Issues

Water is necessary for life. Streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries must be protected from pollution discharged from cities and factories. Water quality is also a mirror of human actions on the land, such as logging, farming, grazing, irrigation, mining, and urban development. Protecting the quality of our water means recognizing the connection between all human activities and this precious resource.

Regulating Water Pollution

• Clean Water Act
• Water Quality Standards: Foundation of the Clean Water Act
• Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Sources
• Discharges that Require Permits: Point Sources
• Protecting Threatened & Endangered Species
• Ship Discharges of Invasive Species

Types of Pollution

• Temperature Pollution
• Toxic Pollution
• Nutrient Pollution

Specific Water Topics

•  Columbia River Dredging
• Puget Sound Discharges
• Ocean Acidification

The energy we depend upon to cook, illuminate and heat our homes, and move about comes at a cost to the environment and our health. The challenge is to choose energy sources that will not ruin life as we know it—whether through climate change, radiation-induced cancers, or habitat destruction—yet will be there when we need it. The most efficient and clean sources of energy are not necessarily those that will reap the greatest financial rewards for energy producers.

Energy Sources

• Nuclear Power: Unsafe and Expensive
• Energy Efficiency: Conserving Power is a Clean Source
• Renewable Energy Sources: Solar, Wind, Geothermal