(Updated to include exact information for time deadline on comments- 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, April 15, 2019)

In a previous post on this blog I noted that I originally had no intention of giving any space to topics that aren’t positive, or that don’t have “seeds of goodness” encompassed within.  Tiny Seeds of Goodness is my subtitle, after all.

However, in light of current political and monetary power issues and the increased pressure certain current political and governmental actions are putting on the fragile health of our planet and all life on Earth, I feel compelled to post this. My only regret is that I didn’t post this information earlier (as April 15 is the deadline for U.S. citizens to respond to the EPA), and that I haven’t blogged about this issue continually since first hearing about it.

If you live in the southern U.S. the changes that are at risk of being made to our United States Clean Water Act should deeply concern you.  If you live in any other part of the United States, these proposed changes should deeply concern you.  If you live outside of the United States, which some of my followers and readers do, any threat to clean water should deeply concern you, as water on planet Earth is a universal requirement for life.

This video highlights the proposed changes to the Clean Water Act, as well as the ensuing effects on our environment and water supplies.

 

If you feel compelled to voice your opinions to the EPA, for their consideration of these changes, the deadline for doing so is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time April 15, 2019.  Written comments can be submitted via the information below, copied from the EPA’s website.

The public is invited to submit written comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. General guidance on making effective comments is available at EPA’s Commenting on EPA Dockets.

I submitted my comments earlier today.  It was the least I could do.  They are my “Tiny Seeds of Goodness” for today.

Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America,

Clean water is a vital RIGHT of all our planet’s inhabitants, not a privilege of the very wealthy and powerful.  The Clean Water Act was put in place for a reason – those who should have been doing the RIGHT thing for our planet’s water resources were NOT. 

You are the Environmental PROTECTION Agency, and you need to do the job you are tasked with, for ALL American citizens, for the planet we ALL share.  You must NOT proceed with the proposed changes to the Clean Water Act.  If a business, developer, or industry cannot be profitable without polluting our shared water resources then that business, developer, or industry needs to either find a resource-respectful way to conduct their business or not be in business at all.  You must not proceed with the changes to the Clean Water Act as proposed under this docket.

Every part of my family’s life is affected by clean water!  Our household is sustained by ground water via a private well.  We have a small stream running through our property, alongside our vegetable garden and berry patch, which ultimately feeds in to the Haw River and the municipal water supply for nearby communities in the Piedmont of North Carolina. We have friends and family who reside in those communities. There are organizations and individuals who have been working tirelessly for decades to clean up the Haw River and bring it back to a cleaner waterway, as it has been terribly polluted and degraded by industry and sewage for a hundred years or more.  Through hard work and determination, and through regulations and monitoring, the Haw is finally a waterway that can be enjoyed by outdoor enthusiasts, tourists, and communities adjacent to it. Why on Earth would we want to backslide to a time when industry and municipalities could just send their waste and pollutants “away/down river”?  There IS NO “away/down river” – all water is connected on this planet!

In addition, the municipal water supply of the Burlington North Carolina Metro area is supplied by surface reservoirs which are fed by a network of small streams and large creeks.  Our friends and neighbors just one road away from us are served by this municipal water supply.  My husband, our friends, and co-workers drink the municipal water that serves their employer’s places of business. The kids in the schools drink that water.  Was Flint Michigan not enough of a travesty for the richest and most powerful country in the world?  Are you willing to see that scenario play out time and time again because the PROTECTIONS that you are charged with upholding are not upheld?

Aside from the human water supply impacts, I see first-hand, every day throughout all seasons, how wildlife of all sorts is drawn to the small stream that courses through our property – pollinators, amphibians, hawks, turtles, herons, all types of songbirds and migrating birds, mammals of all sorts.  Pollution in small waterways such as this stream has far reaching affects – it does not remain localized to the immediate area.

It is long past the time that large corporations, private citizens, and government agencies with the word “Protection” in their title, use foresight & respect for planet Earth, and do the right thing for all of us, now, and for future generations.  I would hope that we can see that decisions made for monetary gain, “the easy way”, and for power/control are not in the long-term best interest of all.

You must not proceed with the proposed changes to the Clean Water Act!  Do the right thing! Myself, my family, my friends, the voiceless wildlife and future generations are counting on you!