Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Complaints against officer keep coming
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Region makes way for latest batch of snow; cancellations rise
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Five local gridders to play in Big33
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
A chance for Congress to clarify a landmark environmental law
POSTED: 10:20 a.m. EDT, May 14, 2009
When Congress approved the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, its intent was clear: Protect the nation's lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands from unregulated pollution and destruction. The country made substantial progress in repairing and restoring the integrity of its waters.
Who would turn the clock back on the Cuyahoga River or elsewhere in the country?
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court, in two misguided rulings, departed from what had been working for three decades. The justices narrowed the scope of the law and left regulators confused about its implementation. The result? Myriad streams and wetlands have been left vulnerable to development.
Now Congress has an opportunity to reassert the original intent of the act by approving the Clean Water Restoration Act. The effort begins in the Senate, committee work now nearing a conclusion, George Voinovich well-placed to advance the worthy cause.
The Ohio Republican understandably looks to strike a balance between economic interests and environmental protection. That actually has been the legacy of the act, prosperity linked to sound stewardship of natural resources. Most important, in this instance, is the need to assert first principles, clarifying the broad jurisdiction of all the country's waters, making plain the natural connections, from the Ohio River, say, to the seemingly isolated wetland, its value in preventing floods often unnoticed.
Thirty-seven years ago, Congress applied federal authority in an enlightened way. Now it must reaffirm the commitment to protect the nation's waters.
When Congress approved the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, its intent was clear: Protect the nation's lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands from unregulated pollution and destruction. The country made substantial progress in repairing and restoring the integrity of its waters.
Who would turn the clock back on the Cuyahoga River or elsewhere in the country?
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court, in two misguided rulings, departed from what had been working for three decades. The justices narrowed the scope of the law and left regulators confused about its implementation. The result? Myriad streams and wetlands have been left vulnerable to development.
Now Congress has an opportunity to reassert the original intent of the act by approving the Clean Water Restoration Act. The effort begins in the Senate, committee work now nearing a conclusion, George Voinovich well-placed to advance the worthy cause.
The Ohio Republican understandably looks to strike a balance between economic interests and environmental protection. That actually has been the legacy of the act, prosperity linked to sound stewardship of natural resources. Most important, in this instance, is the need to assert first principles, clarifying the broad jurisdiction of all the country's waters, making plain the natural connections, from the Ohio River, say, to the seemingly isolated wetland, its value in preventing floods often unnoticed.
Thirty-seven years ago, Congress applied federal authority in an enlightened way. Now it must reaffirm the commitment to protect the nation's waters.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
