Environmentalists call for Walberg, Upton to protect EPA

To mark the first anniversary of when Enbridge formally notified the federal government that an estimated one million gallons of crude oil had been released into the Kalamazoo River watershed, environmentalists are calling on two Republican congressman to stop political attacks aimed at the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Sierra Club, Clean Water Action and the National Wildlife Federation held a press event along the Kalamazoo river to slam Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) and Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph).

“The fact of the matter is that Congressmen Upton and Walberg should know better than anyone in Congress that the EPA is critical to protecting the water we drink and the air that we breathe,” said Cyndi Roper, Michigan director of Clean Water Action. “Instead, they are working to weaken the EPA at the expense of the public health. The oil spill last year left people ill, destroyed property values and damaged our natural resources in ways that will be felt for years to come. It is a devastating reminder that the EPA plays a critical role in protecting our land, air and water.”

Walberg won the 7th Congressional district seat last November after a pitched battle with Democratic incumbent Mark Schauer. Schauer spent a great deal of his summer and fall working on issues arising from the oil spill — from meeting with residents, to leading the charge on the Hill for regulatory change.

When the GOP took control of the House, Upton was elevated to the chairmanship of a the powerful committee that oversees pipelines — the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Activists pointed to a July 13 vote by the lawmakers as proof the duo are working to weaken the EPA.

Upton and Walberg voted on July 13 for H.R. 2018, legislation that threatens the water quality in our lakes and rivers and the safety of our drinking water sources. The legislation would roll back key enforcement provisions of the Clean Water Act, provisions that allow the EPA to act to protect our waters and our public health. H.R. 2018 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 239 to 184. In addition to voting for the bill, Upton and Walberg voted against an amendment that would have ensured continued protection of municipal drinking water sources. In short, the bill would threaten the progress the nation has made since the 1972 Clean Water Act gave the federal government the primary role in cleaning up the nation’s water

“It’s difficult to imagine how the oil spill would have been managed without the EPA overseeing the cleanup,” said Rita Chapman, the clean water program director for the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter. “As incomplete as the cleanup still is today, it would have been far worse without the EPA. People want our lakes and rivers to be safe for swimming, fishing and boating, and certainly we all expect to have clean sources of drinking water. It’s outrageous that Representatives Walberg and Upton would limit clean water protections, especially with the effects of last year’s oil spill still being felt so acutely by the very people they represent in Congress.”