Sen. Tester comes to defense of clean water

Nov. 3, 2015

Contact:

Steve Moyer, TU Vice President of Government Affairs, (703) 284-9406

Benjamin Bulis, president, AFFTA (406) 522-1556

BOZEMAN, Mont.U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana was among those opposing a bill in the Senate on Tuesday that would have forced two federal agencies to scrap the new clean water rule that protects Americas headwater streams from unpermitted development and start an exhaustive process anew, despite overwhelming support for the rule among the sporting public.

Thankfully, according to Steve Moyer, Trout Unlimiteds vice president for government affairs, members like Tester stepped up and beat back the bill (S1140), protecting the integrity of the clean water rule and making it possible to keep the nations headwater streams intact for generations to come.

This rule is a common-sense solution to protecting one of Americas most important resourcesour water, said Steve Moyer, vice president for government affairs at Trout Unlimited. Not only is clean water vital for our fish and our fishing, but it is imperative that it be protected for the benefit of all Americans. We oppose any effort to undermine this important rule that keeps our nations waters clean, and were grateful for members like Sen. Tester who had the courage to come to the defense of clean water.”

Additionally, Tester earned praise from the nations fly-fishing community, a strong and growing contingent of anglers, businesses and manufacturers that depend on clean water for its economic growth and prosperity.

“The clean water rule protects the headwater streams America’s trout need to spawn and grow,” said Ben Bulis, president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. “These streams are the sources of our nations coldest, cleanest water, and the wellsprings of our fabled trout watersespecially the waters in Montana that attract anglers from around the world. Were grateful to have an ally like Sen. Tester who isnt afraid to stand up for sportsmen and for clean water.

The clean water rule, crafted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the last several years, simply reinstates the protections for headwater streams that were part of the original Clean Water Act of 1972. In the 2000s, a pair of Supreme Court rulings muddied the scope of the Clean Water Act, and protections for these important resources were lost. Earlier this year, after proving a scientific connection between small, sometimes-intermittent streams and the larger rivers they feed, the EPA and the Corps put the rule in place. During the rulemaking process, more than a million Americans chimed in, the vast majority in support of the clean water rule.