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There is  a lot going on. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Do-Nothing proposal around chemical leaks and spills into water deserves attention.

  • This is an issue of environmental injustice, demonstrated by the presence of aboveground storage tanks in communities around the country, often in poor and low income areas. 
  • This is a drinking water issue. We often don’t know where these storage tanks are. If a leak or spill gets into a drinking water source, public health can be at risk, tap water can be disrupted, or we might not even know about it.  
  • This is a Clean Water Act issue. Congress required a rulemaking process in the original Clean Water Act and it has never happened.
  • EPA's argument that existing programs take care of this problem is simply unfounded. 

EPA is taking comments on their proposal NOT to set up a program to prevent leaks and spills of hazardous substances into water. Learn more and make your voice heard here: https://cleanwater.org/features/protecting-drinking-water-hazardous-spills

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