On April 23, 2024 the White House announced its America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge to protect America’s most endangered waters. This executive initiative calls on a broad community of environmental organizations, tribes, states, businesses, and other entities to join the White House in a two pronged challenge to: Reconnect, restore, and protect 8 million acres of wetlands by 2030, with an emphasis on forested, vegetated, peat soil, brackish and tidal wetlands; and Reconnect, restore and protect 100,000 miles of rivers and streams by 2030, using approaches like removal of impediments a ..read more

For Immediate Release March 21, 2024 Contact Angela Simental, Conservation Colorado: 303-605-3483 DENVER – The Protect Colorado Waters Coalition voiced its strong support for legislation introduced Wednesday by Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie (D-Dillon), Senator Dylan Roberts (D-Frisco) and Representative Karen McCormick (D-Longmont) that would restore protections to Colorado’s endangered wetlands and waters. The legislation was drafted in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision last year to impose the biggest rollback of the Clean Water Act since its inception in 1972, esse ..read more

Protect CO Waters Coalition Blog  2-26-24 How and Why We Must Protect Colorado’s Vital Wetlands and Streams Now  Recent polling shows that the vast majority of Coloradans want strong water protections. Nearly nine-in-ten voters say it’s important for Colorado to reduce the damage and pollution from development, industry and mining on wetlands and streams. Voters from across the political spectrum support establishing a state permit system to evaluate the impacts of these activities on wetlands and streams, according to a New Bridge Strategy poll last October.    It’s ..read more

Washinton, DC — On May 25, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the landmark environmental case Sackett v. EPA, which concerns the extent to which big polluters can bulldoze wetlands and dump waste into our streams. The opinion – delivered by Justice Alito and joined by Justices Roberts, Thomas, Gorsuch, and Barrett – narrows the scope of the Clean Water Act by eliminating protections for wetlands, except in very limited circumstances. The Court has embraced the extreme demands of big polluters, undoing protections that have safeguarded our waters for over 50 years. This places our co ..read more

Originally posted at: https://www.lcv.org/article/environmental-groups-legal-experts-and-clean-water-advocates-respond-to-biden-administrations-revised-definition-of-waters-of-the-united-states/ Washington, D.C. – Today, the Biden Administration has finalized the Revised Definition of the “Waters of the United States” and repealed – once and for all – former President Donald Trump’s catastrophic rollback of critical clean water protections, which jeopardized the waterways that our families and communities depend on. In response, environmental groups, legal experts, and clean water advocates re ..read more

Over fifty groups sign on in support of changes that will improve climate resilience, water quality outcomes, crop insurance, and conservation efforts, among other important recommendations Washington, DC—Dozens of environmental, public health, and farm groups across the country sent a letter to Congress this week recommending important measures to improve the 2023 Farm Bill. The letter, signed by over 50 groups, calls on Congress to take steps to prioritize water quality outcomes, modernize crop insurance, limit CAFO funding, and double conservation spending, among other important recommendat ..read more

By Esha Ahluwalia Upstream, Downriver is streaming for FREE between April 18 – 23 for Earth Day! Visit https://watch.eventive.org/dceff starting the 18th to watch this film and many other great environmental documentaries! Coming off the heels of the fiftieth anniversary of the Clean Water Act, comes the informative and evocative film, Upstream, Downriver. Maggie Burnette Stogner, the Executive Director for American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking, directed and produced this vital film that displays several communities’ interactions with water. By placing the focus on com ..read more

On March 29, following a House vote earlier this month, the Senate voted to overturn the newly finalized Clean Water Restoration Rule using the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which is a blunt legislative tool that allows Congress to invalidate a recently-finalized agency rule, skipping normal consideration and procedure, and prevent any future administration from issuing a rule that is “substantially the same.” This Clean Water Restoration Rule is a commonsense measure and this attack is just the latest attempt by polluters and their allies in Congress to undermine the Clean Water Act ..read more

Originally posted at: https://environmentamerica.org/news/ame/over-360-local-officials-34-states-call-infrastructure-protects-our-health-and-environment Local officials from across the United States have called on President Joe Biden and Congress to prioritize funding for infrastructure that will make our communities healthier and protect the environment. The local officials released a letter Tuesday, March 16, with Environment America and U.S. PIRG, calling for investments in the following key areas: clean water, transportation, clean energy, solid waste, nature-based infrastru ..read more

In late December 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a final rule outlining which waters should be protected under the Clean Water Act. The modest rule defines the term “waters of the United States” — sometimes referred to as “WOTUS” — in a way consistent with the agencies’ longstanding approach, dating back to President George W. Bush’s administration. This Clean Water Restoration Rule ensures that critical waters – from small streams to rivers to wetlands- are protected from unregulated pollution and destruction when they have important downs ..read more