[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 113 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 113
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act Amendments of 1972, commonly known as the ``Clean Water
Act''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 14, 2022
Mr. DeFazio (for himself, Mrs. Napolitano, Mrs. Dingell, and Mr. Beyer)
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act Amendments of 1972, commonly known as the ``Clean Water
Act''.
Whereas the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known, and referred to
in this resolution, as the ``Clean Water Act'') is one of the most
important environmental laws in the United States and the Nation's
principal safeguard against pollution, degradation, and destruction of
surface waters, including streams, rivers, wetlands, and lakes;
Whereas implementation of the Clean Water Act has resulted in progress towards
the objective of the legislation to ``restore and maintain the chemical,
physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters'' by--
(1) significantly reducing water pollution;
(2) substantially improving the quality of tens of thousands of
waterbodies; and
(3) dramatically reducing the rate of wetlands loss;
Whereas, despite the improvements brought about by implementation of the Clean
Water Act, failure to fully achieve the intended goals of the Clean
Water Act are due to--
(1) changes to interpretation of the Clean Water Act, which have
weakened protections for the Nation's waters;
(2) lack of adequate and equitable investments in clean water
infrastructure and funding to implement and enforce the Clean Water Act;
and
(3) weak and inequitable enforcement and implementation of critical
provisions of the Clean Water Act;
Whereas, as the United States embarks on the next 50 years of the Clean Water
Act, Congress envisions--
(1) expanded access to clean water for every community by--
G (A) protecting waters with cultural, historical, spiritual, and
religious significance;
G (B) ensuring that rivers, streams, and other waterbodies are
fishable and swimmable and serve as safe and reliable sources of
recreation, drinking water, and subsistence;
G (C) restoring and safeguarding waterways and wetlands that provide
vital fish and wildlife habitat and protect communities from floods and
droughts; and
G (D) making healthy shorelines, waterfronts, and water-related
recreation available and welcoming to all;
(2) prioritizing affordable clean water investments for underserved and
economically disadvantaged communities that have, historically, been most
harmed by pollution;
(3) providing incentives for natural infrastructure and nature-based
solutions;
(4) building climate resiliency and mitigation of climate impacts into
the Nation's water infrastructure;
(5) supporting robust, transparent, and meaningful community engagement
and community-led solutions and decisionmaking, including meaningfully
incorporating the perspectives and solutions of Tribal communities;
(6) ensuring affordable clean water services for all;
(7) protecting and restoring ecosystems by--
G (A) eliminating harmful algal blooms, algal toxins in drinking
water supplies, and ``dead zones'' by reducing inputs of nitrogen and
phosphorus from the most significant sources;
G (B) preventing destruction and degradation of remaining wetlands
and restoring and protecting wetlands across the country;
G (C) restoring all waters, especially the most polluted waterways
and waterways in the communities most impacted by pollution;
G (D) incorporating climate change science and modeling and
indigenous knowledge into planning and restoration efforts;
G (E) improving water quality, healthy river flows, and groundwater
recharge;
G (F) removing outdated infrastructure that is adversely impacting
the health of waters; and
G (G) supporting significant protected areas and free-flowing
riverine systems, including components of the National Wild and Scenic
Rivers System, units of the National Park System, national forests, units
of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and components of the National
Wilderness Preservation System;
(8) promoting an inclusive, transparent, and equitable approach to
policy development, based on the best available science, by--
G (A) proactively protecting human health and the environment from
discharges of harmful pollutants, including new, emerging, and toxic
contaminants;
G (B) basing decisions on the most credible climate projections;
G (C) accepting community-sourced and peer-reviewed science as a
source of data for decisionmaking related to the Clean Water Act;
G (D) ensuring that all decisions comply with the full suite of
applicable laws;
G (E) ensuring that States are consistent and timely in
implementation of the Clean Water Act; and
G (F) increasing the reach and accuracy of water quality monitoring
and assessment by providing funding to States, agencies, and other
organizations conducting such activities; and
(9) holding polluters accountable through effective and consistent
enforcement measures, including--
G (A) prioritizing prosecutions of violations of the Clean Water Act
that have affected underserved and economically disadvantaged communities
that have, historically, been most harmed by pollution;
G (B) ensuring that Federal and State agencies carefully, clearly,
and equitably apply the requirements of the Clean Water Act;
G (C) providing the resources needed to ensure that Federal and
State agencies have the capacity to effectively implement and enforce the
Clean Water Act; and
G (D) safeguarding the Nation's cleanest and most pristine waters,
including wild and scenic rivers and waters in national and State parks,
through designation as Outstanding National Resource Waters: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the enactment of
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972
(Public Law 92-500; 86 Stat. 816);
(2) recognizes the historic achievements in improving water
quality that have been made during the 50 years of
implementation of the Clean Water Act; and
(3) recognizes the need to address the shortcomings of the
Clean Water Act in restoring and maintaining the chemical,
physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters,
including by--
(A) expanding access to clean water for every
community;
(B) recognizing that a robust Clean Water Act is
critical for the protection of human and environmental
health, for the promotion of healthy and robust
economies, and for maintaining a healthy quality of
life;
(C) increasing clean water infrastructure
investments in communities throughout the Nation and
targeting increased and affordable investments in
communities most at risk of continued pollution;
(D) addressing climate resiliency and mitigation of
climate impacts on clean water infrastructure;
(E) promoting an inclusive, transparent, and
equitable approach to Clean Water Act policy
development, based on the best available science;
(F) holding polluters accountable; and
(G) ensuring the protection and restoration of
rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and natural
ecosystems.
<all>