Norton to Make Supreme Court Decision on Daily Pollutants a Spur for Federal Help- January 17, 2007
Norton to Make Supreme Court Decision on Daily Pollutants a
Spur for Federal Help to Speed Anacostia River Clean-Up
January 17, 2007
Washington DC--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a member of the Water Resources Subcommittee, said today that the Supreme Court decision this week, letting stand daily caps on Anacostia River pollutants, will aid her effort for passage of the comprehensive Anacostia River Bill, of which she is the lead sponsor. She said, "We cannot make headway with raw urban sewage and runoff, and trash and debris in one of the country's filthiest waterways, with EPA's annual or seasonal caps." Norton's comprehensive Anacostia River clean-up bill had several regional original cosponsors in the 109th Congress, and expects more when she reintroduces the bill. She got an amendment from the bill passed during the 109th Congress, requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to assist Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia in developing a clean-up plan.
Norton took issue with the speculation of Jerry Johnson, General Manager of the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA), that the decision may make it necessary for WASA to slow its long-term control plan. Instead, she said "The decision should increase the pressure on the federal government to finally give serious attention to the neglected Anacostia River." Norton said that the federal government which is served by WASA is a "major culprit in the discharge of waste from storm overflow." The Congresswoman said that she would work to assure that Environmental Protection Agency develops an orderly and rapid plan to comply that does not penalize local jurisdictions.