Every year, CWN member organization American Rivers generates a list of America's Most Endangered Rivers™. Ten rivers are selected each year for inclusion in the list, not because they are the most polluted, but rather because they are facing a turning point in the coming year that could negatively impact the river into the future.

Legislationgroup

Bill Number: 

S. 3539

Status: 

Active

Latest Action: 

6/30/2010 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Date Introduced: 

Fri, 06/25/2010

Sponsor: 

Senator Feinstein (CA)

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Region/State: 

California

Issue(s): 

Coast / Oceans

Issue(s): 

Impaired Waters (TMDL)

Issue(s): 

Wetlands

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a grant program to assist in the restoration of San Francisco Bay.

Legislationgroup

Bill Number: 

H.R. 4755 / S. 3073

Status: 

Active

Latest Action: 

3/5/2010 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment / 3/4/2010 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Date Introduced: 

Thu, 03/04/2010

Sponsor: 

Rep. Vernon Ehlers (MI-3) / Senator Carl Levin (MI)

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

House Committee on Transporation & Infrastructure

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Implementing Agency: 

Environmental Protection Agency

Region/State: 

New York

Region/State: 

Region 5

Region/State: 

Illinois

Region/State: 

Indiana

Region/State: 

Michigan

Region/State: 

Minnesota

Region/State: 

Ohio

Region/State: 

Wisconsin

Issue(s): 

Impaired Waters (TMDL)

Issue(s): 

Pollutants (toxins, pharmaceuticals, etc.)

Issue(s): 

Water Quality Standards

Issue(s): 

Wetlands

Would establish a permanent framework around which to build Great Lakes restoration funding, programs, and governance. The bill contains long-term statutory authorization for substantial levels of Great Lakes restoration funding and establishes a 5-year authorization of $650 million annually.  Will set up the oversight needed to coordinate the restoration efforts and will provide significant funding to implement projects to restore the fragile ecosystem and protect against new threats like the Asian Carp.

Legislationgroup

Bill Number: 

H.R. 4001 / S. 2724

Status: 

Active

Latest Action: 

11/5/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife / 4/21/2010 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Date Introduced: 

Tue, 11/03/2009

Sponsor: 

Rep. Dean Heller (NV-2) / Senator Harry Reid (NV)

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

House Committee on Natural Resources

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Implementing Agency: 

Environmental Protection Agency

Region/State: 

Region 9

Region/State: 

California

Region/State: 

Nevada

Issue(s): 

Funding

Issue(s): 

Impaired Waters (TMDL)

Issue(s): 

Pollutants (toxins, pharmaceuticals, etc.)

Issue(s): 

Water Quality Standards

11/3/2009--Introduced.

Legislationgroup

Bill Number: 

H.R. 4029 / S. 2739

Status: 

Active

Latest Action: 

6/30/2010 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Date Introduced: 

Thu, 11/05/2009

Sponsor: 

Rep. Norman Dicks (WA-6) / Senator Maria Cantwell (WA)

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Implementing Agency: 

Environmental Protection Agency

Region/State: 

Region 10

Region/State: 

Washington

Issue(s): 

Coast / Oceans

Issue(s): 

Funding

Issue(s): 

Impaired Waters (TMDL)

Issue(s): 

Pollutants (toxins, pharmaceuticals, etc.)

Issue(s): 

Runoff

Issue(s): 

Wetlands

11/5/2009--Introduced.

Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish a Puget Sound Program Office, to be co-located with the Puget Sound Partnership in Washington; and (2) appoint a Director of the Office.

Legislationgroup

Bill Number: 

H.R. 4715

Status: 

Active

Latest Action: 

4/19/2010 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Date Introduced: 

Wed, 03/03/2010

Sponsor: 

Timothy Bishop (NY-1)

Committee(s) of Jurisdiction: 

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Implementing Agency: 

Environmental Protection Agency

Region/State: 

National

Issue(s): 

Coast / Oceans

Issue(s): 

Funding

Issue(s): 

Impaired Waters (TMDL)

Issue(s): 

Pollutants (toxins, pharmaceuticals, etc.)

Issue(s): 

Wetlands

4/15/2010--Passed House amended.

Clean Estuaries Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reauthorize the National Estuary Program.

On June 1, 2010, EPA published a notice in the Federal Register seeking stakeholder input to help EPA determine whether to modify the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations as they apply to municipal sanitary sewer collection systems and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in order to better protect the environment and public health from the harmful effects of sanitary sewer overflows and basement back ups. 

  * *EPA Press Release June 2, 2010 * * *WASHINGTON** -* The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a new permit requirement that would decrease the amount of pesticides discharged to our nation's waters and protect human health and the environment. This action is in response to an April 9, 2009 court decision that found that pesticide discharges to U.S. waters were pollutants, thus requiring a permit.

Last week the Science Advisory Board Environmental Engineering Committee (EFC) released a draft report on its review of EPA's proposed hydraulic fracturing study.  The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water.  In April the EFC of the EPA Science Advisory Board met to discuss the proposed study and to consider written and oral statements from the public.