Washington, DC -- Today David Ross, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, testified in front of the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Clean Water Action Communications Director, Michael Kelly, released the following statement:
“Assistant administrator Ross was perfectly blunt -- the Trump administration is going to continue to pursue its dirty water agenda, come hell or high water. And if Ross, Wheeler, and Trump get their way, the high water may come first.
With Ross at the helm of the Office of Water, EPA has gutted protections for streams, wetlands, and drinking water. It’s proposed to make it harder for states and tribes to protect local waters. The agency also wants to open a loophole that would allow pollution into rivers and lakes as long as it flows through groundwater first. And there are more rollbacks planned. Ross and Wheeler are dismantling the Clean Water Act and hoping no one notices.
Despite what Ross claimed today, only the corporate special interests who run the show in the Trump administration benefit from EPA’s agenda. There’s no win-win here. Trump’s polluter protection program will have long lasting consequences for our water, health, and climate. Chairman DeFazio and other members of the Transportation and Infrastructure committee made similar points and we thank Rep DeFazio and his colleagues for holding this hearing and holding Ross and EPA accountable.”
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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. We will protect clean water in the face of attacks from a polluter friendly Administration.