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High Court denies clean water - but hope is not lost

(Wednesday, 01 July 2009) Written by greeniac13

On June 22, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Water Act allows a mining company to pump hundreds of thousands of gallons per day of toxic waste slurry into a pristine lake in Alaska.

Over the next decade, 4.5 million tons of solid waste will be dumped into Lower Slate Lake, killing nearly all the aquatic life and essentially burying the entire lake.

This misguided ruling has implications for clean water all over the country, potentially opening the floodgates to allow more pollution into other lakes, rivers and streams nationwide.

But hope is not lost. Despite the Supreme Court's decision, there is much that can still be done by officials of President Obama's administration to protect our waters.

Earth Justice plans to continue to fight in the courts and in Congress for stronger clean water protections, but you can tell these officials right
now that they can act immediately to protect clean water and assert his commitment to a cleaner, healthier environment.

Ask Obama administration officials Lisa Jackson, EPA
Administrator, and Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to immediately rescind the memo written by the previous administration in 2004 that allowed waste to be dumped directly into lakes, streams and rivers without meeting strict EPA pollution standards.

Also, ask them to initiate a process to undo a 2002 rule that redefined industrial waste as "fill," and paved the way for this "fill" to be dumped into our waters.

With swift action, President Obama's administration can guarantee clean water protections and ensure a cleaner, safer and healthier environment. Let these officials know that clean water is important to you and your community!

- Earthjustice
Because the earth needs a good lawyer
426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland CA 94612

P.S. Every voice counts! Please ask your family and friends to speak out for clean water:
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/kensington_0709/forward/wk88geg2y77je68t?

TAKE ACTION: Speak out for clean water protections

http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/kensington_0709/wk88geg2y77je68t