http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/pa-legislature-approves-great-lakes-protection http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/pa-legislature-approves-great-lakes-protection Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:20:09 -0500 http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/settlement-to-resolve-lawsuit-against-kennett-square-agreement-requires-a-94837-payment-and-substantial-upgrades PHILADELPHIA—Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/settlement-to-resolve-lawsuit-against-kennett-square-agreement-requires-a-94837-payment-and-substantial-upgrades Sat, 10 Mar 2007 23:05:17 -0600 http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/on-the-clean-water-acts-35th-anniversary-polluters-continue-to-contaminate-pennsylvanias-waterways [Philadelphia, PA]—More than half of industrial and municipal facilities across Pennsylvania recently discharged more pollution into our waterways than their Clean Water Act permits allowed, according to Troubled Waters: An analysis of Clean Water Act compliance, a new report released today by PennEnvironment, a statewide citizen-based environmental advocacy organization. “As the Clean Water Act turns 35, polluters continue to foul our rivers, lakes and streams,” said PennEnvironment’s Director David Masur. “With so many facilities dumping so much pollution, no one should be surprised that nearly half of America’s waterways—and more than 14,000 miles of rivers and streams in Pennsylvania—are unsafe for swimming and fishing. But we should be outraged.” The goals of the 1972 Clean Water Act are to eliminate the discharge of pollutants into waterways and make all U.S. waterways swimmable and fishable. Over the last three and a half decades, this landmark environmental law has made significant improvements in water quality, but the original goals have yet to be met. Using the Freedom of Information Act, PennEnvironment obtained data on facilities’ compliance with the Clean Water Act between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2005. PennEnvironment researchers found that: Pennsylvania had the second highest number of Clean Water Act exceedances in nation--only behind Ohio--with 198 facilities in the Commonwealth reporting more than 1,500 exceedances of their Clean Water Act permits in 2005. On average, Pennsylvania facilities exceeding a limit in their Clean Water Act permits did so by nearly 200%, or by nearly three times the legal limit. Polluters in Pennsylvania reported over 120 instances in which they exceeded their Clean Water Act permit by at least 500 percent over the legal limit. This is the second highest number of exceedances by at least 500 percent in the country, having more than any other state except California. Six Pennsylvania counties ranked in the nation’s worst 1/10th of 1% for the 3,000 U.S. counties for number of facilities found within the county’s borders violating their clean water permits. This included Allegheny County which ranked 6th worst in the nation with 18 facilities exceeding their permits at least once during 2005; and Bucks, Montgomery, Beaver, and Westmoreland counties both ranking 32nd worst, each with twelve violating facilities in 2005. In Pennsylvania, 33 facilities exceeded their permit limits during at least 6 of the 12 monthly reporting periods. Fifty seven percent of all major U.S. industrial and municipal facilities discharged more pollution into U.S. waterways than allowed by law at least once during 2005. The average facility exceeded its pollution permit limit by 263 percent, discharging close to four times the legal limit. “Facilities in Pennsylvania and across the country continue to dump more pollution into our waterways than is allowed by law,” said Masur. Masur noted that the findings are likely just the tip of the polluted iceberg, since the data that PennEnvironment analyzed includes only “major” facilities and does not include pollution discharged into waters by the thousands of minor facilities across the country. Over the last six years, the Bush administration has proposed or enacted numerous policies that weaken the Clean Water Act. These include two separate policies that eliminate Clean Water Act protections for streams and wetlands that are feed and clean treasured lakes, rivers and bays; funding cuts to EPA’s budget, including significant cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund; and policies that allow more sewage pollution into waterways. PennEnvironment called on the Bush administration to end its efforts to weaken federal clean water safeguards and for Congress to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act, legislation to ensure all U.S. waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act. PennEnvironment urged Representatives Altmire, Carney, Gerlach, Holden, Murphy, and Murtha to mark the anniversary of the Clean Water Act by joining the 172 cosponsors of the Clean Water Restoration Act. PennEnvironment applauded other parts of the Pennsylvania delegation including Representative Brady, Doyle, Fattah, Kanjorski, Murphy, Platts, Schwartz, and Sestak for cosponsoring this important clean water bill. "It's imperative that Congress protect our rivers and streams by passing the Clean Water Restoration Act. We hope to see Rep. Altmire, Murphy, and Murtha join with Rep. Doyle in co-sponsoring this critical legislation to ensure that the rivers providing our drinking water are fully protected." stated Myron Arnowitt, State Director for Clean Water Action. "The Sierra Club is concerned that the Environmental Protection Agency is not paying attention to the reports it receives from these facilities," said Thomas Au, Sierra Club's water issues chair. "When major facilities violate their permits frequently, follow-up action should be taken." "Philadelphia, a city of 1.5 million, gets all of its drinking water from the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers," said Dr. Walter Tsou from the Philadelphia chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. "Any discharge upstream can be a disaster." "The CWA can never live up to its promise in an enforcement climate where repeated permit violations are tolerated by the agencies and the mild penalties that result are treated by industry as the cost of doing business," said Michael D. Fiorentino, Executive Director of Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center. "Despite Pennsylvania's abundance of repeat violators, DEP's inadequate enforcement leaves the citizens no choice but to seek compliance with the law on their own." “Instead of holding polluters accountable, the Bush administration is allowing more—not less—pollution to enter our waterways. Now more than ever, Congress should step in to protect all of America’s waters,” concluded Masur. http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/on-the-clean-water-acts-35th-anniversary-polluters-continue-to-contaminate-pennsylvanias-waterways Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:57:32 -0500 http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/u_s_-house-votes-to-clean-up-toxic-pollution-in-great-lakes Statement of David Masur, PennEnvironment Director http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/u_s_-house-votes-to-clean-up-toxic-pollution-in-great-lakes Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:24:19 -0500 http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/beach-closings-decrease-at-pas-lake-erie-beaches http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/beach-closings-decrease-at-pas-lake-erie-beaches Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:32:25 -0500 http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/pennenvironment-statement-on-pharmaceuticals-in-tap-water http://www.pennenvironment.org/newsroom/clean-water-news/clean-water-news/pennenvironment-statement-on-pharmaceuticals-in-tap-water Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:33:16 -0500