CDP: Waterways Clips: January 31, 2023
Republican Governors Call On Biden To Delay Implementation Of Clean Water Rule. According to The Hill, “The Republican Governors Association (RGA) called on the Biden administration to delay implementation of the revised Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule until the Supreme Court rules this summer in a case pertaining to the Clean Water Act (CWA). In a letter, RGA members argued implementing the most recent revision would create new bureaucratic hurdles at the state level only for the court’s decision to potentially render them moot. The upcoming decision, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, will determine whether most wetlands and streams can be considered waters of the United States under the CWA.” [The Hill, 1/30/23 (=)]
Plastics Company Settles Over 'Forever Chemicals' In Michigan. According to Politico, “A major multinational chemical company is set to pay "multiple millions" of dollars under a consent decree struck with Michigan officials over contamination from "forever chemicals." Japanese plastics manufacturer Asahi Kasei Corp. must investigate and remediate PFAS contamination at a southeast Michigan facility in the city of Brighton, per a deal with regulators. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) announced the news during a press briefing Monday afternoon. The agreement is the first settlement reached as part of the state's 2020 PFAS litigation project, which has targeted multiple companies and facilities over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination across the state.” [Politico, 1/30/23 (=)]
Missouri Coal Power Plants Polluting The Groundwater, Report Says. According to Fox 2 News, “new report finds nearly all Missouri coal plants are releasing toxins into the local groundwater. The report from two nonprofits, the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice, showed improper storage of waste material from coal-fired power plants is causing unsafe levels of groundwater contamination at 91% of all coal plants in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency implemented the Coal Ash Rule in 2015, requiring power plants to monitor local groundwater and regulating safe storage of the byproducts of coal combustion.” [Fox 2 News, 1/30/23 (=)]
Extreme Rainfall Exacerbates Pollution Threat From Oklahoma Superfund Site. According to Yale Climate Connection, “For generations, the ground beneath Ottawa County, Oklahoma, was mined for lead and zinc. The mines closed half a century ago, but some of the pollution they created remains. In the 90s, almost a third of children living nearby had unhealthy levels of lead in their blood. And despite cleanup efforts by the EPA, heavy metal contamination still plagues some areas. “Tar Creek is an 11-mile creek that … runs through one of the largest lead and zinc abandoned mine sites,” says Rebecca Jim of LEAD Agency, an environmental justice group. She says mounds of mining waste — up to 200 feet high — still sit along the creek bank. When it rains, toxic particles dissolve into the water and seep into the soil. During floods, the contaminated water can spill into downstream areas.” [Yale Climate Connections, 1/30/23 (-)]
Negotiations Over Colorado River Cuts Remain At A Trickle. According to Politico, “Western states could pass a second deadline Tuesday to agree to massive cuts to their reliance on the Colorado River, despite warnings that the Biden administration could slash water deliveries to Arizona, California and Nevada without a state-led plan in place. California officials, who did not discuss the details of ongoing discussions, said that negotiations are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The New York Times on Friday cited negotiators saying an agreement to make the cuts was unlikely. The seven Colorado River Basin states — Arizona, California and Nevada in the Lower Basin and Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the Upper Basin — face a Tuesday deadline to submit their proposal to the Interior Department on how to reduce their use of the waterway by up to 4 million acre-feet.” [Politico, 1/30/23 (=)]
Reclaiming The River: Tribes Push For Change On The Colorado River. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Members of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe say their traditional name is Aha Makav, meaning the People of the River. Geoglyphs adorn the desert along the lower reaches of the Colorado River, where the Mojave people flourished long before Europeans set foot in North America. But when representatives of the seven states signed the Colorado River Compact in 1922, the agreement included only a brief mention of the government’s obligation to tribes. For decades, leaders of the Fort Mojave Tribe struggled to secure their water rights.” [Los Angeles Times, 1/30/23 (=)]
AP| In The West, Pressure To Count Water Lost To Evaporation. According to the AP, “Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) powerhouse of the West flows through the region’s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. For decades, key stewards of the river have ignored the massive water loss, instead allocating Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico their share of the river without subtracting what’s evaporated. But the 10% can no longer be ignored, hydrologists, state officials and other western water experts say. The West’s multi-decade drought has sent water levels in key reservoirs along the river to unprecedented lows. Officials from Nevada and Arizona say that they, together with California, now need to account for how much water is actually in the river.” [AP, 1/30/23 (=)]
Puerto Rico's Southern Region Fights For Cleaner Air, Water. According to Politico, “Shuttered windows are a permanent fixture in Salinas, an industrial town on Puerto Rico's southeast coast that is considered one of the U.S. territory's most contaminated regions. For years, toxic ash and noxious chemicals from coal-fired and thermoelectric power plants have enveloped this community, and residents have complained about health problems ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's. Then last year, a bombshell: Officials with EPA traveled to Salinas to announce that the town also has one of the highest concentrations of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas, in a U.S. jurisdiction.” [Politico, 1/30/23 (=)]
EPA To Study Water Pollution Tied To Livestock Farms. According to Politico, “EPA said it will study water pollution generated by large livestock farms, a potential first step toward tighter regulations on how industrial agriculture manages animal waste. Officials announced the study as part of a biennial review of water pollution regulations required by the Clean Water Act. The review, called "Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15," touches on wastewater discharges across many industries, and the study of big livestock farms comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the organization Food & Water Watch.” [Politico, 1/30/23 (=)]
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