The Daily - January 31, 2019 - 23

The Pulse
B I G

P I C T U R E

Brian Linton, CEO of United By
Blue (at right), joins Theresa
Pierno of the National Parks
Conservation Association in
advocating to protect water.

The Shape
of Water

Clean water is critical for people, parks,
and our economy.
By Theresa Pierno and Brian Lintnon
WE CAN ALL AGREE ON THE

CA R LO N AS I S S E

importance of water-it's one thing
we cannot live without. Clean water
plays a critical role in our health,
our communities, and our national
parks. That's why it's alarming to
see the Trump administration try to
significantly weaken and even eliminate clean-water protections that
threaten drinking water supplies
and jeopardize waterways across
the country.
The National Parks Conservation
Association and United By Blue are
working together to fight for more-
not less-protections for clean
water. We all know wetlands flow
into streams, which flow into small
rivers, bigger rivers, lakes, and
ultimately the ocean. The Trump
administration wants to roll back
common-sense water protections
for wetlands and small streams,
and the trickle-down effect on
water quality could be dramatic,
ultimately threatening the water
we all depend on for drinking,
fishing, and swimming. According

to the EPA's own data, 51 percent
of remaining wetlands that aren't
connected to other bodies of water
could lose protections entirely. This
only adds to the water-quality problems already plaguing communities
and businesses across the country,
hindering the ability for natural
environments to adapt to climate
change, diminishing flood control,
and eliminating vital habitat for
wildlife, including endangered and
threatened species that live in and
near our national parks.
The health of our parks depends
upon the health of the waters that
surround and flow through them.
Thousands of miles of waterways
and coasts are included in our more
than 400 national parks across
the country-from trout streams
in Yellowstone to wetlands in the
Everglades. More than 331 million
visitors go to our national parks
annually, pumping $31 billion into
our economy. The Outdoor Industry Association found that consumers spend $887 billion annually

"THE PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE
FOR CLEAN-WATER PROTECTIONS IS NOW
IN JEOPARDY. THE ADMINISTRATION'S
PROPOSALS WILL TAKE US BACK FIVE
DECADES IN OUR EFFORT TO CLEAN UP
OUR WATERWAYS."

on outdoor recreation, with nearly
$140 billion on kayaking, rafting,
canoeing, scuba diving, and other
water and recreation activities in
our parks. The economic engine of
outdoor recreation also supports
nearly eight million jobs.
This week nearly 1,000 outdoor
brands are meeting in Denver at
the Snow Show-with the headwaters of the Colorado River flowing
through nearby Rocky Mountain
National Park-and much of their
business depends upon clean water.
For companies and organizations
that represent Americans who
enjoy outdoor recreation, access to
clean water is imperative.
The progress we have made for
clean-water protections is now
in jeopardy. The administration's
proposal will take us back five
decades in our effort to clean up our
waterways. In fact, this proposed
rule will actually pave the way for
pollution that threatens our drinking water and national parks and
businesses that depend on clean
water. Now is not the time to cut
back on clean-water protections.
We cannot forget how far we've
come from burning rivers. We don't
want to go back, and we can't afford
to go back. Chipping away at the

policies and rules that protect the
health of our waterways threatens
all of us.
We will continue to fight to ensure the highest level of protections
for our nation's waters. We hope our
colleagues across the many organizations and companies at the Snow
Show will join us in calling on the
Trump administration to withdraw
its proposal to weaken clean-water
protections. President Trump must
protect America's access to safe,
clean water. Our health, our communities, our businesses, and our
national parks depend on it. Join us
and sign our letter to the president
at npca.org/ProtectCleanWater.
Theresa Pierno is president
and CEO for National Parks
Conservation Association, the
century-old nonpartisan advocacy organization working to
protect and preserve our nation's
most iconic and inspirational
places for future generations.
Brian Linton is CEO and
founder of United By Blue, the
sustainable ocean conservation
brand that removes one pound
of trash from the world's oceans
and waterways for every product sold.

SNOW SHOW 2019

http://www.npca.org/ProtectCleanWater

The Daily - January 31, 2019

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