Cuomo: EPA Ruling Harms NY Fishing, Water
Posted on Thursday, 2 of October , 2008 at 5:23 pm
NEW YORK—The state Attorney General’s office says its fighting an illegal ruling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that could hurt New York’s fishing industry and contaminate drinking water.
AG Andrew Cuomo is leading a coalition of nine states in suing the EPA for creating an illegal loophole in the federal Clean Water Act by refusing to control the transfer of polluted water from one water body to another.
The introduction of polluted water to another water body causes a host of environmental problems, from harming critical fishing streams to spreading invasive species in the Great Lakes; courts have held that these water transfers require regulation under the Clean Water Act. Despite court rulings, on June 9, the EPA issued a regulation exempting water transfers from the Clean Water Act’s requirements.
“The Bush EPA continues to create environmental loopholes that will degrade New York’s waterways, prevent fishermen and others from enjoying our streams, and put the Great Lakes at risk,” said Cuomo. “Some of New York’s most prized water bodies – including the Long Island Sound, Lake Champlain, and the Hudson River – could be harmed by the EPA’s illegal rule. As long as the actions of the Bush EPA break the law and threaten our environment, we will continue to fight back.”
The EPA’s new illegal Clean Water Act loophole would allow numerous, important sources of pollution to go uncontrolled. For example, sediment-laden water could be sent into clear drinking water reservoirs; chemical-laden waters could be dumped into waters used in farm irrigation; warm waters could be pumped into cold water habitats (such as trout streams); salt water could be transferred into fresh water; and invasive species can be introduced into waters not yet infested.
The EPA’s rule could cause environmental havoc for fishing streams and other water bodies, Cuomo said, and prominent New York State and national recreational fishing groups and environmental groups have also challenged the EPA’s illegal rule.
The challenge was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, with a companion filing in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Joining Cuomo in the action are the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington, and the Government of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. The suit seeks to have the Court invalidate the EPA’s June 9 regulation and declare the water transfer loophole illegal. 10-02-08
Category: Adirondacks, Courts, Environment, Government, Health, New York State, Recreation
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