Obama Policies Could Clean Up Water Act

An insistent cadre of experts and activists have high hopes for the nation’s water infrastructure under current President-elect Barack Obama. During his campaign he pledged to preserve and rebuild wetlands and waterways across the country. Obama recently emphasized his support for infrastructure improvements, improvements that he believes can stimulate the nation’s economy.

“If we want to keep up with China or Europe, we can’t settle for crumbling roads and bridges, aging water and sewer pipes. It’s gotten so bad that the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our national infrastructure a D,” Obama told crowds in Flint, Michigan.

Converting conviction to concrete action first means reinvigorating the authority of the Clean Water Act, water mavens mention. This legislation, crucial in preventing environment pollution from factories to farms, has been significantly weakened during the Bush administration, concludes an article in US News & World Report.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer has already pushed Congress to pass a bill clarifying that the Clean Water Act applies to and protects all federally-owned water. Professor Robin Craig, a premier water law expert, said she “would not be surprised if that actually got passed within the first few years of the Obama administration.”

Read more here.

Source: US News & World Report