As the new Congress kicks off in Washington, D.C., Environment America’s advocates are working to protect our natural world by advocating for these priorities:
Clean water
America is blessed with beautiful rivers and lakes that we all rely on for drinking water, agriculture and recreation. We should treat our waterways as the precious life-giving resources they are, not as dumping grounds for our pollution and waste. The 119th Congress should ensure our waterways are safe for swimming and free from microplastic pollution.
- Safe for Swimming: Every year, billions of gallons of sewage and runoff pollution flow into our waterways and make people sick. We can fix this by investing in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to update aging water treatment plants and encourage nature-based projects that prevent stormwater pollution at the source.
- Microplastic free waters: Millions of small plastic pellets, used in manufacturing, are spilled into our waterways where they harm fish, wildlife and potentially human health. Congress should pass the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act to stop companies from dumping or spilling pellets.
Conservation
Environment America is working to protect the Great American Outdoors and save our amazing wildlife.
- Save the bees: Bee populations are dropping due to destruction of pollinator habitat and excessive use of bee-killing pesticides, endangering ecosystems and food production alike. Bees need more safe habitat, and roadsides provide 10 million acres of it nationwide. States like Kentucky and Texas are already making strides with roadside pollinator programs, and Congress can help by funding the Monarch and Pollinator Highway Program, an existing grant program that helps states save the bees. Congress should also pass the bipartisan Building Native Habitats at Federal Facilities Act.
- Parks and wildlife: Every minute, we’re losing two football fields worth of wild lands, and too many animal species face extinction. It’s up to us to turn things around. In 2020, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act to fund much-needed conservation and recreation programs. The 119th Congress should build on this legacy by passing the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, which empowers states to protect at-risk species before they require Endangered Species Act protection. Congress should also support wildlife corridors and crossings, such as the bipartisan Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act.
Clean Energy
America gets three times as much power from the sun, wind and geothermal as we did a decade ago, and we’re still just barely scratching the surface of our renewable energy potential. Powering our buildings, cars and industry with renewable energy and reducing energy waste can reduce pollution, save money and ensure a brighter, more stable future. Congress should maintain popular programs that let consumers, businesses, local government, churches and other charities choose clean energy, including tax credits and rebates for electric vehicles, rooftop solar, heat pumps, and electric and efficient home appliances.
Defend environmental protections
A clean environment is not a byproduct of American prosperity. Rather, a clean environment is the necessary precondition for true prosperity. Congress must maintain and strengthen our bedrock environmental laws including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Antiquities Act.
