More than 10,000 Virginians call on Senator Warner to support Clean Water Act protections

Media Contacts
Sarah Bucci

Environment Virginia

Richmond, VA – Today, Environment Virginia delivered over 10,000 petitions from Virginians to Senator Mark Warner in support of clean water protections finalized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environment Virginia held two small rallies along the banks of the James and Potomac Rivers to call for support of the standard before visiting Senator Warner’s offices in Washington, DC and Richmond.

“From the Potomac and James Rivers to the Chesapeake Bay, the waters we swim and fish in can only be clean if the streams that flow into them are protected,” said Sarah Bucci, Campaign Director with Environment Virginia. “That’s why the EPA’s action is the biggest victory for clean water in a decade.”

Over 28,0000 miles of Virginia’s streams, including those feeding the James River, gained federal protections under a final rule signed on May 27, 2015 by top Obama administration officials. The measure restores Clean Water Act safeguards to small streams and headwaters that have been vulnerable to development and pollution for nearly ten years.

By closing a loophole created by Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006, the EPA’s rule returns Clean Water Act protections to streams that feed the drinking water sources for more than 2.3 million Virginians and one in three Americans. Millions of acres of wetlands, vital for flood control and filtering pollutants, will also again be shielded under federal law.

First proposed in March 2014, the joint rule by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is backed by robust scientific review and has gained broad support across a wide range of constituencies. Local elected officials, brewers, small businesses, and farmers across Virginia, have signaled their support. Last fall, Virginians submitted 35,000 comments to the EPA in favor of the rule. And through a robust door-to-door citizen outreach campaign, Environment Virginia has gathered over 10,000 petitions in support of the rule in the last three months alone. These petitions will be delivered to Senator Mark Warner today.

Despite broad public support for restored clean water protections, oil and gas companies, developers, and other polluters have waged a bitter campaign against them. The U.S. House has passed multiple bills to block or severely weaken the rule.

“We applaud Congressmen Dan Beyer, Gerry Connolly and Bobby Scott for standing up to polluters and with Virginians by voting in support of the clean water rule,” said Bucci.

Last month, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works committee passed a measure by Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo) to thwart the rule. This bill will likely be voted on by the full Senate later this summer.

“Senator Mark Warner has sided with our rivers over the polluters before, and now more than 10,0000 Virginians are calling on him to do so again,” said Bucci. “The EPA has signed and sealed critical protections for our rivers and streams, but they simply won’t get delivered without Senator Warner.”