Alexandria — To the Editor:
No one disagrees that clean water — and a healthy Potomac — are fundamentally important. The Potomac River Basin supplies more than 85 percent of the D.C. Metropolitan Area’s drinking water. Moreover, it sustains communities supported by fishing and tourism, and allows generations of Virginians to enjoy recreational opportunities, like kayaking alongside the monuments and visiting the Great Falls.
That is why it is so disappointing that the U.S. House of Representatives just voted to block the restoration of Clean Water Act safeguards that help keep the Potomac River clean.
These protections for seasonal streams and wetlands that feed the Potomac and other major waterways were put in doubt by two polluter-supported Supreme Court decisions — and the polluters’ political allies in the U.S. House added a “dirty water” provision to a water-related spending bill to make sure these critical Clean Water Act safeguards don’t ever return.
U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8), together with Michigan U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell (D-12), introduced an amendment to remove this dangerous provision from the bill, but the amendment was struck down in a July 9 vote in the House of Representatives.
I’m thankful that Congressmen Moran and Dingell rejected polluter’s influence and chose to stand with Virginians and the Potomac Watershed.
I urge our Senators Kaine and Warner to hold the line in defense of the Potomac so that the Clean Water Act’s goal of making all our waters safe for drinking, swimming, and fishing may one day become a reality.
Jessica Dubow, Organizer
Environment Virginia