Today the Minnesota Conservation Federation and the National Wildlife Federation are launching a radio advertising blitz in Minneapolis and Duluth, urging U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar to support Clean Water Act protections for waters that nearly 1 million Minnesota’s depend on for safe drinking water. The ad campaign comes as many in Congress attempt to roll back Clean Water Act protections in a new federal rule.

Listen to the ad here: http://bit.ly/1IjhBea

The rule, known as the clean water protection rule, clarifies Clean Water Act protections for streams and wetlands that feed public drinking water supplies that 1-in-3 Americans—more than 117 million people—depend on for safe drinking water. Currently those waters are at risk of pollution and destruction due to federal loopholes.  The Environmental Protection Agency is anticipated to release the final clean water protection rule in the months ahead after making improvements to the rule based upon the nearly one million comments received—the overwhelming majority of which were supportive of the rule—during the public comment period.

"Nearly one million Minnesotans get their drinking water from streams and wetlands that some in Congress are trying to keep at risk for pollution and destruction," said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "We’re urging Sen. Klobuchar to vote to oppose these efforts and to support the strongest Clean Water Act, because there is nothing more essential to Minnesotans public health, economic vibrancy, and outdoor experiences than clean water."

Following several years of opposing attempts to undermine the Clean Water Act, Sen. Klobuchar voted in March for a Senate budget resolution amendment that would have scuttled the clean water protection rule.  While the vote was not binding, several Senate bills and budget amendments have been introduced to undermine Clean Water Act protections for waters in Minnesota and across the country.  These measurers will be voted upon in the Senate in the coming weeks.   

"We need Sen. Klobuchar to support the Clean Water Act—to keep it working for all Minnesotans," said Gary Botzek, executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation. "We’re counting on Sen. Klobuchar to support clean water that is the foundation of our health, our economy, and our way of life."

The clean water protection rule also protects streams and wetlands that support fish, wildlife, and Minnesota’s outdoor recreational industry. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that in 2011, $3.9 billion was spent on wildlife recreation in Minnesota, including $2.4 billion on fishing. More than 2.5 million people participated in these recreational activities in Minnesota.

















 
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