Getting involved in Stream Management process. Image credit www.catskillstreams.org.
Another Vote, Another Veto: Congress Moves to Derail Protection for Smaller Streams and Wetlands (Again). The latest attempt to strike down the Clean Water Rule would prevent protection of headwater streams and wetlands
January 13, 2016 By Kristyn Brady / Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]oday, the U.S. House of Representatives took advantage of a rarely-used legislative process known as the Congressional Review Act to attempt to kill the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Rule, which clarifies Clean Water Act jurisdiction over headwater streams and wetlands. The Senate used the same expedited process to pass this joint resolution (S.J.Res.22) back in November 2015, so the bill now goes to the President, who has threatened to veto it. Sportsmen urge him to follow through on that threat.
“Once again, Congress has proven that they’re way out of touch with sportsmen on clean water,” says Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Rather than sending trout and salmon spawning areas and waterfowl nesting habitat back into regulatory confusion, hunters and anglers want to see the Clean Water Rule implemented, so we can leave a legacy of healthy waterways for the next generation of sportsmen and women, while preserving existing assurances for farmers, ranchers, and foresters.”
By passing this resolution, lawmakers are disregarding the views of nearly 900,000 Americans, who were vocal in their support of the Clean Water Rule during the public comment period, and 83 percent of hunters and anglers polled, who said they want the Clean Water Act to protect smaller streams and wetlands.
Earlier this week, the TRCP sent Congress a letter opposing S.J. Res. 22 on behalf of eight hunting and fishing groups. The letter says “the Clean Water Rule will translate directly to an improved bottom line for America’s outdoor industry,” which, in the sportfishing sector alone, accounts for 828,000 jobs, nearly $50 billion in annual retail sales, and an economic impact of about $115 billion a year.
About Kristyn Brady
Kristyn Brady joined the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership as the group’s media relations director in March 2015. Prior to the TRCP, Brady spent 6 years on the editorial staff of Field & Stream magazine, where she most recently served as assistant editor and Heroes of Conservation columnist.
Learn more about the Clean Water Rule here . . .
