Clean Water Network Alert

GOOD News from Capitol Hill!


Thanks to the hard work of Clean Water Network members and partners, the
U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) passed an amended
version of the Clean Water Restoration Act, which will restore important
environmental protections to all of our nation's waters! 

Today, in a packed  hearing room, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee (EPW)  passed an amended version of S. 787, the Clean Water
Restoration Act, by a  vote of 12-7. The EPW Committee also passed two other
key Clean Water Network priority bills S. 878, Clean Coastal Environment and
Public Health Act of 2009 (formerly known as the beach protection act) and
 S. 937, the Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act.   

The Committee had yet to take up another key CWN bill, S. 933,
Contaminated Sediment Remediation Reauthorization Act (Great Lakes Legacy Act), when
we left to send out this alert. We will send another update on S. 933 in a
subsequent email.

All three bills will now move to the Senate floor for a vote. The version
of the Clean Water Restoration Act that passed today was a compromise
offered by EPW Chairman Boxer (CA) together with Senators' Bauchus (MT) and
Klobuchar (MN). The substitute bill contained  many of the important provisions
in the original bill introduced by Senator  Feingold (WI), including
striking the word navigable and substituting that with "Waters of the United
States." It also included  exemptions for prior converted cropland and waste
treatment systems including  treatment ponds or lagoons. A number of amendments
to weaken the bill  were introduced this morning and were all soundly 
defeated. 

Both S. 878, the Clean Coastal Environment and  Public Health Act and 

S. 937, the Sewage Overflow  Community Right-to-Know Act, passed with
nominal opposition. 


While today is a big step forward for the entire clean water  community,
there is still much work to be done to make these bills  reality. Stay tuned
for more updates and details on the bills and how you  can help. Thanks again
for everything you do to protect our nation's  waters.


Natalie Roy 
Executive Director

Clean Water  Network