Voting Against Rollback of Clean Water Standards

Press Release

Congesswoman Chellie Pingree will vote today against Republican efforts to undermine clean water standards. Pingree said she'll vote against the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act, which would block the EPA from enforcing key provisions of the Clean Water Act.

"It was forty years ago this fall that Senator Muskie introduced the Clean Water Act, and since then it has proven to be a critical tool in protecting our water supplies and the health of all Americans. That's a legacy we should be proud of and it's very discouraging to see that Republicans trying to dismantle this law bit by bit," Pingree said.

The bill up for consideration today would limit EPA's authority to oversee state environmental regulations and take away their power to stop dredging projects that affect shellfish beds and fishery areas. These changes would give upstream states power to weaken their pollution protections, and weaken the power of downstream states to protect their water supply, their communities, and their economy.

Pingree also criticized Republicans for not spending more time on economic issues.

"Instead of policies that will help strengthen our economy and get people back to work, House Republican leaders seem to be fixated on rolling back environmental protections," Pingree said.

Source