On Friday, June 4, the Clean Water Network, in association with a number of other member groups, submitted a letter to US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson in support of EPA's proposed veto of the largest mountaintop mine in Appalachia. The proposed veto applies to permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers for the Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan County, West Virginia.

National River Rally 2010 hosted by River Network was held May 21-24 in beautiful Snowbird, UT. The event was a huge success, bringing together hundreds of activists from around the country to focus on protecting the nation's rivers.

Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman James Oberstar (MN-8th) held a press conference April 21st on Capitol Hill to introduce H.R. 5088, America's Commitment to Clean Water Act (ACCWA). The purpose of this landmark legislation is to reaffirm the ability of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to protect all of the nation's waters.

Please take a few moments to fill out this brief, but very important, electronic survey. The information collected through this survey will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of our membership groups and their priorities. It also will provide insight into the effectiveness of our services and help us identify areas where we can improve. Additionally, we will update our directory using the contact information supplied in this survey.

The EPA has asked citizens from around the nation to tell them how they can better deal with the most significant problems facing our waters today.  As the agency responsible for implementing and enforcing the Clean Water Act, it is critical that EPA heard from citizens on the importance of protecting our waters.

The EPA asked people to go their web forum website and comment on three discussion topics - the watershed approach, managing pollution from nutrients, and stormwater pollution.

On March 1st the New York Times published a compelling article describing how the SWANCC and Rapanos Supreme Court decisions are hampering the ability of federal regulators to protect our nation's waters from pollution. Since 2001, Clean Water Act violations have risen while EPA enforcement has declined.

A profile of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson appeared in the February 4, 2010 print edition of Rolling Stone magazine. The piece details Administrator Jackson's past achievments and discusses what she has done at EPA in the past year since she has been in charge.

Tallahassee, FL – On November 17, 2009, a federal judge in Tallahassee approved a historic consent decree which requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set legal limits for the widespread nutrient poisoning that triggers harmful algae blooms in Florida waters.

The change in federal policy comes 13 months after five environmental groups filed a major lawsuit to compel the federal government to set strict limits on nutrient poisoning in public waters.

Just before 1 a.m. on December 22, 2008, a dike for an 84-acre solid waste containment pond ruptured at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Kingston Fossil plant. The spill dumped 5.4 million cubic yards of coal fly ash slurry onto 300 acres of the Emory River and adjacent lands. The spill highlighted a number of pressing issues that need to be addressed including greater oversight of the TVA’s cleanup effort because of the grave health and environmental threats the spill posed.

In 2008, we made important progress toward the passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421/S. 1870), which would reaffirm broad federal protection of waters, including small streams and wetlands, as Congress intended when it enacted the Clean Water Act in 1972. As Congress winds down, the Clean Water Restoration Act is not likely to move farther this year. Now is the time to reflect on the significant steps taken on this critical legislation and make plans to pass the bill in the next session of Congress.

On April 16th, the House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee held an eleven hour hearing on the Clean Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421).

This important hearing was presided over by Chairman James Oberstar (MN). Twenty-three witnesses and dozens for Committee members testified at the marathon hearing. Witnesses at the hearing included representatives from the EPA, Army Corps of Engineers, USDA, Justice Department, Farm Bureau, Mining industry, state and local governments, environmental organizations and academic institutions.