The new Environmental Protection Agency has come up with a new rule known as the Waters of the US rule, which is considered to be a significant win for clean water in many years. The rule will ensure that water bodies like Barton Springs, the Colorado River and Galveston Bay remain clean.

The rule provides protection to 143,000 miles of streams that act as the drinking water source for 11.5 million Texas. Though it is a great law, there are many trade associations and industry groups that are not in the favor of these types of safeguards.

It is not difficult to know what these companies are creating problems so that the rule does not get implemented. To cite an example, the oil and gas industry has pipelines running through wetlands. Coal companies are dumping their waste into streams. All these and other companies will be highly benefited if there would be no restrictions.

It has been found that these companies, which dump millions of pounds of pollution into waterways, spend a lot of money on elections. As per an Environment Texas report, 10 companies that had thrown maximum industrial dumping in 2012 had spent over 53 million on lobbying in 2014.

Many hurdles have been created, but Texans have been urging decision-makers to protect waterways. Texans have submitted over 34,000 public comments in support to restore Clean Water Act protections to small waterways across the country.

Rather than making it a political issue, clean water should be taken as important for the health of the public and economy.