Shared Successes part 2

[j_b]

EPA softens protection of wetlands:

 

"Pollution or habitat destruction in virtually all waters of the United States are regulated under the Clean Water Act," said Eric Eckl, a spokesman for the group American Rivers. "We believe that [the EPA rule-making initiative] will serve as a test of the political waters for removing those protections from ephemeral or intermittent streams, isolated wetlands, and manmade waters such as ditches, canals and ponds."

 

"There is no legal or scientific justification for legalizing pollution in waterways that have been protected for three decades," said Nancy Stoner, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The Bush administration doesn't seem to understand that all of our waters are connected. If you allow corporate polluters to dump toxic waste in creeks, it will flow into our rivers and threaten our drinking water."

 

"The clock is ticking," said Illinois state Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park), who unsuccessfully sponsored legislation to create an Illinois wetlands protection law last year. "Each year that goes by, wetlands can be filled in with no mitigation, causing an exacerbation of flooding, a detrimental effect on our water quality and our natural ecosystems. We are losing what is left."

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0301110237jan11,0,258186.story