Clean Water Action Commends Introduction of Clean Water Act of 2023

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Subcommittee Ranking Member Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), and Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA)) and Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) introduced the Clean Water Act of 2023. The goal of this legislation is to reinstate critical Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams that lost federal safeguards in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA. Today’s introduction of the Clean Water Act of 2023 coincides with the 51st anniversary of the Clean Water Act, our nation’s landmark water quality protection law.  

Jeff Carter, President & CEO of Clean Water Action released this statement:

“We commend the cosponsors of the Clean Water Act of 2023 for their leadership and dedication to getting us one step closer to ensuring clean water for all. When Congress passed the Clean Water Act 51 years ago today, it was with the clear goal to protect all our nation’s rivers, streams, and wetlands, not just some of them. That’s because science shows us that wetlands and streams affect the water quality of rivers, lakes, and bays downstream. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ignored this history and science when it issued its devastating decision in Sackett v. EPA. The Clean Water Act of 2023 is needed to fix the damage created by the Court, which eliminated protections for over half of our country’s wetlands and likely millions of miles of streams, including those that are vital sources of drinking water. We call on Congress to pass this bill as swiftly as possible."

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Since our founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table. Learn more at cleanwater.org.