Washington, D.C. — Clean drinking water for millions of people is at risk as the Trump administration threatens to eliminate protected national monuments, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress.
The report finds that 31 national monuments potentially threatened by the Trump administration safeguard the supply of clean drinking water for more than 13 million Americans, including in the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Denver.
These monuments contain 21,000 miles of rivers and streams, which provide drinking water to communities downstream, fish and wildlife habitat, opportunities for recreation, and more. And 83 percent of these miles of rivers are uniquely protected by the national monuments, meaning they would not be otherwise shielded from development if their monument status were stripped away.
Memos and strategic plans from within the Trump administration indicate that national monuments may be shrunk or eliminated. Rolling back protections would expose these valuable lands and waters to future mining, drilling, and other development and threaten the lands and waters within them.
“In the age of increasing droughts and wildfires due to climate change, Americans’ supply of clean drinking water is already precarious,” said Sophie Conroy, research associate at CAP and co-author of the report. “But the Trump administration’s threats to roll back national monuments could expose our drinking water to a whole host of new dangers and put the health of communities across the country at risk.”
Read the report: “Clean Drinking Water for Millions of People at Risk as Trump Administration Targets National Monuments” by Sophie Conroy and Drew McConville
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].