On February 28, just after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order demanding that the "Clean Water Rule" be dismantled. Four months after this order was signed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to do just that. With climate-change denier Scott Pruitt as the head of the EPA, it was only a matter of time before this action would take place. As of now, the "Clean Water Rule" protects waterways that provide drinkable water to citizens. It ensure that the water being delivered for human consumption is free of toxins and pollutants.

Revoking this rule will leave approximately 100 million Americans at risk. That is almost one-third of the population.

Power to the States

Pruitt has said that the goal of revoking the "Clean Water Rule" is to give power back to individual states. Unfortunately, this means that pollution of the nation's waterways is imminent. States that are dependent on fracking will see an increase in toxins in their water sources. Fracking has caused an average of 12 toxic spills each year. According to a study at Duke University, toxic spills release hydrocarbons and a vast number of pollutants. Oklahoma has seen it's number of earthquakes increase due to fracking in the region. Environmental damage as a result of toxic spills is catastrophic.

Cleanup can cost millions of dollars and cause irreversible damage to the land and wildlife. Without the "Clean Water Rule" to prevent toxic pollutants, there will be no way to ensure that the nation's drinking water is safe for human consumption. Queensland, Australia saw the direct affects of water pollutants when the Condamine River caught fire.

It had filled with methane gas due to a nearby toxic spill.

The Science Movement

President Trump has made it a top priority to begin dismantling environmental protections across the country. He started by issuing executive gag orders for the National Parks Service (NPS) and the EPA. Then he froze all federal funding for the EPA and replaced the head of the department with Scott Pruitt, a friend to the fossil fuel industry.

Pruitt has been involved in several lawsuits against the EPA over the last few years. The Trump administration has even begun removing protections from the the Endangered Species Act, which happens to be supported by 90% of Americans. However, conservationists and scientists are fighting back. The People's Climate March on April 29th was a great success. Some scientists have even begun running for local government offices. Volcanologist Jess Phoenix will be on the ballot in California for this year's mid-term elections.
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