Clean Water Defense Archives - Waterkeeper

Clean Water Defense

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...

Waterkeeper Alliance Urges Lawmakers to Drop Loophole From Clean Water Act of 2023


A Provision Included in the Proposed Legislation Would Allow Future Administrations to Exclude Waters from Federal Protections On October 18th, the 51st...

Advocates to Biden: Federal Oil and Gas Rule Must Meet Climate Imperatives 


Eleven western U.S. groups have provided the Bureau of Land Management comments imploring the agency to address the climate crisis in its proposal to update...

EPA Restores Authority to States, Territories, and Tribes under CWA 401 Final Rule


Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final 2023 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule,...

The Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam. Taken July 4, 2021. Credit Lisa Winters, Grand Canyon Trust.

Estonian Oil Shale Giant Abandons Federal Oil Shale Lease, Loses Colorado River Basin Water Deal


Estonian state-owned oil shale company Enefit American Oil is abandoning its lease to mine oil shale on federal public land in northeastern Utah’s Uinta...

Legal Victory Puts Hellbender Back on Track for Endangered Species Protection


In response to a lawsuit filed by five conservation groups, a federal judge found today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2019 denial of Endangered...

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...

Waterkeeper Alliance Calls on Lawmakers to Step Up After EPA Finalizes Weakened WOTUS Rule


Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule following the Supreme Court’s ruling in...

Waterkeeper Alliance Stands With Groups in the Western U.S Seeking to Avoid the Collapse of the Colorado River Supply System


Colorado Riverkeeper, John Weisheit, drafted detailed scoping comments submitted to the Bureau of Reclamation on August 17, 2023 as a part of that agency’s...

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)...

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...

Waterkeeper Alliance Calls on Congress for Safeguards After Supreme Court Delivers Blow to Clean Water Act


Court’s Decision Prioritizes Polluting Industries Over Clean Water and Public Health and Ignores Decades of Legal Precedent, Science, and Clean Water...

What’s Up With WOTUS?


What’s Up With WOTUS? In recent weeks, you may have seen news stories about “WOTUS” or “Waters of the United States.” The argument over what...

Coalition Sues EPA Over Unregulated Water Pollution From Oil Refineries, Plastics Plants, and Other Industries


A coalition of environmental groups, including Waterkeeper Alliance, filed a federal lawsuit today against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

Op-Ed: The Climate Crisis is a Water Crisis


By Marc Yaggi This week, many of us from around the world—including environmentalists, politicians, corporate leaders, and more— gathered at the United...

Waterkeeper Alliance Delivers Natural Water Systems Declaration to United Nations 


Today, as part of its participation in the 2023 UN Water Conference, Waterkeeper Alliance delivered a declaration on behalf of a global coalition calling...

Waterkeeper Alliance Applauds EPA’s Plan to Limit PFAS Contamination in Drinking Water 


Today, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule for regulating PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in drinking water. The agency...

Waterkeeper Alliance Responds to EPA’s Latest Plan for Regulating PFAS Discharges; Points to New Great Lakes Study as Reason for More Urgency


Waterkeeper Alliance is responding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of its latest plan for controlling PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl...

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...

New Guidance from EPA will Help States Limit PFAS Pollution at the Source


This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a memorandum to states that provides direction on how to use Clean Water Act discharge permits...

EPA’s Newly Proposed Rule to Enhance Reporting of PFAS Data is a Step in the Right Direction


The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a new rule to close the minimum loophole from using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This...

Loreto Coastkeeper

Monitoring Water Quality With Loreto Coastkeeper


Eco-Alianza de Loreto started Loreto Coastkeeper program in 2012 and began analyzing water quality at recreational sites along the coast of the Loreto...

COP27: Groups warn of severe climate and human rights risk of new hydropower dams and schemes


Dams and hydropower schemes create major loss and damage, including producing significant amounts of methane, biodiversity loss, and community displacement....

Estero Salado Waterkeeper

Estero Salado Waterkeeper’s Efforts to Protect Waterway Arrives at COP 27


Estero Salado Waterkeeper’s efforts to protect and restore the waters of the Estero Salado, the main saltwater estuary running through the city of Guayaquil,...

AP Coverage of Waterkeeper Drone Tactics


Earlier this month at the Waterkeeper Alliance Global Conference, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper Brent Walls led a drone training sessions for interested Waterkeeper...

Otters on the Severn


It is hard to believe that otters are happily swimming in the Severn River, only a few miles upstream of Maryland’s State Capital. Several years ago,...

Keeping an eye on stormwater pollution


By Steve Holt. Originally published by Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper, republished with permission. Stormwater is one of the most significant threats to...

Tijuana Waterkeeper Works to Improve Some of the Most Contaminated Beaches in the World But They Need Your Help


Tijuana Waterkeeper, a program of Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental, has been around for quite some time. What started as beach cleanups has...

5 Trends in Water for 2022


As we look ahead to a new year, we asked some of our team to forecast what trends and issues they think will impact water in 2022. Here’s what they had...