,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #gad ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bc1 #bjbj,ms4 ,duckworth 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 and ,mr4 ,markey7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,,resolution ,encouraging the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency to maintain and strengthen requirements under the ,clean ,water ,act and reverse ongoing administrative actions to weaken the ,clean ,water ,act and protections for waters of the ,united ,states4 ,whereas access to clean water is a fundamental human right2 ,whereas the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#fb ,stat4 #aaee1 chapter #geh7 was enacted into law in #aidh2 ,whereas the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act ,amendments of #aigb 7,public ,law #ib-ejj2 #hf ,stat4 #haf7 were enacted with bipartisan support and significantly reorganized and expanded the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq47 7commonly known as and hereinafter referred to in this preamble as the ,clean ,water ,act72 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act is one of the most important laws of the ,united ,states and the principal safeguard of the ,united ,states against unregulated pollution or destruction of surface waters of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the objective of the ,clean ,water ,act is to restore and maintain the chemical1 physical1 and biological integrity of the ,nation's waters2 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act 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 waters of the ,united ,states2 ,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 that-- 7#a7 #a in #c individuals in the ,united ,states receive drinking water from systems that draw supply from headwater1 intermittent1 or ephemeral streams2 7#b7 according to a report of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 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 nitrogen and other nutrients from causing downstream harm2 7#d7 wetlands prevent and minimize flooding by storing as much as between #a1jjj1jjj and #a1ejj1jjj gallons of water for each acre of wetland2 7#e7 wetlands and other waters in the flood plains of rivers and streams help prevent pollution from reaching downstream waters2 7#f7 #c_/d of fish harvested commercially depend on wetlands2 7#g7 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention reported 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 of water withdrawals per day1 are used for irrigation1 and #eb percent of water withdrawals are taken from surface waters2 7#i7 a recent study estimated that wetlands around the world provide ecosystem services like flood prevention and pollution filtration worth more than #dg1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj per year2 7#aj7 fishing and other water sports contribute #age1jjj1jjj1jjj annually to the economy of the ,united ,states 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 water1 add approximately #gf1jjj1jjj1jjj annually to the economy of the ,united ,states1 and support more than #ejj1jjj jobs2 7#ab7 according to #a 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 more than #cah1jjj1jjj individuals visited national parks in the ,united ,states in #bjah to engage in recreation and be inspired by thundering waterfalls1 streaming geysers1 desert springs1 ocean beaches1 and jeweled lakes1 generating #dj1jjj1jjj1jjj for the economy of the ,united ,states and more than #ccj1jjj private sector jobs2 7#ad7 the ,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 the #f1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj regional economy of the ,great ,lakes and the #a1ejj1jjj jobs and #fb1jjj1jjj1jjj in wages directly connected to the ,great ,lakes2 and 7#af7 the ,great ,lakes and their tributaries 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 the health and economic strength of communities1 evidenced by the fact that-- 7#a7 in #bjad1 a harmful algal bloom in western ,lake ,erie prompted a #c-;day shutdown of the drinking water supply of ,toledo1 ,ohio1 affecting approximately #ejj1jjj individuals2 7#b7 a spill of a toxic chemical into the ,elk ,river in ,charleston1 ,west ,virginia1 caused a cutoff of drinking water for approximately #cjj1jjj individuals for several days2 7#c7 outbreaks of blue-green algae and red tide in ,florida have caused widespread harm to businesses and have killed a substantial number of aquatic animals over multiple years1 with the effects of the outbreaks in #bjah being particular severe2 7#d7 in #bjjh1 the coal ash waste pit of the ,tennessee ,valley ,authority near ,kingston1 ,tennessee1 experienced a mammoth structural failure and released more than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj tons of waste into the ,emory and ,clinch ,rivers1 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 were forced to close due to outbreaks of algae that are commonly fueled by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution2 7#f7 intense flooding is occurring in places like ,houston1 ,texas1 where wetland destruction is believed to be contributing 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 the preservation of water resources more critical2 ,whereas the ,clean ,water ,act dramatically slowed the rate of wetlands loss in the ,united ,states from more than #ejj1jjj 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 ,whereas1 despite the improvements brought about by the ,clean ,water ,act1 the ,united ,states still faces major water resource and pollution challenges1 evidenced by the fact that-- 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 #a 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 published a report stating that the increasing frequency of harmful algal blooms is associated with increasing temperatures and levels of nutrients in waters of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the #bjag ,infrastructure ,report ,card of the ,american ,society of ,civil ,engineers gave the wastewater infrastructure of the ,united ,states a grade of ,d2 ,whereas the most recent ,clean ,watersheds ,needs ,survey report to ,congress identified not less than #bga1jjj1jjj1jjj worth of capital needs for wastewater1 storm water1 and other clean water infrastructure2 ,whereas the condition of the waters of the ,united ,states consistently ranks as one of the most acute environmental worries of individuals in the ,united ,states1 with #hj percent of respondents in a ,march #bjai ,gallup ,poll indicating that they worry a great deal or a fair amount about the pollution of rivers1 lakes1 and reservoirs2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights recommended further study and analysis of ,federal laws1 including the ,clean ,water ,act1 to analyze gaps in civil rights protections and found that the ,,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 the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey conducted limited monitoring of #ag perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances 7referred to in this preamble as ,,pfas7 in source and treated public water supplies from #be drinking water facilities and found ,,pfas in all source water and public water supply samples collected2 ,whereas a study led by ,harvard ,university researchers found that the drinking water supplies for not less than #f1jjj1jjj individuals in the ,united ,states exceed the health advisory of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency for #b ,,pfas1 perfluorooctanoic acid 7commonly referred to as ,,pfoa7 and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid 7commonly referred to as ,,pfos71 and more recent information indicates that more comprehensive monitoring would find that the drinking water of many times more than #f1jjj1jjj individuals in the ,united ,states contains ,,pfas at levels that pose significant health hazards2 ,whereas the ,environmental ,protection ,agency has initiated numerous administrative actions that collectively would eviscerate the protections of the ,clean ,water ,act and other safeguards for clean water1 including-- 7#a7 repealing science-based protections for streams1 wetlands1 and other waters and the exclusion of millions of miles of streams and tens of millions of acres of wetlands from the pollution control programs of the ,clean ,water ,act2 7#b7 easing restrictions on wastewater plants1 authorizing the plants 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 relating to the siting1 operating1 monitoring1 and closing of pits where coal ash and other coal combustion waste is dumped2 7#e7 exempting polluters who harm waterways from the penalties of the ,clean ,water ,act if their discharge first travels through groundwater from the discharge permitting program of the ,clean ,water ,act2 7#f7 restricting the authority of experts from the ,environmental ,protection ,agency 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 power plants2 and 7#h7 curtailing the rights of ,states and ,tribal nations under the ,clean ,water ,act to review federally permitted projects and impose conditions on or reject a project1 as appropriate1 to prevent harm to their waterways2 ,whereas the ,united ,states remains far from achieving the objective of the ,clean ,water ,act by putting critical resources that provide enormous value to the ,united ,states at risk2 and ,whereas the proposed actions of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency would substantially worsen the risk to critical resources3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate encourages the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency to-- 7#a7 maintain and strengthen1 rather than attack1 requirements that keep waterways of the ,united ,states clean2 7#b7 end any ongoing administrative actions that weaken-- 7,a7 existing regulations that were promulgated under the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq472 and 7,b7 other requirements protecting the waters of the ,united ,states2 and 7#c7 initiate actions to reverse any administrative actions that have already been completed that weaken the implementation by the ,federal ,government of-- 7,a7 the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq472 and 7,b7 other requirements that protect the waters of the ,united ,states4