• Water

Clean Water Protections Under President Trump Continue to Be Eroded

• clean water
• Clean Water Act
• regulations
• rollback
• safe drinking water
• WOTUS

The Trump Administration’s severe rollback of the Clean Water Act’s coverage went into effect yesterday with numerous non-profits and states vowing litigation, and Colorado has already successfully pushed back implementing the new rule.  In addition, last week the administration decided not to regulate a chemical used in rocket fuel that has been linked to developmental damage ans the Massachusetts state Department of Environmental Protection failed to send federal regulators reports about the safety of watersheds required by the Act, according to the state auditor.

Why This Matters:  There is not much left of the Clean Water Act with the Trump Administration at the helm of the so-called Environmental Protection Agency.

• Water

Frontline Communities Lacking Clean Water Can’t Fight Coronavirus Effectively

• clean water
• conservation
• COVID-19
• environment
• pollution
• safe drinking water
• science
• stimulus
• water shortages

Shocking as it may be, there are 2 million Americans living in such poverty that they lack running water, and tens of millions of others may have water in their homes but it is hardly safe to bathe in, much less drink, The Washington Post reports.  These extreme conditions are exacerbating the spread of COVID-19 in minority communities in the deep south and Navajo Country. 

Why This Matters:  With some states reopening despite Dr. Anthony Fauci’s warning today that we are not yet ready, we are all only as safe from the virus as the most vulnerable among us.

• Water

Nestlé Allowed to Tap Michigan Groundwater to Bottle for Profit, While Residents’ Bills Rise

• #Cleanwater
• bottled water
• conservation
• drinking water
• environment
• Nestlé
• safe drinking water

by Zoey Shipley and Monica Medina As many Michigan citizens pay exorbitant prices for drinking water, Nestlé Corporation will continue to extract 400 gallons of water per minute (a 60% increase over its original permit) from a well in western Michigan for which they pay only $200 a year.  Last week, an administrative judge overruled […]

• Green New Deal

Will The Next Stimulus Law Provide a Lifeline for Frontline Communities?

• clean water
• conservation
• COVID-19
• environment
• Green New Deal
• safe drinking water
• stimulus

The Senate Democrats’ Environmental Justice Caucus laid out in a letter on Monday their vision for the next round of economic stimulus funding and the benefits in their proposal are intended to address the inequities of the virus’ impacts on the poor and minorities. 

Why This Matters:  These 16 Democrats are speaking up on behalf of members of low income, rural and communities of color (known as an environmental justice or frontline communities) who are especially vulnerable to the virus and don’t have access to quality health care that could vastly improve their chances of recovery.

• Water

Water Treatment Is More Crucial Now Than Ever – But Got No $$ in the Stimulus

• clean water
• coronavirus
• COVID-19
• hand washing
• safe drinking water
• stimulus
• Stimulus Package

By Zoey Shipley and Monica Medina Drinking water and wastewater utilities – many of which are run by state and local governments – did not get dedicated assistance in the Stimulus package the House of Representatives will vote on today, even though they are going to face steeply declining revenue when people and businesses can’t […]

• Water

DoD Admits It Will Take Decades To Clean PFAS From Water Supplies

• #ForeverChemicals
• Department of Defense
• drinking water
• Environmental Working Group
• installations
• PFAS
• safe drinking water

Last week the Defense Department (DoD) reported that 250 more installations had tested positive for PFAS contamination, and now they admit that it will take 30 years at least to test each site for PFAS, identify how the chemical has spread and then complete the cleanup. 

Why This Matters:  Many states are imposing limits well below the EPA’s 70 parts per trillion (ppt) guidance, but the DoD will only clean up drinking water that is above the EPA recommended level.