I have been a Minnesota resident for my entire life, and the stateâÄôs lakes and rivers have played a valuable role in my upbringing. With Earth Day fast approaching, it is important to remember that someone must protect our waterways for future generations.

With rollbacks of the Clean Water Act in recent Supreme Court cases, we have to fight the mega-developers who are lobbying to stop the restoration of the Clean Water Act to cover all bodies of water in the U. S.

About 40 percent of the waterways tested in Minnesota donâÄôt meet basic health standards, which make them unsafe for fishing and swimming.

The Environmental Protection Agency will be deliberating this summer on whether to extend the Clean Water Act to cover wetlands and streams. We can be part of the solution and protect all of our waterways by urging the EPA to grant this extension.