High Court Rules Against Clean Water Protections - Results of Bad Bush Governance

Acid drains from rock near Lower Slate Lake at the Kensington Mine in June, more than six months after it was discovered. Coeur Alaska's cleanup efforts reduced the flow but did not stop it. Photo: U.S. Forest Service

While we wage the fight for health care, we must keep our eyes and ears close to the ground for other mishaps. In doing just that, I came across this incredible bit of news. On June 22nd, the Supreme Court ruled that "the Clean Water Act allows a mining company to pump hundreds of thousands of gallons per day of toxic waste slurry into a pristine lake in Alaska. Over the next decade, 4.5 million tons of solid waste will be dumped into Lower Slate Lake, killing nearly all the aquatic life and essentially burying the entire lake." (Earth Justice)

The rest of the blog post from Earth Justice is copied below. We are being called upon to write our new administration to stop this injustice. Action must be taken within the next 9 days. This blog post says it all.

This misguided ruling has implications for clean water all over the country, potentially opening the floodgates to allow more pollution into other lakes, rivers and streams nationwide.

But hope is not lost. Despite the Supreme Court's decision, there is much that can still be done by officials of President Obama's administration to protect our waters. We're going to continue to fight in the courts and in Congress for stronger clean water protections, but you can tell these officials right now that they can act immediately to protect clean water and assert his commitment to a cleaner, healthier environment.

Ask Obama administration officials Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator, and Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to immediately rescind the memo written by the Bush administration in 2004 that allowed waste to be dumped directly into lakes, streams and rivers without meeting strict EPA pollution standards. Also, ask them to initiate a process to undo a 2002 rule that redefined industrial waste as "fill," and paved the way for this "fill" to be dumped into our waters.

With swift action, President Obama's administration can guarantee clean water protections and ensure a cleaner, safer and healthier environment. Let these officials know that clean water is important to you and your community!

Click here to take action now.

Val McCall, State Chair
Organizing for Connecticut


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