The Honorable Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20500 May 7, 2012 Dear Mr. President: Attached is a list of 439 elected officials from across the country who have spoken out in favor of quickly finalizing your proposed guidance and conducting a rulemaking to restore critical Clean Water Act protections America’s waterways. These elected officials support your guidance because they understand how critically important clean water is to the health and economic livelihood of people across the country. Their constituents need clean water for drinking water, fishing, swimming, agriculture, recreation, and the wellbeing of their communities—and furthermore depend on the tributaries and wetlands that feed into America’s beautiful waterways, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Puget Sound and many in between. Our waterways are part of what make our nation beautiful, thriving, and prosperous. Stewardship and strong protections for our water resources are integral parts of our citizens’ health and economic vitality. But our waters’ health is in crisis. Beginning in 1972, the Clean Water Act protected all of the nation’s waters, from small, unnamed streams to our cherished waters like the Great Lakes and the Colorado River. But now, because of two bitterly divided Supreme Court decisions (SWANCC in 2001 and Rapanos in 2006), legal uncertainty puts many of the headwater streams, lakes, tributaries, and wetlands that feed into and filter our cherished waterways at risk of unregulated pollution. The threat is enormous. According to EPA data, the drinking water sources of 117 million Americans may no longer be protected because the streams that feed these sources are seasonal or intermittent. Similarly, 60% of America’s streams and 20 million acres of wetlands may be completely vulnerable to unlimited pollution. Finalizing your proposed guidance and conducting a rulemaking would reaffirm the broad scope of the Clean Water Act that existed for more than three decades. By restoring the Clean Water Act, you can put our nation back on track to becoming a country where all our waters are safe for swimming, fishing, and drinking. We hope you will move quickly to ensure America’s waterways are protected for years to come. Sincerely, Margie Alt Executive Director Environment America Arizona Ruben Gallego State Representative, District 16 David Schapira Arizona State Senator (Minority Leader), District 17 Arizona Sally Ann Gonzales State Representative, District 27 Paula Aboud Arizona State Senator, District 28 Arizona Tom Chabin State Representative, District 2 Robert Meza Arizona State Senator, District 14 Arizona Rob Adams Mayor Albert Hale Sedona, Arizona State Representative, District 2 Arizona Ginny Dickey Vice Mayor Anna Tovar Fountain Hills, Arizona State Representative, District 13 Arizona California Catherine Miranda Leland Yee State Representative, District 16 California State Senator, District 8 Arizona California Chad Campbell Mark Leno State Representative (House Minority Whip), State Senator, District 3 District 14 California Arizona Bob Wieckowski Daniel Patterson Assemblymember, Assembly District 20 State Representative, District 29 California Arizona Fiona Ma Debbie McCune Davis Speaker Pro Tempore, Assembly District 12 State Representative, District 14 California Arizona Jared Huffman Lela Alston Assemblymember, Assembly District 6 State Representative, District 15 California Arizona Julia Brownley Lynne Pancrazi Assemblywoman, Assembly District 41 State Representative, District 24 California Arizona Mike Feuer Dennis Zine Assembly Member, District 42 Councilmember California Los Angeles, California Tom Ammiano Ed Reyes Assemblymember, Assembly District 13 Councilmember California Los Angeles, California Toni Atkins Eric Garcetti Assemblymember, Assembly District 76 Councilmember California Los Angeles, California Don Lane Herb J. Wesson Jr. Mayor City Council President Santa Cruz, California Los Angeles, California John J. Duran Jan Perry Mayor Councilmember West Hollywood, California Los Angeles, California Abbe Land John Reed Councilmember Vice-Mayor West Hollywood, California Fairfax, California Ash Kalra Jose Buscaino Councilmember, District 2 Councilmember San Jose, California Los Angeles, California Bernard Parks Jose Huizar Councilmember Councilmember Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Bill Rosendahl Kansen Chu Councilmember Councilmember, District 4 Los Angeles, California San Jose, California David Alvarez Katherine Beiers Councilmember, District 8 Councilmember San Diego, California Santa Cruz, California David J. Terrazas Kevin McCarty Councilmember Councilmember, District 6 Santa Cruz, California Sacramento, California David Weinsoff, Esq. Kriss Worthington Councilmember Councilmember, District 7 Fairfax, California Berkeley, California Larry Reid Lucia Guzman City Council President (District 7) State Senator, District 34 Oakland, California Member of Agriculture and Natural Resources Colorado Marti Emerald Councilmember, District 7 Morgan Carroll San Diego, California State Senator, District 29, Majority Caucus Chair Colorado Paul Koretz Councilmember, District 5 Beth McCann Los Angeles, California State Representative, House District 8 Colorado Paul Krekorian Councilmember Claire Levy Los Angeles, California State Representative, House District 13 Colorado Richard Alarcon Councilmember Jeanne Labuda Los Angeles, California State Representative Colorado Robert King Fong Councilmember, District 4 Joe Miklosi Sacramento, California State Representative, House District 9 Colorado Steve Cohn Councilmember, District 3 John Kefalas Sacramento, California State Representative, House District 52 Colorado Tom LaBonge Councilmember Millie Hamner Los Angeles, California State Representative, House District 56 Colorado Tony Cardenas Councilmember Su Ryden Los Angeles, California State Representative, House District 36 Colorado Colorado Dennis Coombs Bob Bacon Mayor State Senator, District 14 Longmont, Colorado Colorado Dominick Moreno Lois Tochtrop Mayor pro tem, Ward I State Senator, District 24 Commerce City, Colorado Colorado Jim Woodward Mayor Pro Tem, At Large Englewood, Colorado Kelly Ohlson Judy H. Montero Mayor Pro Tem, District 5 City Council Member, District 9 Fort Collins, Colorado Denver, Colorado Marjorie Sloan KC Becker Mayor City Council Member Golden, Colorado Boulder, Colorado Matthew Appelbaum Ken Wilson Mayor City Council Member Boulder, Colorado Boulder, Colorado Rachel Zenzinger Laura Luke Mayor Pro Tem and Councilmember, District 1 City Council Member, District D Arvada, Colorado Grand Junction, Colorado Albus Brooks Lisa Czelatdko City Council Member, District 8 City Council Member, District 3 Denver, Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Bennett Boeschenstein Lisa Morzel Council Member, District C Deputy Mayor Grand Junction, Colorado Boulder, Colorado Bob Gaiser Paul D. Lopez City Council Member, Ward 1 City Council Member, District 3 Broomfield, Colorado Denver, Colorado Bob Fifer Peggy Cole Councilmember At-Large City Council Member, at large Arvada, Colorado Littleton, Colorado Chris Nevitt Peggy Lehman Council President, District 7 Council President Pro Tem, District 4, Denver, Colorado Denver, Colorado Deborah (Debbie) Ortega Phillip Thomas City Council Member, at large City Council Member, Ward 2 Denver, Colorado Fountain, Colorado George Pond Ray Aguilera City Council District III Representative City Council District 4 Representative, President Wheat Ridge, Colorado Pueblo, Colorado Gerry Horak Rebecca McClellan Councilmember, District 6 City Council Member, District 3 Fort Collins, Colorado Centennial, Colorado Renie Peterson Paul Davis City Council Member, Ward II Representative, District 117 Aurora, Colorado Connecticut Robin Kniech Philip Miller City Council Member, at large Representative, District 36 Denver, Colorado Connecticut Susan Shepherd Robert W. Megna City Council Member, District 1 Representative, District 97 Denver, Colorado Connecticut Suzanne Jones Terry Backer City Council Member Representative, District 121 Boulder, Colorado Connecticut Tom Quinn Florida City Council Member, Ward 5 Lakewood Colorado Kristin Jacobs County Commissioner, District 2 Connecticut Broward County, Florida Bob Duff Georgia Senator, District 25 Connecticut Brian Thomas Representative, District 100 Gary LeBeau Georgia Senator, District 3 Connecticut Elena Parent Representative, District 81 Diana Urban Georgia Representative, District 43 Connecticut Elena Parent Representative, District 81 Elissa T. Wright Georgia Representative, District 41 Connecticut Margaret Kaiser Representative, District 59 James Crawford Georgia Representative, District 35 Connecticut Michele Henson Representative, District 87 Kim Rose Georgia Representative, District 118 Connecticut Stephanie Stuckey-Benfield Representative, District 85 Georgia Aaron Watson Jeffrey Braiman Councilmember Village President Atlanta City, Georgia Buffalo Grove, Illinois Jeff Rader John Spring County Commissioner, District 2 Mayor Dekalb County, Georgia Quincy, Illinois Kathie Gannon Patrick Kitching County Commissioner, District 6 Mayor Dekalb County, Georgia Alsip, Illinois Michael Julian Bond Randy Keller Councilmember Mayor Atlanta, Georgia Worth, Illinois Illinois Robert Loverno Mayor Karen May Berwyn, Illinois Representative, District 58 Illinois Robert Sabonjian Mayor Ricca Slone Waukegan, Illinois Former Representative, District 92 Illinois Iowa Robyn Gabel Anesa Kajtazovic Representative, District