An opinion piece in the Toledo Blade underscores the importance of clean water programs in the effort to restore the Great Lakes—and the need for public officials like U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman to show their support for Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes by beating back any attempts to weaken the Clean Water Act.
In the article, Kristy Meyer of the Ohio Environmental Council recounts how, in the wake of the Cuyahoga River catching fire, the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act. The landmark legislation—and a federal infusion of billions of dollars to modernize sewage plants across the nation—helped clean up the Great Lakes and waters across the country.
Meyer writes that, despite the overwhelming success of clean water programs, there are those in the U.S. Congress who want to roll back Clean Water Act protections and jeopardize our public health, jobs and way of life. She states:
“Clean water yields good jobs and recreation. Yet many lawmakers now want to gut the Clean Water Act.”
Clean water programs need to be upheld. Millions of people in communities across the country benefit from the Clean Water Act, as well as the nation’s recent commitment to restore the Great Lakes. We’re already seeing results in communities in Ohio–from a creek cleanup in Cleveland to the removal of toxic sediments in Toledo. But more needs to be done.
That’s why it’s imperative that federal public officials continue to support a strong Clean Water Act and programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Ohio’s two U.S. Senators, Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, can play a big role in upholding Clean Water Act protections for Ohio’s 11 million citizens.
