Good news: More members of Congress are supporting an effort to make beaches safe for swimming this summer.
America’s rivers, lakes and beaches are great places to spend time with our family and beat the heat, but often, sewage and runoff pollution make the waterways unsafe. In 2022, roughly one-half of U.S. beaches had potentially unsafe contamination levels on at least one day of testing.
That’s why we’re urging Congress to pass the BEACH Act, which provides for water quality testing at ocean and Great Lakes beaches so that you can keep your family safe. Since Memorial Day, seven new members of Congress have cosponsored the bipartisan BEACH Act:
Rep. Ted Lieu, California
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, California
Rep. Neal Dunn, Florida
Rep. Jared Huffman, California
Rep. Sarah McBride, Delaware
Rep. Eugene Vindman, Virginia
Rep. Jahana Hayes, Connecticut
The legislation is led by Reps. Dave Joyce (OH), Frank Pallone (NJ), David Rouzer (NC) and Emilia Sykes (OH). In the Senate, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are the bipartisan, bicoastal champions for safe beaches.
Additional supporters of the BEACH Act include Reps. Pappas (NH), Bonamici (OR), Brownley and Min (CA), Fitzpatrick (PA), Amo and Magaziner (RI), Casten (IL), Jayapal (WA) and Tokuda (HI).
