CLEAN WATER ACT EQUALS DIRTY WATER
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association April 1995 Newsletter)
Less fish, more fish advisories, more ocean dumping, dirtier waters ... simply put, that’s what the new Clean Water Act will cause, if passed. The proposed legislation (H.R. 961, introduced by Congressman Bud Shuster (R-PA), is rapidly moving through congress, and will be voted on in early May.
HERE’S WHAT THE DIRTY WATER BILL WOULD DO:
LESS FISH: Laws that protect wetlands - the nursery grounds for 90 percent of our marine fishes - would be destroyed. Without habitat for fish to spawn and raise young, there’s no need for size limits, bag limits or seasons, because there won’t be any fish around to regulate.
MORE FISH ADVISORIES: There are no provisions in H.R. 961 to phase- out the use of the most toxic chemicals - including dioxin - that bioaccumulate in fish, causing health advisories. This goes completely against the entire mandate of the original Clean Water Act - to restore all waters to fishable/ swimmable quality. Plus under the proposed bill. all current clean-water rules that limit toxic discharges into waterways could have to be re-re-evaluated under a "cost/benefit analysis", which would make costs to industry more important than effects on fisheries and public health.
MORE OCEAN DUMPING: In a move that shocked ocean advocates, NJ’s own Congressman Robert Franks introduced an amendment to H.R. 961 which fired the Environmental Protection Agency from protecting the ocean, putting the U.S. Corps of Engineers in charge instead. But the Corps has fought for years to make it easier to dump toxic wastes like dioxin, DDT, mercury, and PCBs in the ocean. The amendment also lets the Corps change ocean dumping rules without public notice, and reevaluate closed dumpsites like the infamous wood burning site.
DIRTIER WATERS: Measures to reduce non-point source pollution (polluted runoff that closes beaches, condemns shellfish beds, diseases fish, and causes algae blooms and fish kills) would be virtually eliminated from H.R. 961. Urban areas like New York City would fall under weaker regulations making easier to discharge waste into the Hudson/Raritan Estuary. Rules governing runoff in the coastal zone would be eliminated completely.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO !
Find five minutes of time: CALL your congressional representative and tell him/her to vote against H.R. 961, a bill that will result in less fish, more advisories, more ocean dumping, and dirtier waters. Demand to know how he/she plans to vote on H.R. 961. (Congressional switchboard number is 202/225-3121.)
If you have 10 minutes of time: WRITE to your congressional representative and tell him/her to vote against H.R. 961 for the above reasons. Demand to know how he/ she plans to vote on H.R. 961. Send letters to U. S. house of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
If you have 15 minutes of time: WRITE your Congressional representative , and write a letter to your local newspaper about H.R. 961, and how it will effect local waters. Mention your representatives name in the letter, and urge their help in defeating the H.R. 961.
If you have one hour of time: Schedule a meeting with your representative during the April 8-30 Congressional recess. Demand that your representative vote against H.R. 961 for the above reasons. (Clean Ocean Action can assist you with scheduling a meeting. Call 908-872-0111 for more information.