How will the Supreme Court gutting the CLEAN WATER ACT hurt you? Check this map.
“The Supreme Court Just Gutted the Clean Water Act” – Yahoo
“The Supreme Court has ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency in a decision that significantly narrows the Clean Water Act’s protections. The majority, 5-4 opinion was authored by Justice Samuel Alito and supported by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett—all conservative judges, two of whom were Donald Trump appointees… they opted to favor industry and development over defending unpolluted waterways.” – Yahoo
Who wins, who loses with this decision? How could polluted water impact your family’s health?
Where are coal / petroleum powered plants and wetlands near you?
Who owns these power plants and will now profit from relaxed environmental regulations?
Where are the wetlands that can now be polluted?
Who are the Senators being paid with tax payer dollars to represent the people living in that state?
Is there any connection between the Supreme Court Justices making these rulings and fossil fuel billionaires?
Which senators get donations from fossil fuel billionaires?
Connect the dots for yourself with this map. Click on the map for a direct link on how to call your Senator to let them know you feel about the Supreme Court decision to gut the Clean Water Act.
Republican packed Supreme Court in action
Massive win for polluting industries
“With the court’s ruling, the CWA no longer protects isolated wetlands nor intermittent and seasonal bodies of water, Ryan said. It is a massive win for developers, mining companies, and other polluting industries, which will face far fewer environmental regulations and no longer have to apply for permits to fill many wetlands or dump waste in impermanent streams. Concurrently, it is likely to be a tragic loss for the nation’s aquatic ecosystems and even human health.
Healthy, intact wetlands help control flooding, filter water, and provide critical habitat for plants and animals. All of those ecosystem services are endangered nationwide by the SCOTUS ruling.” – Gizmodo
Wetlands
“Wetlands are areas where water is present at or near the surface of the soil during at least part of the year. Wetlands provide habitat for many species of plants and animals that are adapted to living in wet habitats. Wetlands form characteristic soils, absorb pollutants and excess nutrients from aquatic systems, help buffer the effects of high flows, and recharge groundwater.” – FGDC
Ginni Thomas wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
“Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo arranged for the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work just over a decade ago, specifying that her name be left off billing paperwork, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
In January 2012, Leo instructed the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group he advises and use that money to pay Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the documents show. The same year, the nonprofit, the Judicial Education Project, filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case. Leo, a key figure in a network of nonprofits that has worked to support the nominations of conservative judges, told Conway that he wanted her to “give” Ginni Thomas “another $25K,” the documents show. He emphasized that the paperwork should have “No mention of Ginni, of course.” – WaPo
Charles Koch – Leonard Leo
“Two major players in the movement to deny this reality, Charles Koch and Leonard Leo, got caught up in scandals that reveal their efforts to buy influence over governmental matters. These embarrassing flaps neatly illustrate that the very same people who argue that money doesn’t buy special favors have secretly been using their money to buy special favors.
The first of these imbroglios arose on Monday, when the group UnKoch My Campus released a trove of emails regarding Koch’s sway over George Mason University, a state university in northern Virginia. These emails, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request that the university unsuccessfully fought in court, relate to the Charles Koch Foundation’s donations to GMU. The school has received more than $50 million from Koch since 2005, including $10 million in 2016 to rename its law school after the late Justice Antonin Scalia.” – Slate
Koch bankrolls dozens of election denier candidates
“Fossil fuel giant Koch Industries has poured over $1m into backing – directly and indirectly – dozens of House and Senate candidates who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s win on 6 January 2021. Koch, which is controlled by multibillionaire Charles Koch, boasts a corporate Pac that hasdonated $607,000 to the campaigns or leadership Pacs of 52 election deniers since January 2021, making Koch’s Pac the top corporate funder of members who opposed the election results, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending.
In addition, the Super Pac Americans for Prosperity Action to which Koch Industries has given over $6m since January 2021, has backed some election deniers with advertising and other communications support, as well as a few candidates Donald Trump has endorsed who tried to help him overturn the 2020 election, or raised doubts about the final results.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, who is often a staunch ally of fossil fuel interests,received $20,000 from Koch’s Pac, a sum only matched by the corporate Pac of Capital One. Kennedy teamed up with other senators in January 2021 on a statement that claimed the 2020 election was “rife with allegations of fraud and irregularities that exceed any in our lifetimes”. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where Koch is headquartered, also voted against certifying Biden’s election and has received support from Koch’s Pac. Marshall is not up for re-election this year.” – The Guardian
TakeAway: Vote to curb the dark money corrupting the system that leads to more polluted wetlands. Hold your Senators accountable for whom they put on the courts.
Deepak
DemLabs
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Reposted from Democracy Labs with permission.
