Rocky Mountain Flycasters

Land and Water Issues

At the October board meeting, Gina C. Janett presented information about the Clean Water Act and the Hardrock Mining and Restoration Act that are coming up for action in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Some changes and interpretations of the Clean Water Act make it imperative that we get Congressional support for continuing protection of 75% of Colorado's streams and rivers. The Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2007 is needed to restore the longstanding protections originally intended by Congress. Briefly, the following is an at-risk list.

The EPA estimated that as many as 20 million acres of the nation's remaining wetlands at risk.
A wide variety of important waters have been denied Clean Water Act safeguards, including
- a 150-mile-long river in New Mexico,
- thousands of acres of wetlands in one of Florida's most important watersheds,
- a 69-mile long canal used as a drinking water supply in California,
- and an 86-acre lake in Wisconsin that is a popular fishing spot.
An estimated 53-59% of continental U.S. stream miles are being considered outside EPA Clean Water protection—representing nearly 2 million river miles.
Small streams and head waters that contribute to the public drinking water supplies of over 110 million people would potentially lose protection.
Over 14,000 industrial facilities have Clean Water Act permits that establish the conditions under which pollution may be discharged into these streams and rivers - permits that would no longer be required by the Clean Water Act if the law is not enforced to safeguard all waters.

This Clean Water Act PDF file has addtional details about the necessity of contacting our legislators.

The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007 seeks to update laws established in 1872 before the knowledge of damage done by mining was well understood. In addition, current law allows mining access to mineral bearing public land for minimal fees, and allowed sites to be abandoned without adequate ecological reclamation being done. See this HR 2262 factsheet for more details of the implications of ignoring this bill.

Following are sample letters that you may wish to read, copy, add to, and send to our Colorado Representative Musgrave or alternatively locate and contact your Representative in Congress.

Sample Clean Water Restoration Act letter

To:
Representative Marilyn Musgrave
1507 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Musgrave,

I urge you to co-sponsor and support the Clean Water Restoration Act, HR 2421. October 18, 2007 marks the 35th birthday of the original Clean Water Act (CWA). It was adopted in 1972 by a bi-partisan Congress under President Nixon. Over the last 35 years, the CWA has cleaned up many of our nation’s waters making 60% of our rivers and 55% of our lakes safe for fishing and swimming. We aren’t finished yet but our progress may stop.

Due to several Supreme Court rulings, America’s streams and wetlands are now at risk of pollution because of a narrow definition of the term “navigable”. In Colorado, about 75% of the state’s streams and rivers risk losing important CWA protections because they are intermittent and flow only seasonally. HR 2421 will not add new regulatory burdens. It will restore the protections that have been in place for three decades and will retain the agricultural exemptions currently in place.

Please support the Clean Water Restoration Act, HR 2421 and show your commitment to preserving water quality and support for our important fishing, rafting and tourism industries.

Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007 sample letter

To:
Representative Marilyn Musgrave
1507 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Musgrave,

I urge you to support the Hardrock Mining and Restoration Act, HR 2262. America’s mining laws haven’t been updated since Ulysses S. Grant was President in 1872. As a result, our public lands and rivers are struggling with the impacts of over a century of mining. EPA estimates that mining has already polluted 40% of the headwater streams of our Western rivers, affecting water quality, wildlife and our natural resources.

Your support for protecting water quality from the impacts of the proposed uranium mine in Weld County is commendable; supporting HR 2262 to protect precious water resources on public lands will show your commitment to water quality state-wide.

It’s time to bring mining for uranium, gold, silver, and other minerals on our federal lands up to today’s standards. The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act will:

establish environmental standards to protect water quality, wildlife, and tourism,
create a fund to clean up pollution from abandoned mines,
require multi-national mining companies to pay royalties to the US Treasury,
end the sell-off of our public lands for the low 1872 price of $2.50 -5.00 per acre,

Please support HR 2262 to protect Colorado’s public lands and water resources.