Tell Congress: Protect Wetlands and Drinking Water NOW

Campaign launched with
Clean Water Action

224

Supporters

300

Next goal

Protection for critical wetlands and many streams—sources of the water we drink—were recently stripped away. This bill would restore those protections.

In May of last year, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly weakened the reach of the Clean Water Act, our nation’s 51-year-old water pollution control law. Under this misguided decision, most wetlands and numerous streams are again vulnerable to pollution and destruction. Thankfully, the new Clean Water Act bill would undo much of the damage caused by the Court.

The measure was launched with over 100 co-sponsors at the end of 2023. Momentum is picking up in early 2024, with 30 more representatives cosponsoring the bill. Help keep up the momentum! Please urge your member of Congress to support this critical legislation!

The Clean Water Act ( H.R. 5983) continues the work of the original 1972 Clean Water Act to protect and preserve America’s streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and essential drinking water sources. The bill will reverse worst Dirty Water impacts created by the dangerous Sackett decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ask your Representative to co-sponsor and continue supporting the Act.

The bill makes it clear that wetlands and streams are protected water resources and reaffirms Congress’ commitment to safeguarding clean water and drinking water quality around the country. It also directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to periodically review exemptions to the Clean Water Act to ensure the protection of human health and the environment based on the best available science.

Co-sponsoring this bill means your Congress member would publicly support and endorse this specific piece of legislation, demonstrating their commitment to its goals and objectives.

To get it passed during this Congress, we need as many co-sponsors as possible to show growing support for restoring protection to all of our water. Will you join this campaign to encourage your Representative to support this bill?

Why do we need this bill?

For over 50 years, the landmark Clean Water Act has safeguarded our rivers, streams, and wetlands, ensuring a minimum standard of protection. Disaster struck last year with the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA ruling, which severely undermined these vital protections, placing drinking water for millions of Americans directly in harm's way.

Urge your House representative to join the hundreds of others supporting the relaunched Clean Water Act to restore the historic federal-state partnership that has kept our water resources thriving for half a century.

This isn't just about fixing a bad court decision; it's about preserving a legacy of environmental, economic, and health benefits for our communities. Stand up for clean water, stand up for the Clean Water Act!

Fight polluters, and score a win for people and planet.

The winners in the recent Supreme Court ruling were fossil fuel and industrial agriculture corporations—with fewer protections in place for wetlands, small streams and drinking water sources, these industries will be free to dispose of waste in previously protected waterways, lowering operational costs and increasing profits. The decision flies in the face of science—and common sense. It is simply not possible to protect rivers, lakes, streams and drinking water without also protecting everything upstream of them. This decision leaves our water vulnerable to pollution, development, and destruction.

But clean water is indispensable for families in daily activities and essential for farmers, brewers, and manufacturers to produce goods. The resources in question are essential for quality of the water we drink. That’s not to mention the climate resilience benefits that communities receive from our wetlands and small streams.

Healthy waters and wetlands act as vital buffers, mitigating the impact of extreme weather events, such as floods and storms. They serve as natural filtration systems, fostering biodiversity and providing essential habitats for a variety of species. Some bodies of water double as carbon sinks, storing carbon in their soil—wetlands in particular store massive amounts of carbon.

By safeguarding our water ecosystems—all of our water, not just some of it—we enhance our planet's resilience to climate change, ensuring the sustained well-being of both the environment and the communities that rely on these delicate ecosystems.

Join the campaign, spread the word, and make your voice heard—restore protection for all waters with passage of this urgent Clean Water Act bill!

224

Supporters

300

Next goal

↑ The Wood River Wetland in southern Oregon is home to an array of biodiverse vegetation and is a freshwater ecoregion. · Greg Shine, Bureau of Land Management

↑ Freshwater inland wetlands store 10.7 billion of the estimated 11.5 billion MT of wetland soil carbon in the U.S · Data from Nature, image from Derek Jensen via Wikimedia Commons.

↑ Wetlands come in many different shapes and sizes. For example, prairie potholes are fed mostly by precipitation or groundwater and are not associated with a distinct body of water, such as a river or a larger lake. · Image from Encyclopædia Britannica

Our advocacy partner

Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups and coalitions, and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and to solve environmental and community problems. Clean Water Action focuses on getting toxins out of everyday products, protecting waterways from fossil fuel pollution, and keeping clean water laws strong.

When you sign up today, we’ll match your contribution up to $20.00 to directly support Clean Water Action, our advocacy partner for this campaign.