Dive Into Democracy Archives - Waterkeeper

Dive Into Democracy

We Must Urge Congress to Pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023!


Representative Jared Huffman (CA) and Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) recently reintroduced the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, a sweeping but common-sense...

Tell the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to Stop Enabling the Chaos That CAFOs Create


Farming in North Carolina is not what it used to be. Profit-driven industrial giants have eradicated the traditional “family farm” model of agriculture....

Help Fully Restore the National Environmental Policy Act


The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), passed in 1970, requires federal agencies to assess any significant environmental impacts a federal action,...

Tell Congress to Pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act!


The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, which was first introduced in 2020 and updated in 2021, will soon be reintroduced in both the U.S. House of...

Help Extend Water Quality Protections to Tribal Waters


The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed a new rule that would institute federal baseline water quality standards (WQS)...

Tell Congress to Keep Plastic Out of Our National Parks!

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois recently introduced House Resolution 4561, also known as the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, for the reduction...

Urge USDOT to Finalize the Strongest Possible Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair Standards


The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), by way of its Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), recently announced a proposed...

Help Protect American Communities, Air, and Waters From Toxic Power Plant Pollution!


The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to strengthen Clean Air Act (CAA) controls on mercury and other toxic pollution emissions...

Tell President Biden to Protect Environmental and Public Health Safeguards From the Reckless Demands of the Fossil Fuel Industry 


Certain members of Congress are trying to sneak through a dirty deal to undo environmental protections by trading away vital safeguards in exchange for...

Urge EPA to Protect Waterways From Coal-Fired Power Plant Pollution

  • By: Kelly Foster
  • News

In response to decades of advocacy and litigation by Waterkeeper Alliance and our partners, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now proposing...

Tell EPA to Expand Drinking Water Protections Against PFAS Contamination

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a new rule for regulating PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in our drinking water....

Help Urge Congress to Pass the Railway Safety Act of 2023

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

Earlier this year, a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, tragically unleashing several cars worth of hazardous and carcinogenic materials, including...

Tell EPA to Reestablish CAFOs as a National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative


Every four years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets national enforcement and compliance priorities to focus its resources on the nation’s...

Tell EPA to Adopt Strongest Possible Methane Regulations


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed an updated draft rule to cut methane and other harmful pollutants from oil and gas operations...

Dive Into Democracy: 2022 Year In Review


Through our Dive Into Democracy blog and email series, we informed and engaged our U.S. audience on the most pressing clean water issues of the day. In...

EPA Must Use the Clean Water Act to Regulate Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

America’s food systems are today dominated by a handful of multinational corporations that employ industrialized methods to produce most of the meat...

Tell Congress to Pass the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act!

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

A family of dangerous emerging contaminants, PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, poses a serious risk to human health and the wellbeing of our...

Tell Congress to Reject Manchin’s ‘Dirty Deal’ to Fast-Track Fossil Fuel Projects


In exchange for his vote to help pass the Inflation Reduction Act last month, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has demanded a vote on a second bill...

Tell EPA: It’s Time to Adopt National Numeric Nutrient Limits on Water Pollution

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

American waterways have a major nutrient pollution problem. Uncontrolled discharges of nitrogen and phosphorus are overwhelming waterways with more than...

Tell EPA to Fully Restore State, Tribal, and Community Rights Under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The Clean Water Act is the nation’s most effective tool to protect American waterways. An essential component of the Clean Water Act, Section 401, gives...

Support D.C. Statehood!

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The long overdue Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which passed in the House of Representatives last year, would finally extend Congressional representation...

Congress Must Pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act!

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act was introduced last year in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. This bill represents...

EPA Must Confront Largest Unaddressed Source of Water Pollution

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

Nonpoint source pollution is the largest unaddressed source of water pollution in the country. This type of contamination typically happens when rain and...

Help Ensure All Communities Have Clean Water Act Protections!

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new Financial Capabilities Assessment guidance for establishing a community’s ability to...

Help Keep Mercury Out of Our Waters!

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a rule reaffirming that enforcing Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) from power plants...

Support the Farm System Reform Act

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The Farm System Reform Act was recently introduced by Senator Cory Booker (NJ) and Representative Ro Khanna (CA) into both the U.S. House of Representatives...

Fully Restore Clean Water Act Protections for All Waters of the United States

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The Clean Water Act is intended to ensure our waters are safe for swimming, drinking, fishing, and other uses. However, the law cannot achieve these goals...

Help Us Strengthen and Expand Federal Methane Regulations

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

Recently, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reaffirmed what many of us already know: climate change is accelerating and...

It’s Time to Fully Restore the Cornerstone of Environmental Law

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), passed in 1970, requires federal agencies to assess any significant environmental impacts a federal action...

Help Keep Dangerous ‘Forever Chemicals’ Out of Our Water


One of the most dangerous and persistent threats to our nation’s waters is the group of emerging contaminants known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl...