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The ACA Advocates For Paddler-Friendly Policies
RESTORING CLEAN WATER ACT PROTECTIONS
Because of U.S. Supreme Court decisions issued in 2001 and 2006, 20 million acres of wetlands and thousands of miles of streams in the U.S. are at risk of losing protection under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). For the last five years, the ACA has been working with the Clean Water Network and the Outdoor Alliance to pass legislation to reverse these decisions and reestablish the broad jurisdiction of the CWA. However, that legislative effort has been unsuccessful. The ACA is now redirecting its efforts at
the Obama Administration. In December, the ACA joined a nationwide coalition urging the Administration to use its regulatory authority to clarify the scope of the Clean Water Act, and reassert the Act’s jurisdiction over “waters of the United States.” While a legislative fix is preferable, federal administrative agencies can restore some CWA protections by adopting strong regulations. In a letter signed by dozens of interested organizations, we urged them to do so as soon as possible.
CHESAPEAKE BAY TMDL
An important test of the Clean Water Act is underway in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Showing great courage, the U.S. EPA recently issued a “Total Maximum Daily Load” (TMDL) for the Bay watershed, a pollution “diet” that sets limits on the amount of
pollutants that may be discharged into the Bay without causing unacceptable adverse impacts. The EPA should be congratulated for this
ambitious undertaking. TMDLs are usually established on a regional or statewide basis. The Bay TMDL covers portions of six states and the District of Columbia, an area of 64,000 square miles. The EPA’s decision to issue a TMDL was prompted, in part, by a lawsuit filed by the ACA in 2001. In that lawsuit, the ACA forced the EPA to require the state of Virginia to establish TMDLs for all of its rivers and streams. The EPA’s TMDL is highly controversial,
with several interest groups raising objections and threatening to file lawsuits. The ACA filed comments on the draft TMDL and Virginia’s draft plan for meeting the TMDL limits. In our comments, we voiced paddlers’ concerns about clean water, and said strong action is needed to clean up the Bay. We urged the EPA to adopt a strong TMDL, and urged Virginia to move rapidly to meet the new limits.
The ACA and the Outdoor Alliance
The ACA is a founding member of the Outdoor Alliance (OA), a coalition of six human-powered recreation organizations (
www.outdooralliance.net). The OA jointly advocates on national policy issues that impact rock climbers, paddlers, hikers, mountain bikers and backcountry skiers. The OA held three days of meetings in December 2010 to set its policy agency for 2011. Top priorities for 2011 are:
• America’s Great Outdoors (AGO): AGO is the Obama Administration’s ambitious
Excursions EXCLUSIVE ‘MEMBERS ONLY’ BACKCOUNTRY PADDLING OPPORTUNITIES
That’s right, if you’re an ACA member, you can join the ACA staff on one of three incredible excursions in 2011. In cooperation with the host organization, a percentage of each registration fee goes to support ACA Stewardship efforts across the country.
www.americancanoe.org/excursions
SEA KAYAKING
Southern Exuma Cays, Bahamas Out Island Explorers JUNE 11–18
WILDERNESS CANOEING
Grande Ronde River, OR & WA Slickrock Expeditions JULY 3–10
WHITEWATER RAFTING
Main Salmon River, ID Action Whitewater Adventures AUGUST 13–17
DONATE Like most nonprofit organizations, the continued success of the ACA depends upon funding from a range of sources. If supporting paddlesports education, stewardship, recreation and/or competition fits into your planned giving, please consider making a donation to the ACA.
NATIONAL PADDLESPORTS CONFERENCE
Mark your calendars to attend the ACA’s signature event, the National Paddlesports Conference.
September 30 to October 2, 2011 Louisville, KY
www.americancanoe.org/ nationalpaddlesportsconference
plan to renew America’s commitment to conservation and recreation. The OA will monitor policy proposals that emerge from this initiative to ensure that recreation remains a top priority.
• Wild & Scenic Rivers Coalition: The OA will form a coalition of river advocates that focuses exclusively on management of designated Wild and Scenic Rivers.
• Sustainable Recreation: The term “Sustainable Recreation” (SR) refers to federal management policies that provide recreation access while protecting public lands from long term damage. The U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service will be developing new SR policies in 2011, and the OA will actively advocate for the interests of human- powered recreation.
Club-Fostered Stewardship Grants Available for 2011
Thanks to L.L. Bean, the ACA will again be offering Club-Fostered Stewardship (CFS) grants in 2011. CFS grants help local paddling clubs take on volunteer-driven stewardship projects that protect local waterways. Examples include river cleanups, establishing water trails, maintaining access areas and providing sanitary facilities. Grants of up to $1,000 are available. Go to
www.americancanoe.org/cfs to complete an application. The ACA reviews applications on a rolling basis.
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