Critics claim that a Missouri law endangers attempts to avoid river pollution.
Author: ALLISON KITE
Legislation considered essential to fund Missouri’s environmental regulatory agency now includes an amendment that could drastically hinder efforts to protect the state’s rivers from pollution. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources calls the issue — nonpoint source pollution —“the greatest threat to the state’s waters,” according to its website.
The amendment, which was added in a Senate committee, strikes a single phrase from the Missouri Clean Water Law. But environmental advocates fear it could have far-reaching consequences, including a potential takeover of state water regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a loss of millions of dollars in grant money for pollution control.
“This takeover is referred to as ‘dedelegation,’ and is viewed by environmentalists and industry alike as a nuclear option,” Michael Berg, a lobbyist for the Sierra Club, said in an email to state senators last week. “It is a drastic measure, and one not easily reversed.” Asked about the proposed change on Tuesday, Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, said the amendment would be removed when the full Senate takes it up for debate.