A Snapshot of The Clean Water Act

Clean Water Act

 

Shelby Bryan co-founded Millicom International, the first cellular company in the United States, with renowned Swedish entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck. Before launching Millicom, Shelby Bryan interned with Ralph Nader while Nader was working on the Clean Water Act.

An American author, attorney, and political activist, Ralph Nader was instrumental in developing the Clean Water Act of 1968. Established to restore and maintain the physical, biological, and chemical integrity of America’s waters, the act has greatly helped preserve the health of lakes, rivers, and coastal waters by keeping pollutants from entering them.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, it is beneficial to restore the Clean Water Act to protect the nation’s drinking waters because we drink it and play in it. Even beer is comprised of 90 percent water. America’s wildlife including migratory birds and fish also need clean water to survive. In a place like Minnesota where more than half of the region’s stream acreage are in headwaters, the trout fishing opportunities would be in jeopardy without protection.

Clean Water Act – Nutrients Found in Montana Water Being Challenged

Clean Water Act
Image: epa.gov

Shelby Bryan founded and served as the CEO of PingTone Communications, the country’s first VOIP. Prior to studying for his MBA at Harvard Business School, Shelby Bryan assisted Ralph Nader as an intern on environmental projects.

A former presidential candidate, Ralph Nader has been involved with many environmental bills that were eventually enacted into law. The Clean Water Act (CWA) was one such piece of legislation. The Clean Water Act ensures that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforces rules that protect against pollution.

The EPA recently had to submit information about the nutrients found in water within the State of Montana. Per the CWA, water must be tested for nutrients. Significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, components of agricultural fertilizers, appeared in the testing, which is considered a violation of the CWA.

The Upper Missouri Waterkeeper is an organization that focuses monitoring and making improvements upon the Upper Missouri River Basin located in Montana. Because of this, the Upper Missouri Waterkeeper has taken steps to let the EPA know that the appearance of these compounds in the water is unacceptable. The organization is awaiting intervention to ensure that the EPA addresses the issue.

A Brief Look at the Clean Water Act

Clean Water Act
Image: epa.gov

Pingtone Communications founder Shelby Bryan has more than 35 years of combined experience in investment banking, international business, and telecommunications. Prior to the launch of his career, Shelby Bryan became one of two law school graduates to intern for Ralph Nader. Throughout the internship, he worked on a variety of environmental projects, including the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972.

Originally established in 1948, the CWA defines quality standards for surface waters and forms the basic structure for regulations regarding the discharge of pollutants into U.S. waters. The act enables the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer and control various pollution control programs and establish waste-water standards for the industry. Furthermore, the CWA forbids the discharge of pollutants from point sources into navigable waters without first obtaining a permit.

The CWA was originally known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act at the time of its 1948 enactment, during which time it became the first U.S. law to address water pollution. Growing public awareness and concerns about water pollution led to significant changes to the act in 1972. In addition to its name change to the CWA, amendments to the act included granting the EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs and approving funding for the construction of sewage treatment plants. It also recognized the need to address critical problems as a result of nonpoint source pollution.

For more details on the CWA, visit www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act.