Rep. Sak offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 437.

            A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007.

            Whereas, For over thirty-five years, the federal Clean Water Act has protected the Great Lakes and our nation's other waters from pollution and wetlands from destruction. Burning rivers have become a thing of the past, Lake Erie is no longer dead, lakes and rivers no longer double as our nation's sewers, and the loss of wetlands has slowed considerably; and

            Whereas, The Clean Water Act is essential in ensuring that none of the Great Lakes states allow activities that could impact Great Lakes water quality in one of the other states. Michigan, in particular, lies at the heart of the Great Lakes basin and relies on the continued high quality of Great Lakes water for drinking and to support its recreation and tourism industry; and

            Whereas, A 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling threw into disarray and confusion the scope of protection under the Clean Water Act. The Rapanos v. United States opinion, rather than providing clarity, has created a legal and regulatory morass and potentially placed water quality at risk in lakes, rivers, wetlands, and along our nation's coastlines. In many states, businesses, developers, government regulators, and the public now suffer from an unnecessarily complicated, time-consuming, and costly process that increases the potential for court challenges and damage to water quality and wetlands; and

            Whereas, The bipartisan Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 would reaffirm the original intent of the 1972 Clean Water Act and restore the protection our nation's waters and wetlands enjoyed for over three decades. The Clean Water Restoration Act acknowledges that all water resources are connected and that impacts in even the smallest streams and marshes may eventually affect the quality of interstate waters like the Great Lakes; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.