Clean Water is a Vital Part of Energy Security

We expect to hear a lot about energy in President Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night. One of President Trump’s latest executive orders “Establishing a National Energy Dominance Council,” aims to grow domestic energy production by changing “processes for permitting, production, distribution, regulation and transportation across all forms of American energy.”

The relationship between rivers and energy development may not jump right off the page. Still, fast-tracking energy projects or lifting public safeguards energy projects, like hydropower dams, will have an impact on rivers – our most important source of drinking water. 

Therefore, finding a true balance between river protection and energy development will be vital to ensuring success in achieving President Trump’s other stated goal of having the cleanest water in the world.

Water Availability:

The energy sector is a water-hungry industry. Water is utilized in and sustains the economies of communities throughout the country. When rivers and watersheds are protected and managed responsibly and sustainably, everyone benefits, water availability is increased, and demand is better met. Conversely, improper, unrestricted use that doesn’t prioritize water recharge and  downstream water availability will raise costs for both consumers and the energy sector. This is especially true in the era of extreme weather and more frequent droughts.

River Temperatures:

Power generation – and many industrial processes, like those used in new AI data centers – require significant water withdrawals for cooling and often source from rivers. When that water is discharged, it is often warmer and can significantly impact plants, animals, and overall river health. Warmer water can impact fish such as trout – a cornerstone of valuable recreation and tourism economies. Increased temperatures also lead to increases in toxic algae outbreaks, which can shut down municipal water supplies and be deadly to wildlife, pets, and livestock.  Warmer water also has an impact on water quality, so it drives up the cost of treatment.

Water Quality:

Mining for fossil fuels and combustion processes creates pollution and can cause silt and dust and even heavy metals like mercury, arsenic and lead to leach into our rivers and drinking water sources. Countless communities across the country, and particularly in rural communities, already deal with acid runoff daily from mining done generations ago. Rushed or unbalanced decision-making could extend this polluting legacy that makes America anything but great. Put simply, rivers cannot absorb this pollution and still sustain natural function and be a resource we rely on. Dirty rivers also can’t sustain thriving communities.

Concerningly, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already fast-tracked 600 projects, including pipelines, oil terminals and mining projects, potentially circumventing the Clean Water Act and opening the door to increased pollution.

Cost of living and local economies:

Monthly water bills are already taking a major bite out of Americans’ household budgets. More pollution will make water more difficult and expensive to treat, driving up bills even more. 

Pollution will also harm local economies — impacting everything from real estate values to businesses dependent on fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, and tourism. The outdoor recreation economy generates $887 billion in consumer spending, 7.6 million jobs, and it generates $59.2 billion in state and local tax revenue. Many communities depend on recreation to support their prosperity, and a dirty river is not a place people want to visit.

American Rivers’ Take:

Ultimately, this is about the people of our country. Health and safety are important to us all. American Rivers Action Fund has done polling that shows Americans care deeply about their rivers and access to clean water. In fact, clean water polls much higher than voter concern about energy.

As the Trump administration establishes and implements its energy goals over the next four years, our nation can learn from the mistakes of the past. We must leverage new and emerging technologies that allow energy development in safer ways and clean and healthy rivers to coexist, and we must stay true to common sense regulatory safeguards.

Common sense starts with maintaining an appropriate permitting regime to protect water resources from industrial development that threatens clean water – especially in areas prone to extreme weather. The Clean Water Act and its associated permits, particularly through the Army Corps of Engineers, are designed to enable the growth of industrial development and the energy industry while protecting our nation’s clean water resources from pollution. If anything, public safeguards should be strengthened and considerate of models that consider extreme weather events.

Continued public investments and federal workforce staffing in technology are necessary to ensure we have the cleanest water in the world while expanding the energy sector. Technologies that reduce water needs, ensure warmer or dirty water is not discharged or otherwise injected, and reduce pollution that exacerbates atmospheric changes are important to keeping rivers healthy.

Expanding other public safeguards to mirror “kindergarten rules” would create common sense most can agree with when it comes to energy and water. Rules, like “clean up your own mess,” would go a long way towards ending legacy pollution and ensuring no community with precious natural resources is forgotten because of extraction or power generation. Communities should not be left with permanent toxic waste sites in their backyards and legal safeguards should be put in place so that those who make money off these industries must be good neighbors to those most impacted.

Rivers and clean water are one of our most important resources as a country – especially freshwater. Taking care of it as we work towards other goals, like greater energy development, will be important to protect it.