We are writing to thank Congressman Gerlach for recently co-sponsoring the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act (CWARA), which will strengthen our federal clean water laws and preserve waterways in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Over the last 35 years, the Clean Water Act has helped make significant strides to clean up Pennsylvania's rivers, lakes and streams. But today, many of our waterways like the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers still suffer from industrial pollution and run-off contamination from overdevelopment. Yet instead of continuing to improve our clean water laws, the Bush administration has implemented policies that eliminate basic Clean Water Act protections for many of our waterways-in Pennsylvania and nationwide. This has already led to more pollution going into the small streams and nearby wetlands that nourish our rivers.

Luckily, Gerlach has joined with 155 other representatives to support CWARA. This bipartisan legislation reaffirms the original intent of the Clean Water Act to protect all waterways in the U.S. and will help preserve the waterways that are currently under attack by the Bush administration. We applaud Congressman Gerlach for championing this issue and hope that Pennsylvania's senators will follow his leadership.