EDITORIAL: Local water efforts lauded amid federal erosion
May 20-It is a disappointing sign of the times that Americans cannot take clean water for granted. After decades of embracing protections for water that we drink, play in or use for irrigation, the past decade has seen an erosion of this foundational national concern.
It is notable, therefore, that the Clark County's Clean Water Commission recently delivered a report to the county council, highlighting work by the Clean Water Division and plans for future projects.
As The Columbian explains: "The nine-member, all-volunteer board provides guidance to the county council on program opportunities and priorities for the Clean Water Division. It also works with residents, businesses, nonprofits and local government to enhance water quality, improve flow and protect the ecological integrity of the county's watersheds."
Among the commission's priorities over the past year: The implementation and tracking of a 2025-29 rate study adopted by the county council, and addressing water-quality issues at Vancouver Lake.
During normal times, such work would largely go unnoticed. But it stands in contrast to the Trump administration's efforts to undermine water protections that impact the lives of Americans.
On Monday, for example, the administration announced that it is dropping some limitations on "forever chemicals" in drinking water. The chemicals, which earn their monicker because they do not break down in the environment, have been linked to cancer and other serious health problems. The Biden administration implemented restrictions on six substances after determining that long-term exposure was linked with kidney cancer, immune system suppression and developmental delays in infants and children.
Trump's Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back restrictions on four of those chemicals. The New York Times reports that the administration will "continue to protect against two of the them, though companies will be able to request two extra years to comply with those."
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said the administration will regulate "the right way, following the law and following the science." But its history suggests otherwise. Since President Donald Trump returned to office 16 months ago, his administration has:
* Narrowed the definition of waterways protected under the Clean Water Act. This eases restrictions on runoff from agriculture, mining and petrochemicals.
* Revised wastewater standards for coal plants. Those standards are designed to curb the discharge of toxic metals such as arsenic, mercury and lead.
* Worked to loosen restrictions on toxic compounds - for example, controversial weed-killers - that can impact water and air quality.
Individually, none of these actions threaten the typical household. Collectively, they represent the administration's desire to protect the chemical industry rather than the American people. As Adam Finkel, a former member of the EPA Science Advisory Board and a professor at the University of Michigan, said, "If it has benefits to normal people ... the Trump administration are against it."
All of this belies the Make America Healthy Again movement, which has a prominent advocate in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and largely supported Trump in the 2024 election.
When it comes to clean air and clean water, efforts at the local and state level are important - but they cannot overcome a federal administration that demonstrates little regard for the health of Americans. After all, water and air pollution do not recognize state lines or city boundaries.
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