Western Governors urged Congressional leadership to reject any effort that may diminish or impair their ability to protect water quality within the boundaries of their states under the Clean Water Act.
The governors expressed their concern about potential changes to the state certification process under Section 401 of the Act in a letter sent on June 4, 2018 to Senators Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer and Representatives Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi.
“Any legislative or regulatory effort to streamline environmental permitting should be developed in consultation with states and must not be achieved at the expense of state authority under the Clean Water Act – nor impair states’ sovereign authority over the management and allocation of their water resources,” stated the letter signed by WGA Chair South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard and WGA Vice Chair Hawaii Gov. David Ige.
“Western Governors implore you to ensure that the Clean Water Act continues to effectively protect water quality while maintaining the proper balance between state and federal authorities.”
Get the latest news about the West and its governors by following the Western Governors' Association on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
