Passed in 1972, the Clean Water Act's goal is to make the nation's waters safe for swimming, fishing, drinking, habitat, and other uses.
In 2003, the Bush administration announced an "advanced notice of proposed rulemaking" in which it solicited public input on how to narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act by identifying which of the nation's waters they will no longer protect under the Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency received more than 137,000 public comments, the vast majority of which opposed the proposal, with resource agencies in 35 states (including 14 with Republican governors) opposing the administration's plan.
State Comments:
- California: California Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, State Water Resources Control Board
- Florida: Division of Water Resources Management of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Illinois: Department of Natural Resources
- Indiana: Department of Environmental Management
- Kentucky: Division of Water of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection
- Louisiana: Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
- Maine: Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Land and Water Quality
- Michigan: Department of Environmental Quality
- Minnesota: Department of Natural Resources
- Missouri: Department of Conservation (Letter)
- Missouri: Department of Natural Resources
- Missouri: Department of Conservation's Division of Fisheries
- Montana: Department of Environmental Quality
- New York: Office of the Attorney General
- New York: New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- North Carolina: Wildlife Resources Commission
- Pennsylvania: Department of Environmental Protection
- Rhode Island: Department of Environmental Management
- Tennessee: Wildlife Resources Agency
- Texas: Parks and Wildlife Department (Attachments)
- West Virginia: Division of Water and Waste Management of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection