Clean Water Action
Encyclopedia
Clean Water Action, an organization of 1 million members, organizes grassroots groups and coalitions to protect America's waters, build healthy communities and support environmental legislation and political candidates. Created in 1972, Clean Water Action focuses on canvassing and gaining support for political issues and candidates. It is a 501(c)(4) charitable organization. Its counterpart, the Clean Water Fund is dedicated to research and education and is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Clean Water Representatives strengthened by Clean Water Action members directly lobby public representatives at the State House and Federal Senate.
recruited him to a task
force researching water pollution problems. After a two-year tour of America's most polluted waters, Zwick authored Water Wasteland and then founded Clean Water Action to address the issues outlined in his book. Zwick transformed Clean Water Action into a grassroots organization while continuing to drive the lobbying work forward in Washington, where he was influential in the clean water debates. He contributed to key sections of the Clean Water Act
, including the citizen suit provision, which allows members of the public to enforce the law when the government fails to.
was spreading in many parts of the country, with a burning Cuyahoga River
in northeast Ohio
and biologically dead Lake Erie
among the visible examples of much wider problems.
1969 - David Zwick joins Ralph Nader's water pollution task force.
1971 - Water Wasteland is published.
David Zwick joined forces with Ralph Nader to publish Water Wasteland in 1971. The result of a two-year study into water quality issues in the United States, Water Wasteland concluded that spreading water pollution was directly linked with the increasing political strength of industrial polluters.
1972 - Clean Water Action is launched.
The fledgling organization's goal was to enact many of Water Wastelands platforms of recommended changes into law. To reach this goal, Zwick outlined a grassroots strategy of door-to-door canvassing
and public education.
1972 - Clean Water Act becomes law.
In October 1972, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act
over a veto by President Richard M. Nixon.
1974 - Safe Drinking Water Act
is passed.
1980 - Superfund established.
Superfund
-- the environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites—is established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980. This law allows the EPA to clean up toxic sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-lead cleanups.
1986 - Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) passed.
Clean Water Action, the United States Public Interest Research Group and the National Campaign Against Toxic Hazards published a report claiming the Environmental Protection Agency was failing to properly enforce the federal Superfund toxic waste cleanup program. As a result, SARA was passed into law on October 17, 1986.
2008 - Northeast states hold first carbon auction.
In the first auction of its kind, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
auctioned off more than 12 million CO2 emission allowances to 59 participating power plants on September 25, 2008. In its first auction, RGGI collected $3.07 for each emission allowance, netting $38,575,783 in proceeds.
In 2003, the Bush EPA proposed to amend the Act in a manner that would have significantly reduced its effectiveness to protect the United States' waters. Clean Water Action and allies generated over 100,000 letters and calls, forcing EPA to withdraw the proposed rule changes.
Then, in 2006, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Rapanos v. United States
that water deserves protection only if regulators can prove a "significant nexus" to a body of navigable water. Intended as a compromise between two differing opinions, this ruling has stalled the regulatory process. As a result, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has dropped or delayed more than 400 cases of suspected environmental violations. In response, Clean Water Action supports the passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act.
The Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA)
The passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act will return environmental protections to currently unprotected bodies of water. The bill was introduced into the House on May 22, 2007 with 158 co-sponsors as H.R. 2421. Two months later, the Senate introduced the bill as S. 1870 on July 25, 2007.
Approach
Clean Water Action works directly with citizens of the United States, encouraging individuals to become involved in local, state and national political and environmental issues through:- National Leadership – Clean Water Action drafts, supports and defends national and state-level water and environmental laws.
- Community Organization – State-based offices address local and regional environmental problems and identify solutions from the community level.
- Individual Outreach – Individual and collective action through community organizing and public education through canvassing makes a difference locally, regionally and nationally.
- Lobbying- canvassers go out and get signatures to petition the government and educate citizens about which candidates they should support, activate people to write letter to their representatives expressing concern for specific environmental issues and urging them to support or not support specific bills.
Clean Water Representatives strengthened by Clean Water Action members directly lobby public representatives at the State House and Federal Senate.
- Fund raising- dedicated canvassers go out to organize the community, challenging supporters to make an annual donation.
Founder
David Zwick was a young law school student when Ralph NaderRalph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
recruited him to a task
force researching water pollution problems. After a two-year tour of America's most polluted waters, Zwick authored Water Wasteland and then founded Clean Water Action to address the issues outlined in his book. Zwick transformed Clean Water Action into a grassroots organization while continuing to drive the lobbying work forward in Washington, where he was influential in the clean water debates. He contributed to key sections of the Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
, including the citizen suit provision, which allows members of the public to enforce the law when the government fails to.
History
During the late 1960s water pollutionWater pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....
was spreading in many parts of the country, with a burning Cuyahoga River
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...
in northeast Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and biologically dead Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
among the visible examples of much wider problems.
1969 - David Zwick joins Ralph Nader's water pollution task force.
1971 - Water Wasteland is published.
David Zwick joined forces with Ralph Nader to publish Water Wasteland in 1971. The result of a two-year study into water quality issues in the United States, Water Wasteland concluded that spreading water pollution was directly linked with the increasing political strength of industrial polluters.
1972 - Clean Water Action is launched.
The fledgling organization's goal was to enact many of Water Wastelands platforms of recommended changes into law. To reach this goal, Zwick outlined a grassroots strategy of door-to-door canvassing
Canvassing
Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with a target group of individuals commonly used during political campaigns. A campaign team will knock on doors of private residences within a particular geographic area, engaging in face-to-face personal interaction with voters...
and public education.
1972 - Clean Water Act becomes law.
In October 1972, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
over a veto by President Richard M. Nixon.
1974 - Safe Drinking Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act is the principle federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to set standards for drinking water quality and oversee all states, localities, and water...
is passed.
1980 - Superfund established.
Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
-- the environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites—is established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980. This law allows the EPA to clean up toxic sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-lead cleanups.
1986 - Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) passed.
Clean Water Action, the United States Public Interest Research Group and the National Campaign Against Toxic Hazards published a report claiming the Environmental Protection Agency was failing to properly enforce the federal Superfund toxic waste cleanup program. As a result, SARA was passed into law on October 17, 1986.
2008 - Northeast states hold first carbon auction.
In the first auction of its kind, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a regional initiative by states and provinces in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada regions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions...
auctioned off more than 12 million CO2 emission allowances to 59 participating power plants on September 25, 2008. In its first auction, RGGI collected $3.07 for each emission allowance, netting $38,575,783 in proceeds.
Current projects
Protecting the Clean Water ActIn 2003, the Bush EPA proposed to amend the Act in a manner that would have significantly reduced its effectiveness to protect the United States' waters. Clean Water Action and allies generated over 100,000 letters and calls, forcing EPA to withdraw the proposed rule changes.
Then, in 2006, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Rapanos v. United States
Rapanos v. United States
Rapanos v. United States, 547 U.S. 715 , was a United States Supreme Court case challenging federal jurisdiction to regulate isolated wetlands under the Clean Water Act. It was the first major environmental case heard by the newly appointed Chief Justice, John Roberts and Associate Justice, Samuel...
that water deserves protection only if regulators can prove a "significant nexus" to a body of navigable water. Intended as a compromise between two differing opinions, this ruling has stalled the regulatory process. As a result, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has dropped or delayed more than 400 cases of suspected environmental violations. In response, Clean Water Action supports the passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act.
The Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA)
The passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act will return environmental protections to currently unprotected bodies of water. The bill was introduced into the House on May 22, 2007 with 158 co-sponsors as H.R. 2421. Two months later, the Senate introduced the bill as S. 1870 on July 25, 2007.
See also
- Clean Water ActClean Water ActThe Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
- Regional Greenhouse Gas InitiativeRegional Greenhouse Gas InitiativeRegional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a regional initiative by states and provinces in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada regions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions...
- Safe Drinking Water ActSafe Drinking Water ActThe Safe Drinking Water Act is the principle federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to set standards for drinking water quality and oversee all states, localities, and water...
- SuperfundSuperfundSuperfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
- 501(c)(4)