AFFTA President Ben Bulis speaks with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen
AFFTA President Ben Bulis traveled to Washington, DC this week to speak out on behalf of our waterways and habitat, as well as our health and vitality as an industry. The proposed new rulemaking for the Clean Water Act will protect many of our small streams, which are important spawning grounds for fish. Our industry will not survive without healthy fisheries…and access to them.
So what are we up against?
On May 14th the Republican led House of Representatives passed HR 1732, the Regulatory Protection Act of 2015 that would block the EPA's proposal to protect millions of miles of streams.
The House bill, which was introduced by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), would force the EPA to halt the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule which would offer protection to two million miles of streams and 20 million acres of wetlands. Right now, those areas are not clearly designated under the Clean Water Act.
Care to guess how the new EPA rule would fare under some of the 2016 GOP Presidential hopefuls?
Clean water benefts more than just people and fish, it's also good for craft suds.
Testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday, Andrew Lemley, government affairs representative for New Belgium Brewing Company, voiced strong support for the EPA’s proposed Waters of the United States rule.