It's undeniable:
the U.S. air force has been poisoning the drinking water supply in Tucson, Arizona, a city home to more than half a million people. And now
it's refusing to clean up its pollution. Specifically, it's claiming that the Supreme Court's recent decisions limiting government agencies' regulatory abilities mean the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has no right to hold the military accountable.
This is why we need a federal law codifying the rights and powers of regulatory agencies, including the EPA. That is the only thing that can undo this nasty mess. Sign the petition to demand the U.S. Congress pass a law clearly strengthening and concretizing the EPA's authority!Since 1984, previous iterations of the Supreme Court had upheld government agencies' powers to set rules and enforce them. But then, in June 2024, the Supreme Court's right-wing majority overturned 40 years of previous court decisions and legal precedent to
curtail the EPA and other agencies' abilities to do their jobs and keep the public safe. This is already throwing - and will further throw - our governmental system into chaos as
agencies are prevented from regulating important sectors, including the environment, workplace safety, food safety and public health, and many more.Now, the Air Force is seizing on this opportunity. For decades, it has been poisoning drinking water sources in Tucson with volatile organic compounds and "forever chemicals" (also called PFAS) - to the point where a large area outside of Tucson was
declared a "Superfund site." This designation is only used on the country's top most polluted, most dangerous sites.Naturally, this is unacceptable. The people of Tucson deserve to be protected from these dangers and deserve to have safe, clean drinking water. That's why the EPA stepped in and demanded the Air Force clean up its toxic mess. As the EPA wrote: "The Air Force bears responsibility for the PFAS contamination and needs to step forward to protect the Tucson community." But if the Air Force continues to refuse... what then?
That's why it's imperative that the U.S. Congress step in immediately to make it clear how valuable and respected federal agencies like the EPA are! Lawmakers must pass legislation to strengthen the regulatory powers of the EPA and other agencies. We need these organizations' help in order to keep the public safe and protected. Sign the petition now!