Beer Brewers Targeted In EPA Clean Water Act Fight

 Beer brewers are being lobbied by an environmental group to support the EPA's controversial clean water proposal.  

"Environmentalists applaud the [proposal] and have been encouraging America's craft brewers in particular to get behind it," CBC News recently reported. 

Mounting a "Brewers For Clean Water" campaign under the tagline "Clean Water, Great Beer," the Natural Resources Defense Council is asking breweries to support the EPA position and take a "clean water pledge." Forty craft beer companies have already signed onto the campaign, according to CBC News.

"You can't make great beer without clean water. That's why our brewery is proud to join the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and its more than one million supporters to stand up for clean water and the Clean Water Act," the pledge on the NRDC website says.

Kris Spaulding, owner of Brewery VIvant, explained her company's support for the campaign. "We think clean water is a very vital part of the brewing industry, so we want to make sure we're doing everything we can to keep it clean," she said. 

Some brewers framed support for the EPA proposal as a no-brainer. 

"It's hard to argue clean water is not important. It is one of the four major ingredients we use in our beer. So I would like to continue working with the Clean Water Act," said Bjorn Johnson, the head brewer at Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery. 

The EPA proposed in April to clarify the definition of "waters of the U.S." in the Clean Water Act. The EPA argues that the rule is necessary because Supreme Court decisions make it unclear what the agency may regulate under the Clean Water Act. The comment period in this proceeding is open until October 20. Republicans and the agriculture lobby have raised major concerns about the proposal. 

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