,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #gig ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #ad1 #bjbj,mrs4 ,dingell 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,pappas1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,kuster of ,new ,hampshire1 ,mr4 ,rouda1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,mr4 ,espaillat1 ,ms4 ,tlaib1 ,ms4 ,moore1 ,mr4 ,morelle1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4 ,garca of ,illinois1 ,mrs4 ,napolitano1 ,mr4 ,lipinski1 ,ms4 ,blunt ,rochester1 ,mr4 ,cartwright1 ,mr4 ,ruppersberger1 ,mr4 ,clay1 ,mr4 ,casten of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,malinowski1 ,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of ,illinois1 ,mrs4 ,hayes1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,ms4 ,haaland1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,pingree1 ,mr4 ,foster1 ,mr4 ,khanna1 ,ms4 ,castor of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,brownley of ,california1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,mr4 ,blumenauer1 ,mrs4 ,beatty1 ,mr4 ,vargas1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mr4 ,suozzi1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,ms4 ,slotkin1 ,mr4 ,connolly1 ,ms4 ,jayapal1 ,mr4 ,carson of ,indiana1 ,ms4 ,roybal-,allard1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1 ,mr4 ,case1 ,mr4 ,larsen of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,takano1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,hastings1 ,mr4 ,neal1 ,mr4 ,lynch1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,cooper1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 ,mr4 ,kildee1 ,mr4 ,mc,eachin1 ,mr4 ,de,fazio1 ,ms4 ,stevens1 ,mr4 ,raskin1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 ,mr4 ,higgins of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,virginia1 ,ms4 ,barragn1 ,mr4 ,neguse1 ,mr4 ,price of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,moulton1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,mr4 ,brown of ,maryland1 ,ms4 ,wild1 ,ms4 ,wexton1 ,mrs4 ,trahan1 ,ms4 ,mucarsel-,powell1 and ,ms4 ,meng7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,,resolution ,encouraging the ,environmental ,protection ,agency to maintain and strengthen requirements under the ,clean ,water ,act and reverse ongoing administrative actions to weaken this landmark law and protections for ,united ,states waters4 ,whereas access to clean water is a fundamental human right2 ,whereas the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act was enacted into law in #aidh2 ,whereas the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act ,amendments of #aigb were enacted with bipartisan support and significantly reorganized and expanded the law1 from then on commonly known as the ,clean ,water ,act2 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act is one of the most important laws in the ,united ,states and the ,nation's principal safeguard against unregulated pollution or destruction of ,united ,states surface waters2 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act's objective is to restore and maintain the chemical1 physical1 and biological integrity of the ,nation's waters1 and it declared national goals of eliminating the discharge of pollutants into the waters of the ,united ,states by #aihe and1 wherever attainable1 ensuring that waters were fishable and swimmable by #aihc2 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act provides strong and comprehensive requirements for the control of pollutants in the ,nation's waters2 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act authorizes ,federal financial assistance for building and upgrading municipal sewage treatment plants and other types of water quality improvements projects2 ,whereas rivers1 streams1 lakes1 ponds1 wetlands1 and other waters have enormous public health1 community welfare1 economic1 and ecological importance to the ,united ,states1 considering-- 7#a7 one in three people in the ,united ,states receives drinking water from systems that draw supply from headwater1 intermittent1 or ephemeral streams2 7#b7 according to an ,environmental ,protection ,agency report1 streams provide the majority of water to most rivers and transport sediment1 wood1 organic matter1 nutrients1 chemical contaminants1 and many of the organisms found in rivers2 7#c7 chemical1 physical1 and biological processes in streams can convert nitrogen and other nutrients1 preventing them from causing downstream harm2 7#d7 wetlands prevent and minimize flooding by storing as much as #a1jjj1jjj to #a1ejj1jjj gallons of water per acre2 7#e7 wetlands and other waters in the floodplains of rivers and streams help prevent pollution from reaching downstream waters2 7#f7 three-quarters of fish harvested commercially depend on wetlands2 7#g7 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention report that about #ia million people over the age of #af swim in oceans1 lakes1 and rivers each year in the ,united ,states2 7#h7 approximately #cg percent of water withdrawals1 or #aah1jjj1jjj1jjj gallons per day1 are used for irrigation1 with #eb percent of that amount being taken from surface waters2 7#i7 a recent study estimated that wetlands worldwide provide ecosystem services1 like flood prevention and pollution filtration1 worth more than #dg1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj per year2 7#aj7 fishing and other water sports contribute #age1jjj1jjj1jjj annually to the ,american economy and support more than #a1ejj1jjj jobs2 7#aa7 companies often need clean water in their industrial processes or as a component of their end product1 such as craft beer brewers that depend on a reliable source of clean water and add approximately #gf1jjj1jjj1jjj annually to the national economy while supporting more than #ejj1jjj jobs2 7#ab7 according to one study1 the ecological restoration economy1 which includes mitigation for harms to waters due to discharges of dredged or fill material1 directly employs#abf1jjj workers and generates#i4e billion in economic output per year1 which supports an additional #ie1jjj jobs and #ae billion in economic output through indirect 7business-to-business7 linkages and increased household spending2 7#ac7 over #cah1jjj1jjj people visited ,united ,states national parks to recreate and be inspired by thundering waterfalls1 streaming geysers1 desert springs1 ocean beaches1 and jeweled lakes1 generating #dj1jjj1jjj1jjj for the ,united ,states economy and over #ccj1jjj private sector jobs2 7#ad7 ,environmental ,protection ,agency reports that the ,great ,lakes contain #hd of ,north ,america's surface fresh water and about #ba of the world's supply of surface fresh water2 7#ae7 restoring and protecting the ,great ,lakes and their tributaries also protects a #f1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj regional economy and the #a1ejj1jjj jobs and #fb1jjj1jjj1jjj in wages directly connected to the ,great ,lakes2 and 7#af7 the ,great ,lakes and their tributaries also facilitate nearly #af1jjj1jjj1jjj in annual spending by residents and the #cg1jjj1jjj hunters1 anglers1 bird watchers1 and other tourists who visit the region for recreation2 ,whereas water pollution and the loss of water resources can cause catastrophic harm to communities' health and economic strength1 for example-- 7#a7 a harmful algal bloom in western ,lake ,erie in #bjad prompting a three-day shutdown of ,toledo1 ,ohio's drinking water supply1 affecting approximately #ejj1jjj people2 7#b7 a spill of a toxic chemical into the ,elk ,river in ,charleston1 ,west ,virginia1 causing drinking water for approximately #cjj1jjj people to be cut off for several days2 7#c7 outbreaks of blue-green algae and red tide in ,florida causing widespread harm to businesses1 and have killed substantial numbers of aquatic animals over multiple years1 with #bjah being particularly severe2 7#d7 the ,tennessee ,valley ,authority's coal ash waste pit near ,kingston1 ,tennessee1 experiencing a mammoth structural failure and releasing more than a billion tons of waste into the ,emory and ,clinch ,rivers in #bjjh1 and a #bjai analysis found that similar pits around the country routinely leak and contaminate nearby groundwater and surface waters2 7#e7 beaches in multiple ,states1 including ,mississippi1 ,new ,jersey1 ,washington1 and ,new ,york1 being forced to close this year due to outbreaks of algae that are commonly fueled by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution2 7#f7 intense flooding occurring in places1 like ,houston1 ,texas1 where wetland destruction is believed to have contributed to the severity of the flooding2 and 7#g7 many areas of the ,united ,states are expected to experience worsened drought conditions with climate change1 making preservation of water resources more critical2 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act dramatically slowed the rate of wetlands loss in the ,united ,states1 from more than half a million acres annually in the #aiejs to approximately #hj1jjj acres annually in the late #aiijs2 ,whereas the quality of numerous water bodies has substantially improved since the adoption of the ,clean ,water ,act1 including the ,charles ,river in ,massachusetts1 the ,chesapeake ,bay1 and the ,great ,lakes2 ,whereas despite the improvements brought about by the ,clean ,water ,act1 the ,united ,states still faces major water resource and pollution challenges1 including-- 7#a7 according to the most recent ,state data submitted to the ,environmental ,protection ,agency-- 7,a7 #ec percent of assessed rivers and streams do not meet one or more water quality standards1 which are established to ensure waters are clean enough for specific uses like fishing and swimming2 7,b7 #ga percent of assessed lakes1 reservoirs1 and ponds are impaired2 7,c7 #hj percent of assessed bays and estuaries are impaired2 and 7,d7 #gb percent of assessed coastal shoreline waters are impaired2 and 7#b7 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention report that the increasing frequency of harmful algal blooms is associated with increasing temperatures and levels of nutrients in ,united ,states waters2 ,whereas the ,american ,society of ,civil ,engineers' #bjag ,infrastructure ,report ,card gave the ,nation's wastewater infrastructure a grade of ,d2 ,whereas the most recent ,clean ,watersheds ,needs ,survey report to ,congress identified at least #bga1jjj1jjj1jjj in capital needs for wastewater1 stormwater1 and other clean water infrastructure2 ,whereas concerns about the condition of the ,nation's waters consistently rank as one of the most acute environmental worries1 with #hj percent of respondents in a ,march #bjai ,gallup ,poll indicating that they worry a great deal or a fair amount about pollution of rivers1 lakes1 and reservoirs2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights recommended further study and analysis of ,federal laws including the ,clean ,water ,act to analyze gaps in civil rights protections1 and found1 ,,epa's definition of environmental justice recognizes environmental justice as a civil right1 fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race1 color1 national origin1 or income with respect to the development1 implementation1 and enforcement of environmental laws1 regulations and policies2 ,whereas ,federal and ,state agencies have detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances 7,,pfas71 man-made chemicals that have known risks to human health and the environment1 in tap water and groundwater in #di ,states2 ,whereas experts estimate that more than #ajj1jjj1jjj ,americans may be exposed to drinking ,,pfas in their tap water and it continues to be a growing emerging contaminant nationwide that threatens clean water in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,environmental ,protection ,agency has initiated numerous administrative actions that collectively would eviscerate the ,clean ,water ,act and other safeguards for clean water1 including-- 7#a7 repealing science-based protections for streams1 wetlands1 and other waters1 and excluding millions of miles of streams and tens of millions of acres of wetlands from the ,clean ,water ,act's pollution control programs2 7#b7 easing restrictions on wastewater plants to authorize them to release partially treated sewage during rainstorms2 7#c7 refusing to develop regulations mandated by the ,clean ,water ,act aimed at avoiding and minimizing spills of hazardous substances2 7#d7 weakening rules about siting1 operating1 monitoring1 and closing pits where coal ash and other coal combustion waste is dumped2 7#e7 exempting polluters who harm waterways if their discharge first travels through groundwater from the ,clean ,water ,act's discharge permitting program2 7#f7 restricting ,environmental ,protection ,agency experts' authority under the ,clean ,water ,act to stop dumping projects that cause unacceptable harms to water bodies2 7#g7 delaying and weakening toxic pollution discharge limits for powerplants2 and 7#h7 curtailing ,states' and ,tribal ,nations' rights under the ,clean ,water ,act to review federally permitted projects and impose conditions or reject the project1 as appropriate1 to prevent harm to their waterways2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states remains far from achieving the objective of the ,clean ,water ,act1 putting at risk critical resources that provide enormous value to the country1 and the ,environmental ,protection ,agency's proposed actions would substantially worsen those conditions3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives encourages the ,environmental ,protection ,agency to-- 7#a7 maintain and strengthen1 not attack1 requirements that keep ,united ,states waterways clean2 7#b7 end any ongoing administrative actions to weaken existing ,clean ,water ,act regulations and other requirements protecting the ,nation's waters2 and 7#c7 initiate actions to reverse any already-completed administrative actions that weaken the ,federal ,government's implementation of the ,clean ,water ,act and other requirements protecting the ,nation's waters4