If you think that America’s water ought to run clean, thank Senator Chris Dodd and Congressman Dennis Kucinich for standing up against those who want to compromise the cleanliness of the nation’s waters in order to make a quick buck. Dodd and Kucinich are the only presidential candidates to have co-sponsored the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007.

When the Clean Water Act was passed, it applied to all wetlands and waterways in the United States. Recently, however, right wing Supreme Court justices appointed by George W. Bush ruled that the Clean Water Act should not apply at all to some wetlands and streams. This action by the Supreme Court gave a green light to those who would destroy the integrity of America’s clean water resources.

The Clean Water Restoration Act is designed to correct for the Supreme Court’s actions, amending the Clean Water Act to ensure that all America’s natural sources of water are protected, as the Clean Water Act intended to protect them. This legislation is not an expansion of the authority of the Clean Water Act, just a correction of a right wing attempt to cripple the Clean Water Act.

Not one Republican presidential candidate has come out in support of the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007. Also, Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joseph Biden have not cosponsored the bill. For the 2008 presidential election, Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich stand head and shoulders above the rest of the field when it comes to protecting America’s waters.

(Sources: Library of Congress, National Wildlife Federation)