As I finish a weekend of ice fishing at Lake Mille Lacs, my mouth waters thinking about the fresh walleye I am taking home with me.

Fishing reminds me of the close relationship we share with our food and the environment, especially the water.

As Minnesotans, we should care deeply about protecting our water resources.

Clean water is vital to our health, recreation and wildlife. From the mighty Mississippi all the way down to our local streams, we need to know that our waters are being preserved.

Unfortunately, narrow-minded Supreme Court decisions have opened loopholes that leave many of our waters without protection from the Clean Water Act.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has proposed closing this loophole to protect all of the state’s rivers and streams. Committees in the House and Senate will meet on Feb. 4 regarding this proposal.

There is tremendous support for clean water.

Many local elected officials in Minnesota have signed on to an Environment Minnesota letter in support of the clean water rule.

Yet, in the Feb. 4 hearing, many speakers will likely disproportionately represent opposition to the proposal from allies of the pollution industries determined to kill the EPA proposal.

Our waterways can only be as clean as the rivers, streams and wetlands feeding into them. That’s why it’s so important that this EPA proposal moves forward.

We must to stand up to the polluters and restore safeguards to all of the rivers and streams of our state, and our representatives in Congress should do the same.