Clean Water Restoration Act introduced in Senate; Hunters Asked to Contact Elected Officials

The Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007, a bill critical to protecting million of acres of small, isolated wetlands most important for duck production, has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.

The bill, which has 169 co-sponsors in the House and 19 co-sponsors in the Senate, was introduced recently by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

Delta Waterfowl President Rob Olson urges Delta members and waterfowl hunters nationwide to contact their Congressional representatives in support of the Act.

"Prairie potholes are the engines that drive duck production," Olson says. "Small wetlands are the best source of nutrition nesting ducks require during the breeding season.  If you want to produce ducks, you better protect temporary and seasonal wetlands. It’s that simple."

The Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 is an effort to clarify Congress' intent when it passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.  That intent, unclear in the wake of 2001 and 2006 Supreme Court rulings, recently took a murky turn for the worse when the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a new "guidance" that effectively removed CWA protection of small, isolated wetlands, including prairie potholes.

If the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 is not passed, an estimated 20 million wetland acres nationwide could be in jeopardy. Without CWA protection, Swampbuster, a provision in the federal Farm Bill that applies to farmers who receive agricultural subsidies, becomes the only regulatory measure protecting small, duck-producing wetlands.

"The Clean Water Act (CWA) has been protecting the wetlands critical for duck production since 1972," Olson says, "but the Clean Water Act has been put in jeopardy. That's why we’re asking duck hunters to encourage their representatives to support this crucial legislation."