Four decades later, another win for the Boundary Waters
The Biden administration canceled mining leases near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness -- a place that our network first helped protect way back in 1978.
Rivers & lakes
Our country’s lakes, rivers and streams give life to ecosystems and people alike from coast to coast. Now it’s time we protect them as the life-giving resources they are.
The Latest on Rivers & lakes
Statement: Senate rejects amendment that would speed approval of polluting projects
All of America’s waters should be safe for swimming. Fixing our infrastructure is the first step
Updates
Victory for Nature: California sets bold conservation goal
State AGs take action on PFAS
Groups challenge EPA’s failure to curb water pollution from plastic plants, oil refineries and other industries
Featured Resources
Safe for Swimming?
Wasting our Waterways
Bee-killing pesticides found in California waterways
Safe for swimming?
The Latest
New map shows top 10 toxic water polluters in California
LOS ANGELES --Just 10 facilities are responsible for nearly all of the reports of toxic substances dumped into California waterways in 2020. These serial polluters are spotlighted in a new interactive map released Tuesday by CALPIRG Education Fund and Environment California Research and Policy Center. Derived from the groups’ 2022 Wasting Our Waterways report, the new map shows the oil refineries and other facilities that told the EPA they collectively spewed more than 2.3 million pounds of toxic industrial water pollution in 2020. The waterways bearing the brunt of this pollution include parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Update: Environmental law under threat
This amendment would speed up polluting projects
Statement: Bipartisan bill a big leap forward for America’s clean water infrastructure
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 (H.R. 1915) on Wednesday. The bill would authorize $40 billion over five years for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that provides communities with low-cost financing for clean water infrastructure projects. Additionally, H.R. 1915 includes provisions designed to both assist small or financially disadvantaged communities and dedicate 15 percent of the funding to state grants for green infrastructure improvements.
Statement: U.S. House passes major public lands bill
"With today’s passage of this bill, we’re one step away from putting a lock and key on funding that has always been intended for conservation projects -- yet consistently diverted to other purposes. We’re closer to adopting a new consciousness for today’s world, that our lives are made richer if surrounded by more nature, rather than more extracted resources."
Statement: U.S. Senate votes to make major investment in America’s public lands
"This bill reflects what we all know -- protecting and enhancing our public lands is an essential part of the American ethos. By locking in $900 million a year for outdoor projects, plus providing a short-term infusion of money to address maintenance issues, the Senate is reaffirming that commitment to the natural world."