*Waterkeeper Alliance participated in EPA’s Office of Water public listening session, “Reducing Regulatory Burden,” on May 2, 2017.
Hi, my name is Maia Raposo and I am the Director of Communications and Marketing at Waterkeeper Alliance. Waterkeeper Alliance strengthens and grows a global network of grassroots leaders protecting everyone’s right to clean water. We are comprised of 320 Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates in 35 countries on 6 continents, covering over 2.5 million square miles of watersheds.
Waterkeeper Alliance and our 165 Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates across the United States work closely with communities to protect and preserve local waterways. We have firsthand knowledge of how important EPA regulations are for public health and the environment. These regulations were implemented to put the health of Americans before corporate interests – they are necessary for protecting our citizens.
The Clean Water Act spells out U.S. policy and the appropriate legal standards for protecting and restoring our nation’s waters. It is EPA’s legal duty to implement these policies and standards – EPA does not have the authority to alleviate industry of their legal obligation to comply with laws.
There is no evidence that environmental safeguards prevent job growth. In reality, clean water is the economic lifeblood of many American communities. Anglers alone generated nearly $115 billion in economic activity in 2011, breathing life into rural communities and supporting more than one million jobs.
The only entities that benefit from revoking or weakening regulations are companies that will increase profits by pushing pollution costs onto communities. If EPA rolls back environmental protections, American citizens will suffer the costs of tainted drinking water sources, fish that are unsafe to eat, and the closure of recreational areas due to dangerously high pollution levels.
Finally, the rate at which this regulatory review is happening is irresponsible. Environmental regulations have many complex interactions with federal and state statutes and laws that cannot be accurately assessed in such a short time frame. The public needs more time to comment on specific regulations that have been ID’d for repeal, replacement, or modification.
Thank you for this opportunity to speak.