WASHINGTON, DC— The Supreme Court dealt a significant blow to the Clean Water Act in a new ruling issued today. The decision narrows the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to protect America’s wetlands, which are critical to healthy water. Moira Mcdonald, Environment Program Director of the Walton Family Foundation, issued the following statement:

“Clean water and the Clean Water Act continue to unite Americans. We all believe that water is vital to every aspect of our lives. From our health to the economy, to our ecosystems – we must continue to have strong laws that protect our water.

Each of us wants to trust that our drinking water is safe.

This is a time for leaders in communities, businesses and policymakers to innovate, and be creative. We have to find new ways to come together to protect water.”

The Walton Family Foundation, in collaboration with Morning Consult, released polling in September showing that:

• 95% of Americans say that protecting the water in our nation’s lakes, streams and rivers is important. Further, 79% want to strengthen or maintain current standards, while just 8% want to relax them.

• 88% agree that it is important that the EPA has the authority laid out in the Clean Water Act – such as restricting pollution entering our waters and limiting the destruction or physical damage to lakes, rivers, wetlands, streams and other waterways.

• After a brief description of Sackett v. the Environmental Protection Agency, 75% of adults support protecting more waters and wetlands under the Clean Water Act.

• 89% of adults would be concerned if polluters no longer had to meet water requirements before adding waste into streams or wetlands and 88% would be concerned if the permit requirement to make a permanent physical change to a water body was removed in some cases. 

• Adults want more safety standards for water releases from factories and industrial processes (69%), municipal drinking water (68%) and drinking water in their community (67%).

About the Walton Family Foundation

The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.