[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10645-S10646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE CLEAN WATER ACT: 30 YEARS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water 
Act, I am pleased to acknowledge progress in the cleanup of our 
Nation's lake and rivers. The goals were ambitious. Congress envisioned 
a nation of fishable, swimmable rivers and lakes, and zero discharges 
of harmful pollutants. While we have not reached those goals, the steps 
we have taken have improved the quality of our water, including the 
natural, and national, resources embodied in the Great Lakes.
  As cochair of the Great Lakes Task Force, I have worked with other 
Members to pass appropriations and targeted legislation to protect our 
Nation's largest inland body of water. The citizens of Michigan and 
seven other adjoining States recognize the value of the Great Lakes 
system to industry, transportation, water resources, and recreation--a 
vital link in a long chain of waterways that enhance our economy, 
provide pleasurable pastimes, and protect our health.
  That's why I authored the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act in 1990 
that amended the Clean Water Act; these changes help States measure and 
control pollutants discharged into the Great Lakes. My bill helped set 
uniform, science-based water quality criteria, ensuring that citizens 
throughout the system share the burdens and benefits of reducing 
harmful pollutants that can affect human health. It also provided for 
control and cleanup of contaminated sediments that leach into the 
water, affecting people, fish, and wildlife.
  I have helped secure other protections for wild creatures through the 
Great Lakes Basin Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. This legislation 
provides a framework and funding for studying and adopting measures to 
restore healthy fish, bird, and animal populations and to manage 
fisheries responsibly.
  Nonpoint source pollution contaminants discharged into water over a 
broad area are widely recognized as a major problem. The Great Lakes 
Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Program will help. This 2002 farm 
bill program provides grants for education on agricultural techniques, 
such as contoured farming and planting of vegetation along banks, that 
reduce the runoff of pesticides and other chemicals into streams and 
rivers.
  Other legislation has set standards and enabled technology for 
reducing soil erosion, controlling sediment runoff, and creating 
environmental research labs specifically targeting the problems of the 
Great Lakes.
  Even with our successes, however, EPA reports that more than 40 
percent of our Nation's waterways remain too polluted for fishing, 
swimming, and other activities. Municipal sewage discharges and urban 
storm sewers continue to dump massive amounts of pollutants into our 
water. And more needs to be done in our cities, our industries, and our 
farms.
  Thus the fight for water quality continues. In this Congress, I have 
introduced legislation to protect Great Lakes waters from invasive 
species the zebra mussel, Asian carp, and other intruders that enter 
U.S. waters through maritime commerce and on the hulls of ships. These 
intruders can damage ecosystems and wipe out entire populations of 
native fish.
  I have also asked the Senate to consider the Great Lakes Legacy Act. 
This bill would provide funds for States to cleanup and restore areas 
of special concern, which do not meet the basic water quality standards 
laid out in a 1972 United States Canada agreement. These areas include 
some vital passages between the Great Lakes, including Michigan's 
Detroit and St. Clair Rivers.
  Funding water quality management activities and improvements in 
environmental infrastructure is one of my highest priorities. Even now, 
Congress is exploring ways to improve funding for the construction of 
wastewater treatment plants to help control urban sewer and stormwater 
overflows, a huge source of nonpoint source pollution.
  Even as we implement new measures, the Bush administration threatens 
a sweeping dismantlement of existing Clean Water Act safeguards by 
removing Federal oversight, allowing polluters to ``buy'' credits that 
would permit the continuation of harmful practices, and reneging on the 
decades-old

[[Page S10646]]

commitment to protect the Nation's wetlands.
  The diligence of Congress, previous administrations, Federal and 
State agencies, and dedicated citizens helped us pass the Clean Water 
Act and other tough measures needed to preserve and protect water 
resources. We must stand guard over these gains and move forward, not 
backward, with even more effective measures. Clean water is a 
privilege, a pleasure, and something we can't live without.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, tomorrow, as we recognize the 30th 
anniversary of the amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act, the Clean Water Act, I want to take a moment to reflect on the 
importance of this cornerstone of environmental legislation and to 
frankly address the significant amount of work that remains to be done.
  Vermont is a shining example to the Nation in terms of its 
environmental ethics and in its commitment to environmental action. I 
am proud to hail from and to represent a State whose people share a 
passionate and abiding concern for the environment.
  We Vermonters are especially proud that much of the environmental 
progress and improvements to water the Nation has achieved in the last 
three decades can be directly attributed to the legacy of Vermont's own 
Robert Stafford. Bob Stafford's leadership in Congress helped shape 
national environmental policy from the time that the environmental 
movement was in its infancy and continued well into its maturity.
  During his 30 years in the House of Representatives and in the 
Senate, Bob Stafford courageously and successfully stood up to those 
who sought to diminish and roll back our environmental standards. His 
efforts were heightened during his tenure as Chairman of the Committee 
on Environment and Public Works, a post he assumed in 1981 during the 
97th Congress and maintained through the 99th. One of his crowning 
achievements during this time was working with Senator John Chafee to 
pass the Clean Water Act.
  Although we should be proud of the great strides we have made to 
reduce and prevent the levels of pollutants and contaminants in our 
water, we are far from the visionary goals and ambitious standards set 
by those who conceived this vital legislation 30 years ago. When 
Senator Stafford testified before the Environment and Public Works 
Committee last week, he clearly challenged us to do more. We cannot 
halt the progress we have made and merely rest on our environmental 
laurels.
  I call upon my colleagues, the administration and the American public 
to look back at the debate that took place at the time and the essence 
of this remarkable piece of legislation. The 1972 legislation declared 
as its objective the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, 
physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters. Two goals 
also were established: zero discharge of pollutants by 1985 and, as an 
interim goal and where possible, water quality that is both 
``fishable'' and ``swimmable'' by 1983.
  Although we have had more than twice that amount of time to meet 
these goals, we have only managed to get half-way there. According to 
EPA's 2000 National Water Quality Report released earlier this year, 39 
percent of assessed river and stream miles and 45 percent of assessed 
lake acres do not meet applicable water quality standards and were 
found to be impaired for one or more desired uses.
  In Vermont, too many of our waters still fall into this category. 
Over the last 30 years, we have addressed many of the point-sources of 
water pollution in Lake Champlain, the Connecticut River and other 
water bodies around the State. Unfortunately, we learn about new 
pollution concerns all the time. Years of unchecked pollution from 
coal-fired power plants outside of Vermont's borders have overburdened 
Lake Champlain and many of our rivers with mercury. Vermont now has 
fish advisories for walleye, lake trout and bass due to mercury.
  There are solutions to this environmental challenge and others that 
threaten the health of Vermont's waters. We just need to act on them. 
Instead, I worry that we are ignoring the warning signs, such as 
climate change, new health problems in our children, loss of our 
natural resources to pests and disease.
  By its actions I fear that the current administration seems to be 
interested in protecting special interests and ignoring public support 
for strong environmental protections and conservation measures. Just in 
the last few months, the administration has announced plans to rewrite 
Clean Water Act regulations that would allow dirt displaced by mountain 
top mining to be dumped in waterways. Army Corps of Engineers' 
regulations protecting wetlands have been relaxed, backing away from 
the decade-old commitment of no net loss of wetlands.
  Instead of looking at ways to undercut the Clean Water Act, we need 
to get back on track and strengthen it.

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