Last night, Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-31) took to the House floor to fight for increased quality and integrity protections for California water. He offered an amendment to H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, a bill that would rollback the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to protect waterways from pollution. Rep. Aguilar’s amendment requires that the new rules included in the bill protect the quality and integrity of water used for the public’s drinking supply, drought mitigation, agriculture, and coastal flooding from hurricanes or super storms. 

“This motion is simple. It requires the Army Corps and the EPA to ensure that important surface waters and wetlands are protected during the new rulemaking process this bill starts. This motion requires that the quality of public water supplies be protected. Around the country we have seen drinking water sources contaminated, like the algal bloom in Lake Erie that forced Toledo, Ohio to use bottled water,” said Rep. Aguilar. He continued, “In California, the historic drought has reduced many surface waters to stagnant pools of water. Seven million Californians rely on these streams for their drinking water. We need to make sure these drinking water sources are protected to keep families and communities healthy.”

Rep. Aguilar is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture.