Washington (June 27, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced their effort to repeal the Clean Water Rule.

“In Boston we may sing about ‘dirty water’ at Fenway Park, but no one wants more dirty water because of attacks on the Clean Water Act. Administrator Pruitt’s action to roll back the Clean Water Rule is a loss for public health and clean drinking water. It threatens the progress the Clean Water Act has made in cleaning up the Charles River and the Boston Harbor and the efforts to improve water bodies in Massachusetts and across the country that are still not always safe for fishing and swimming.

“During the Obama administration, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers went through a comprehensive process with stakeholders to develop the science-based Clean Water Rule. Rolling this rule back returns to the regulatory uncertainty that is bad for business, communities, and public health.”

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