TU Business member Namebini supports clean water

Carl Haensel and Jade Thomason own and operate Namebini, in northern Minnesota. They offer guided fly fishing, forest and farm products and a variety of specialties. And, like a host of other Trout Unlimited Business members, they're concerned about changes to the Clean Water Rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers that could impact their business. Their comments on this proposal are eloquent and to the point. Those comments appear below:

At Namebini, we look out on Lake Superior, at the headwaters of the Great Lakes, in Duluth, Minnesota. We are fortunate enough to be able to fish and guide for robust populations of wild steelhead, brook trout, brown trout and salmon that use the streams and rivers that flow into the big lake. One would think that the world's largest freshwater lake would be immune from issues surrounding the Clean Water Act. Unfortunately it's not. Current proposals to remove the 2015 Clean Water Rule threaten our waters, fish and economic base.

Water coming from wetlands and tributaries is the lifeblood of our streams, rivers and lakes here in the Northland. Our waters, serving as homes and sanctuaries for wild trout and many other fish and wildlife populations, are at risk. Mines and pipelines are in the works, proposed and under construction throughout our watersheds, even at the foot of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Reversal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule would put even more streams, rivers, wetlands and watersheds at risk as these projects progress by removing protection from headwater tributaries and wetlands. Corporations pushing some of these projects in Minnesota have proven they have little interest in caring for our resources — unless they are required to. Our regulations need to be robust to protect the true economic lifeblood of our region — our waters and the fisheries and tourism dollars they bring in.

If the proposal to remove the rule is approved, up to 20 percent of the stream miles in the U.S., and up to 50 percent of wetlands, would lose the fundamental protections of the Clean Water Act. We can't allow this to happen. We can't let our headwaters, wetlands and tributaries of beloved waters be abused, polluted and ignored. We're taking a stand now to prevent the repeal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule, which protects our waters. We can't sit back and let key environmental protections be removed. Hopefully, many other individuals and companies will join us and Trout Unlimited to push for continued protection of our waterways.

We all live downstream, and now is the time to take a stand to keep our waters clean for fish, wildlife, and people around the country.

If you're concerned about clean water - and all of us should be - please take a moment to comment at  http://standup.tu.org/cleanwater/.

The deadline for comments is April 15, 2019.