Have we mentioned that our leaders in Congress are working their butts off to undermine the country's foundational environmental laws? It's not just Republicans, either! Yesterday, a bipartisan bill that would weaken the federal government's ability to keep water clean passed out of committee. The bill would amend the Clean Water Act to give "primary responsibilities for water pollution control" to the states.

Pretty much any time states get to muck around with environmental issues, at least some of them decide to let corporations run hog wild and dump whatever they want, wherever they want. So we're not optimistic that this will lead to cleaner water, particularly because waterways cross state boundaries! If you happen to live next to say, West Virginia, whatever they put in their water could eventually make it to you.

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It's not reassuring, either, that the bill's sponsors were motivated by the feds trying to clean up their personal water supplies. So sorry, guys! Didn't realize your constituents wanted drinking water filled with nutrient or strip mining pollution. Good thing they've got you looking out for their interests.

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