NRDC Joins White House Freshwater Restoration Challenge

WASHINGTON - NRDC joined the White House's new Freshwater Challenge-a collaborative initiative with states, tribes, business interests, and non-governmental organizations to conserve and restore America's rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands.

Following is a statement from Jon Devine, Director of Freshwater Ecosystems at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

"This is the exact right time to strengthen our commitment to protecting freshwater recourses. Following the Supreme Court's disastrous decision to gut critical wetland protections and with rising evidence that our waterways are at significant risk, ambitious goals for protecting and restoring our waterways are overdue and needed. This initiative sets strong targets that will help put us on the right path."

Background

Following a blockbuster report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service detailing a significant decline in domestic wetlands and nearly a year after the Supreme Court's Sackett decision dramatically weakened the Clean Water Act's protections for wetlands and streams, The America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge aims to protect, restore, and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of our nation's rivers and streams by 2030.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at http://www.nrdc.organd follow us on Twitter @NRDC.