Lots of talk these days about stripping the budget of the EPA... some would even nix the agency altogether.
Since swimming in polluted water is certainly a safety issue, I think this is a topic that should transcend politics (but what do I know?)
Should USMS add a statement of support for a healthy aquatic world to the mission?
As one who spends a hell of a lot of time in bodies of water that were much more compromised two decades ago than they are today, its easy to guess where I stand. Much progress has been made toward restoring the health of our waterways, but there is a long way to go.
I didn't vote in the poll because it is a mixed thing: I believe that USMS should publicly support/applaud efforts to make water safer for swimming, but I don't think they necessarily need to explicitly support the EPA or Clean Water Act to do so.
(I say this as someone who believes that EPA is grossly underfunded already given the scope of its responsibilities.)
But USMS supporting the CWA -- instead of "clean/healthy water" -- is too overtly political in my opinion. Clear water certainly seems within the purview of USMS given its recent push of OW swimming, especially since the elderly can be more susceptible to the effects of poor water quality.
I didn't vote in the poll because it is a mixed thing: I believe that USMS should publicly support/applaud efforts to make water safer for swimming, but I don't think they necessarily need to explicitly support the EPA or Clean Water Act to do so.
(I say this as someone who believes that EPA is grossly underfunded already given the scope of its responsibilities.)
But USMS supporting the CWA -- instead of "clean/healthy water" -- is too overtly political in my opinion. Clear water certainly seems within the purview of USMS given its recent push of OW swimming, especially since the elderly can be more susceptible to the effects of poor water quality.
