AmmoLand.com

Sportsmen Criticize Senate Measure Weakening Clean Water Act
Barrasso-Heller amendment would undermine Army Corps authority to enforce Clean Water Act, eroding water quality and diminishing valuable fish and wildlife habitat.

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

WASHINGTON --(Ammoland.com)-  As the U.S. Senate debates the budget for the Army Corps of Engineers this week, prominent sportsman-conservation groups roundly criticized an amendment that would defund the administration’s work on Clean Water Act guidance that is crucial to sustaining wetlands and waterways.

Ducks Unlimited, the Izaak Walton League of America, the National Wildlife Federation, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Trout Unlimited strongly oppose the so-called Barrasso-Heller amendment, which would block the Army Corps of Engineers from taking agency action toward restoring Clean Water Act protections to streams, wetlands and other waters.

“The language in the Barrasso-Heller amendment will fundamentally diminish America’s clean water legacy,” said Jan Goldman-Carter, wetlands and water resources counsel for the National Wildlife Federation. “American sportsmen unite in urging the Senate to reject this and any measure that would block agency action to secure our clean water and wetlands ecosystems.”

Over the past decade, safeguards for headwater streams and critical wetlands have steadily eroded, impacting the ability of these ecosystems to recharge aquifers, retain floodwaters, sustain important fish and wildlife habitat and provide clean water for iconic systems such as the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes and Puget Sound. As these waters are polluted and diminished, their tremendous ecological and public health benefits likewise are lost.

“Clean water is the foundation on which enjoyable and productive hunting and angling trips are built,” said Steve Kline, director of the TRCP Center for Agricultural and Private Lands. “We can create jobs without draining wetlands and polluting streams; indeed, thanks to sportsmen, wetlands and streams are great job creators. Sitting in a duck blind or floating on a trout stream, sportsmen have the chance to appreciate first-hand just what clean water means. Now we must act as advocates for the conservation of our nation’s waters and wetlands until these irreplaceable resources are appropriately managed and conserved.”

Proposed guidance issued by the administration in April would more clearly define which U.S. waters are subject to Clean Water Act protections and begin restoring protections for many of the nation’s wetlands and waterways left vulnerable since the SWANCC (2001) and Rapanos (2006) Supreme Court decisions. The wording of the decisions left regulators, landowners and manufacturers confused about which U.S. waters are protected by the Clean Water Act.

“Supreme Court rulings and agency guidance issued over the past decade have jeopardized crucial water resources and wildlife habitat, removing protections for at least 20 million acres of wetlands, particularly prairie potholes and other wetlands essential to waterfowl,” said Scott Yaich, director of conservation operations for Ducks Unlimited. “Streams that sustain critical fisheries and feed the public drinking water systems for more than 117 million Americans are also at risk.”

“As proposed, the administration’s guidance increases clarity and efficiency for agencies, farmers and businesses while keeping Clean Water Act jurisdiction well within its historical bounds,” said Steve Moyer, vice president of government relations for Trout Unlimited. “Moreover, the guidance does not – and cannot – limit exemptions for normal activity related to agriculture, forestry and mining that have been in the act since 1977. Its importance cannot be overstated.”

The total economic contributions of hunting and angling are substantial. In 2006, hunters and anglers accounted for $95.5 billion in economic activity, including trip-related expenses and equipment costs. Wildlife watchers contributed $43.5 billion, including trip-related expenses and equipment costs. Altogether, these two groups spent approximately $139 billion in 2006 alone, breathing life into rural communities and supporting millions of jobs across the country.

“Hunting and angling annually contribute more than $95 billion in economic activity, and restoring protections for America’s waters and wetlands directly benefits citizens, fish and wildlife, and outdoor recreation,” said Scott Kovarovics, conservation director for the Izaak Walton League of America. “The amendment by Senators Barrasso and Heller threatens not only water quality and healthy habitat but the hunting and angling economy as well.”

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.

Filed under: Conservation News by Ammoland 1 Comment »

Sportsmen Condemn House Attempt to Weaken Clean Water Act

H.R. 2018 would undermine EPA authority to enforce Clean Water Act, diminishing water quality and harming valuable fish and wildlife habitat.

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

WASHINGTON --(Ammoland.com)- WASHINGTON, DC – American sportsmen today strongly criticized the House Transportation Committee for hastily passing legislation that would dramatically weaken the Clean Water Act and undercut four decades of progress in restoring the nation’s waters and wetlands and conserving valuable fish and wildlife habitat.

The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011, H.R. 2018, has received minimal review and no hearings since its introduction three weeks ago. The bill attacks two critical components of the CWA: enforcement of water quality standards and protection of waters from discharges of dredged and fill material. H.R. 2018 would increase state control over Environmental Protection Agency implementation of the CWA, including veto authority over EPA enforcement of water quality standards and over EPA authority to block projects that compromise or diminish fish and wildlife habitat.

“In the name of responsible management of our irreplaceable waters, wetlands, and fish and wildlife habitat, we urge House lawmakers to abandon their hasty approach to advancing this legislation,” said Scott Kovarovics, conservation director for the Izaak Walton League of America. “The committee should step back and hold a hearing to assess the sweeping consequences this legislation could have on water quality, streams and critical fish and wildlife habitat.”

“Sportsmen strongly oppose this misguided and damaging legislation,” said Jan Goldman-Carter, wetlands and water resources counsel for the National Wildlife Federation. “H.R. 2018 will lead to a hodgepodge of water quality standards and contribute to an overall reduction in U.S. water quality, our natural resources and outdoor opportunities such as hunting and angling.”

In April, sportsmen welcomed proposed guidance issued by the administration that would more clearly define which U.S. waters are subject to Clean Water Act protections, a move that would begin restoring long-standing protections to many of the nation’s wetlands, streams, lakes and headwaters that have remained threatened in the wake of two ambiguous Supreme Court decisions and subsequent agency guidance. Recent actions undertaken by House lawmakers since that time, however, attempt to weaken or undercut these restorative measures.

“The Clean Water Act has led to immense progress nationwide in cleaning up our waters, restoring fish habitat, protecting drinking water sources, reducing wetlands loss and developing water-based recreational economies,” said Steve Kline, director of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s Center for Agricultural and Private Lands. “While states play a lead role in implementing some CWA protections, the law does not function without a federal backstop that ensures its goals are met. We cannot afford to threaten our waters, which serve as economic powerhouses for innumerable communities across the country.”

Waters and wetlands in the United States sustain the activities of 40 million anglers, who spend about $45 billion annually, and 2.3 million waterfowl hunters, who spend $1.3 billion annually.

“Whether Trout Unlimited is restoring small headwater streams in the Potomac Headwaters in West Virginia, removing acidic pollution caused by abandoned mines in Colorado, or protecting the world famous salmon-producing watershed of Bristol Bay, Alaska, the CWA is the safety net on which we rely,” said Steve Moyer, vice president of government affairs for Trout Unlimited. “H.R. 2018 would cut large holes in the safety net.”

Read a letter from sportsmen to House decision makers opposing H.R. 2018.

About:
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the tradition of hunting and fishing. Visit: www.trcp.org

Filed under: Conservation News by Ammoland No Comments »