is legislation designed to encourage the private takeover of public water and sewer systems. Food & Water Watch/ Public Water for All campaign director Mary Grant issue the following statement. “Access to safe, affordable water is a basic human right — yet, increasingly, corporations are eying these public resources as a private cash cow.
If finalized, this proposal would safeguard water quality on Indian reservations until Tribes are able to adopt their own CWA standards for their water bodies. EPA estimates this proposed water quality standard will increase protections for 76,000 miles of rivers and streams and 1.9 million acres of lakes, reservoirs, and other open surface waters within Indian reservations, protecting aquatic life and the health of over half-a-million residents living within reservation boundaries.
Gerald Wagner, National Tribal Caucus Chairman, states, “As one of the 4 elements of life, it is critical that Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages are provided a reasonable means to protect their water resources and ensure the protection of tribal environmental health, aquatic ecosystems, and tribal beneficial use waters.