"Challenging Schweikert’s EPA Lies," A Guest Column by W John Williamson

Challenging Schweikert’s EPA Lies

(Corporate Water Use Threatens Sea Life)*

A Guest Column by W John Williamson, candidate AZ-06 (Dem)

*-- This article arrived untitled.  

On May 30, Rep. David Schweikert appeared on FOX

NEWS, talking about the EPA's proposed water rule to be added to the Clean

Water Act. He made it sound like this is some kind of frivolous exercise

by the federal government to harass private property owners. He did not

mention at all what the rule really relates to.

Here's what the proposed rule is really about, as reported by the U.S.

Water Alliance: "The EPA has finalized standards to protect billions of

fish and other aquatic life drawn each year into cooling water systems at

large power plants and factories. An estimated 2.1 billion fish, crabs,

and shrimp are killed annually by these cooling water systems. The new

rule requires plants with cooling water intakes to look at the impact on

aquatic life in local waterways and take steps to minimize that impact."

Further, the website explains: "This rule establishes requirements under

the Clean Water Act for all existing power-generating, manufacturing, and

industrial facilities that withdraw more than 2 million gallons per day of

water from waters of the U.S. and use at least 25 percent of the water

they withdraw exclusively for cooling purposes. It covers roughly 1,065

existing facilities. The rule requires the facilities to take one of seven

approaches for using the best technology available to reduce fish

impingement." ("EPA's New Rule for Cooling Water Intakes," U.S. Water

Alliance, June 11, 2014, www.uswateralliance.org.)

So this rule is designed to protect 2.1 billion fish, crabs and shrimp. No

doubt this is not just an environmental issue but a commercial issue as

well. There are probably businesses that are sustained by catching some of

those fish, crabs and shrimp. People's livelihoods no doubt depend upon

the well-being of these aquatic life forms.

Moreover, the Federal Register states: "The purposes of the proposed rule

are to ensure protection of our nation's aquatic resources and make the

process of identifying 'Waters of the U.S.' less complicated and more

efficient. The rule achieves these goals by increasing CWA program

transparency, predictability, and consistency." (Federal Register, Vol.

79, No. 76, p. 22,190, April 21, 2014.)

I bet there are a lot of people who like to fish recreationally who would

like to see those aquatic resources protected as well.

Once again, it would seem that Rep. Schweikert is obfuscating the true

nature of an issue with his misleading statements. He makes it sound like

the EPA's proposed new water rule has to do with a petty concern about a

desert wash going through his backyard when it really has to do with

protecting 2.1 billion individual entities of aquatic life that support

not only commercial but recreational interests in our great land.

When elected as your member of Congress, I will not take lightly

environmental issues that impact the well-being of commercial and

recreational fishing. Arizona has a lot of recreational fishing, and I

would want to protect that.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please visit my website at

www.williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on "Make a Donation," and dare to

stand by your Democratic candidate who cares about the quality of our

water for the sake of not only business but also recreational interests.

The Future Can Be Ours by protecting, as the Federal Register states, "our

nation's aquatic resources." Water, and the life forms it sustains, are

critical to our well-being not only as Arizonans but as Americans.

WILLIAMSON FOR U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

"The Future Can Be Ours."

480-607-9726