As the new home of NJPIRG's environmental work, Environment New Jersey can be contacted regarding this news release.
JERSEY CITY—The arrival of EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to Liberty State Park
this morning was met by members of NJPIRG and the Sierra Club who called on
her to stop attempts to weaken enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Specifically,
the groups pointed to a new EPA rule proposal that will weaken cleanups of polluted
waterways, an attempt to cut 200 EPA enforcement jobs and an EPA report that
says water pollution is increasing for the first time ever since the passage
of the Clean Water Act.
"Administrator
Whitman is coming back to New Jersey to get a photo op today to celebrate the
30th birthday of the Clean Water Act. But really there’s nothing to celebrate
this year," said Douglas O’Malley, the clean water associate at New Jersey Public
Interest Research Group. "Whitman is attempting once again to cut enforcement
jobs at the EPA and weaken the rules to clean up polluted waterways. This is
hardly the birthday present the Clean Water Act deserves."
Administrator
Whitman traveled to New Jersey to test the waters of the Hudson River as part
of a national EPA water monitoring day. However, three weeks ago, the EPA released
its biennial survey of the nation’s waterways, which includes extensive scientific
testing. The report showed for the first time since the passage of the Act that
water pollution levels were on the rise. Nearly 40 percent of the streams and
rivers tested were listed as impaired or polluted. And still over 85 percent
of New Jersey’s waterways don’t meet the Act’s standards as fishable or swimmable.
"On this 30th
anniversary of the Clean Water Act's passage, Whitman is trying to look green
with a water monitoring photo-op," said Dennis Schvejda, Conservation Director
for the Sierra Club’s New Jersey Chapter. "Let’s not forget that while Governor
of New Jersey, Whitman cut our state’s water monitoring program by half. As
far as I’m concerned, Whitman has returned to the scene of the crime."
In addition,
the EPA released a rule proposal over two months ago to weaken key components
of the federal program to clean up polluted waterways, officially called total
maximum daily loads (TMDLs). Currently, 1,042 New Jersey waterways require such
plans, but only eight have been fully implemented.
Specifically,
these new proposals would weaken the Clean Water Act by raising the bar on what
constitutes a "polluted" waterway – hence calling dirty waterways slated for
cleanups as "clean." They would also allow states to use uncertain projections
of future reduction of urban run-off pollution to skirt a clean-up and to allow
polluters to increase their amount of discharge. The lower section of the Hudson
River is included in the TMDL program and is slotted for a high priority to
reduce pollution from combined sewage overflows.
"It’s the old
three-card monte of environmental regulation – you can dump more now in exchange
for ‘future’ reductions – that lets the worst polluters off the hook. And most
importantly, this proposal would weaken EPA oversight of state’s programs –
essentially, states would be on the honor system to follow through on their
cleanups," O’Malley said.
These attempts
to gut the federal enforcement of the Clean Water Act also coincide directly
with the repeated fiscal requests to cut funding for enforcement at EPA. The
EPA’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2002 would have slashed 200 enforcement
jobs in Washington and across the country. Congress restored the funding, and
explicitly told the EPA not to request cuts again. Once again, the current budget
for the EPA for fiscal year 2003 requests cutting 200 enforcement jobs.
Ironically,
this year has been dubbed the "Year of Clean Water" by the EPA. The 30th anniversary
of the Clean Water Act is being marked by nationwide water monitoring testing,
and in a statement on the designation of the year, Administrator Whitman directly
stated, "I challenge you to join President Bush and me to finish the business
of restoring and protecting our nation's waters for present and future generations."
"Quite simply,
Administrator Whitman is failing to meet her challenge. Testing water won’t
clean it up, and we already know that it’s polluted – symbolism won’t cut it
today," O’Malley concluded. "The goals of the Clean Water Act were to restore
and maintain the integrity of our nation’s waters. This has not been the ‘Year
of Clean Water’ – instead this year has signaled a step back from meeting that
goal."
