Sportsmen commend introduction of House clean water bill

Congressman James Oberstar

A number of sportsmen and conservation groups have commended the introduction of legislation in the U.S. House of Repres ent atives that would restore Clean Water Act protections for streams, lakes, wetlands and other important waters. According to Congressman James Oberstar, the America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act would help sustain the healthy habitat, robust fish and wildlife populations and range of economic benefits that rely on America’s waterways and wetlands and would reverse recent Supreme Court decisions that jeopardize the nation’s water resources.

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Izaak Walton League of America, the National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited have been vocal proponents of legislation that reinstates safeguards previously in place via the Clean Water Act.

The bill introduced by Rep. Oberstar of Minnesota responds to these groups’ calls for congressional action that strengthens conservation measures for water and wetland ecosystems essential to American hunting and fishing traditions.

“America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act is a new bill that would ensure the Clean Water Act protects streams, lakes, wetlands and other waters,” said Scott Kovarovics, conservation director with the Izaak Walton League. “It’s a balanced, common-sense solution that the House should quickly approve.”

The threats to America’s water resources caused by the Supreme Court decisions radiate across the landscape in the form of threats to drinking water, fish and wildlife habitat and economic growth.

“Congressman Oberstar’s important legislation underscores the threats facing clean water and habitat,” said Steve Moyer, Trout Unlimited vice president of government affairs. “Yet it also presents a clear path forward for enabling our leaders to right the deficiencies of current law. American sportsmen offer the congressman our thanks for responding to our repeated requests for such forward-thinking measures and look forward to working with him and his House colleagues to advance this bill into law.”

According to the TRCP, more than half of the estimated 221 million acres of wetlands originally existent in the United States have been lost.