Architect Of U.S. Water Protection Policies Dies

A man who played a pivotal role in writing the federal water laws that still shape utility practices today has passed away.

Leon Billings, a former Senate aide who helped craft revolutionary environmental laws in the U.S., died this month at age 78.

“As the first staff director of the Senate Environment subcommittee, Billings was a primary author of the 1970 Clean Air Act, one of the first and most influential environmental laws in U.S. history and a foundation for current air pollution laws,” the Associated Press reported.

“Billings also played a key role in the 1972 Clean Water Act, the primary federal law governing water pollution, and 1977 amendments to both the air and water pollution laws,” the report continued.

Billings worked for the late Senator Edmund Muskie, Democrat from Maine, who served during the 1960s and 1970s.

"There was no greater public health champion. Our air and water are cleaner and Americans are healthier because of Leon Billings," said Paul Billings, senior vice president of the American Lung Association and the son of the late Senate aide.

Tom Jorling, a former Republican Senate aide said this about Billings, per the report: “[He] had tremendous skills legislatively and politically. He was respected and trusted by all members of the committee, majority and minority. His talent and skills led to the enactment of the foundational environmental laws of that era."

The state of today’s environmental policies was an ongoing concern for Billings, Jorling said.

“Jorling said Billings was disappointed to see clean air and water laws come under attack from Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, but said the laws have survived previous attacks from the White House and Congress. Trump has called climate change a hoax and vows to cut back the role of the Environmental Protection Agency, which he describes as a job killer,” the AP reported.

The Clean Water Act, along with the Safe Drinking Water Act, remain the nation’s top standards for water policy, guiding everyday practices by water utilities, municipalities, and state water managers.

The Obama administration has sought to update the Clean Water Act through its waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, because it says Supreme Court decisions have created confusion about jurisdictional issues relating to the law.

To read more about the Clean Water Act visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Regulations And Legislation Solutions Center.