and therefore should be
eliminated from the federal regulation of the CWA. Federal courts are struggling to determine on
how to implement the Supreme Court’s decision. Uncertain standards in different areas of the
4. FINAL PAPER 4
country and at the same time, the lower courts have various opinions and decisions on how to
determine what water bodies are protected.
Difference between “navigable” and non-“navigable” bodies of water
“Navigable waters” are bodies of water like a river, canal or lake that is deep, wide and
slow enough for a vessel/ship to pass through. Navigability depends on the context. A small river
can be navigable by a small boat, kayak, but unnavigable by a cruise ship or commerce. Water
bodies may be unnavigable due to ice, rocks, installation of locks, bridges, high water speed and
low water depth. According to US EPA (2008), on November 26, 2008, the Federal Register
published EPA’s final rule to amend the Clean Water Act which defines “navigable waters”. The
EPA announced the revisions to the definition of “navigable waters” along with an issue from
the United States District Court for the District of British Columbia. The term “navigable
waters” from the United States is described as 1) all “navigable waters of the United States, as
defined in judicial decisions prior to the passage of the 1972 Amendment of the Federal Water
Pollution Act. 2) Interstate waters, 3) intrastate waters, rivers, and streams, which are used by
travelers for recreational purposes and 4) intrastate lakes, rivers and streams where fish are taken
and sold in interstate commerce. CWA defines navigable waters.
How “navigable waters is used and separated from the CWA
Numerous federal and states define navigability for various purposes from jurisdiction to
pollution control, also from property boundaries to licensing dams. These numerous definitions
and jurisdiction statues have created law specific to the context of navigability. Navigable waters
of the United States is defined in 33 CFR 329 as waters that are subject to the flow of the tide
that are used for transportation, interstate or foreign commerce. Section 10 of the Rivers and
Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) was approved on March 3rd, 1899, which prohibits
5. FINAL PAPER 5
unauthorized obstruction of “navigable waters”. This statute requires a permit from the US Army
Corps of Engineers for any construction, excavations or discharge of waste material into water
bodies.
Impact of SWANCC of 2001 and Rapanos of 2006
These two measures weakened and misinterpreted protection of the nation’s rivers, lakes,
streams, wetlands from unregulated pollution and destructions. The EPA only protects the
“navigable” bodies of water. According to NRDC (2008), Supreme Court misinterpreted the law
and placed pollution limitations for many vital water bodies in doubt. After the decisions, the
Bush administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers
(Corps) excluded numerous waters from protection and placed unnecessarily high hurdles to
protecting others. Due to uncertainty about whether the waters remained within the scope of the
Clean Water Act. On top of that, polluters in enforcement actions raised the lack of Clean Water
Act jurisdiction as an affirmative defense in 61 other cases. In sum, over 500 enforcement cases
were affected during this time period. For decades, the Clean Water Act protected the nation’s
surface water bodies from unregulated pollution and rescued them from the crisis status they
were in during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now these vital protections are being lost. The
threat of our Nation’s waters examines case studies, and highlights the urgent needs for Congress
to restore full Clean Water Act protections to our waters.
Impact of “non-navigable waters” being unprotected from pollution
According to an article named, “Overview: Clean Water Restoration Act of 2009” by the
Clean Water Action (Schwartz, 2012, it described how the EPA estimated about a third of the
nation’s water are still unhealthy, 117 millions of American get some of the drinking water from
unprotected resources. Hundreds of Clean Water Act enforcement cases have either been
6. FINAL PAPER 6
dropped completely or made lower priorities due to concerns over the recent Supreme Court
decisions questioning whether certain rivers, streams, wetlands and other waters remain
protected from pollution by the Clean Water Act. Congress has been unwilling to clarify the
CWA. The EPA and United States Army Corps of Engineer are left to draft new rules to clarify
which water ways are protected.
Economic impacts of “navigable waters”
According to Hurst (2010), the Idaho House condemned parts of the federal Clean Water
Restoration Act. The legislation pending in Congress would have “drastic” negative effects on
the state and its economy. If the Clean Water Act was replaced by the words “navigable waters”
with the “waters of the United States”, the regulation will harm the farming industry. Water
bodies like ditches, irrigation canals and underground waters by the farmers could be subjected
to regulation by the EPA. In a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara
Boxer, the American Farm Bureau said the proposed CWA law would “extend to all water
bodies”. Agricultural operations are subjected to a civil lawsuit that is not possible. If non-
navigable waters are used, businesses and farms could be subjected to civil lawsuits from
organizations or individuals who don’t like the way the business or farm is operating. The
Heritage Foundation claimed the law could be used to stop a tremendous amount of economic
activity. According to a New York Times article called, “Oil Industry Threatens Obama Admin
Over Clean Water Act Guidance for Wetlands” by Paul Quinlan (2011), both industry and
environmentalist groups have different perspectives. Environmental groups are interested in new
water protection regulation that would protect the CWA. Industry groups want the EPA to avoid
creating regulations and begin working on the rulemaking process. The rulemaking process
involves the industry group to create a case that strengthens federal regulations in more
7. FINAL PAPER 7
economic issues. The industry groups do not want the EPA to make any regulations, which they
could undoubtedly litigate and begin on the rulemaking process. This process will create higher
costs and economic drag than benefits to the environment.
Group proposal
The CWA should use the definition of “waters of America”: based on EPA and Army
Corps of Engineering regulations. The new law should eliminate the phrase “navigable waters”
from the CWA to enforce the purpose of the law is to protect all bodies of water. The main
function is to protect the nation’s health, protect all water bodies from pollution and not just to
maintain “navigable waters” healthy, Congress should also make judgments that the law include
isolated waters, streams, headwaters, rivers, lakes and wetlands. The issue of the CWA to clarify
the “waters of the United States”. The group is interested to protect all bodies of waters from
pollution and destruction, exclude the term “navigable” bodies of water. The CWA is to keep
“the bodies of water”, streams and wetlands that affect the quality of water for drinking,
swimming, farming, industry and tourists, etc. The choice of a healthy environment and
economy is crucial to the United States. We are totally blessed with an abundance of natural
resources. The demand for water, food, energy production and manufactures, creates pollution,
contaminants and climate change. We must focus on the CWA to provide a better environment
for our future generations.
It is important to protect the well-being of our water bodies, preserve renewable and non-
renewable natural resources, and provide a clean and livable environment. We need to safeguard
what we have now on Earth for ourselves and the next generations.
8. FINAL PAPER 8
References
Editorial (2012) “Where are the Clean Water Rules?” The New York Times The Opinion Pages
pg. 1-3 Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/opinion/where-are-the-
clean-water-act-rules.html
Group Proposal
Hurst, Dustin (2010) “House condemns parts of federal Clean Water Restoration Act”
Retrieved from: http://www.idahoreporter.com/2010/house-condemns-parts-of-federal-
clean-water-restoration-act/
NRDC (2008) “Restoring America’s Clean Water Legacy” Natural Resources Defense Council
Pg. 1-2 Retrieved from: http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/factsheets/leg_07020201A.pdf
Quinlan, Paul (2011) “Oil Industry Threatens Obama Admin Over Clean Water Act Guidance
for
Wetlands “The New York Times” Business Day Energy and Environment
Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/04/15/15greenwire-oil-industry-
threatens-obama-admin-over-clean-96759.html?pagewanted=all
Reilly, Williams (2011) “Keep the Clean Water Act Strong” The New York Times The Opinion
Page pg. 1-4
Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/opinion/keep-the-clean-water-act-
strong.html
Schwartz, Paul (2012) “Overview: Clean Water Restoration Act of 2009” Clean Water Action
Retrieved from: http://www.cleanwateraction.org/mediakit/overview-clean-water-
restoration-
act-2009
US EPA (2011) “Revisions to the Regulatory Definition of “Navigable Waters” United State
Environmental Protection Agency Retrieved from:
http://www.epa.gov/osweroe1/content/spcc/spcc_nov08waters.htm