The Obama administration and the next Congress are being urged, by a growing number of academics, environmentalists, and lawmakers, to address the countrys water problems, including its dwindling supplies, inadequate environmental protections, and stalled cleanup efforts.
Over the past decade, a potent combination of Supreme Court decisions, Bush administration regulatory actions, and congressional inaction—coupled with recent droughts and the specter of more pronounced problems from climate change—has helped breed crises of both water quality and water availability, they say.
At the top of their priority list: reviving federal laws—particularly the Clean Water Act—that have been weakened or narrowly interpreted in recent years; boosting funding for the nations faltering and aging water infrastructure; and strengthening the Environmental Protection Agencys regulation of water pollution from industry and power plants.
Many of these priorities appear to align with those of Barack Obama. In his remarks about a stimulus package last week, Obama stressed the need for infrastructure improvement. During the campaign, he touted his support for water protection in battleground states like Florida, pledging to help protect and restore the Florida Everglades. His campaign advisers, meantime, say he will support legislation to restore the full scope of environmental laws that were weakened under the current administration.
Obama Likely to Boost Water Quality Rules After Years of Lax Regulation – US News and World Report
