Belgium Brewery Supports EPA Water Rules

Testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Andrew Lemley, government affairs representative for New Belgium Brewing Company, voiced strong support for the EPA's proposed Waters of the United States rule

New Belgium Brewing Company— makers of Fat Tire beer — is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a second operation based in North Carolina. The company generated $249 million in revenue for Colorado last year, Lemley said, creating over 5,000 jobs — jobs which, according to Lemley, depend on clean water sources.

"We all rely on responsible regulations that limit pollution and protect water at its source," Lemley said. "Over the past 23 years we've learned that when smart regulation and clean water exists for all, business thrives."

Theproposed EPA rulewould clarify what streams, tributaries, and wetlands can be protected under the Clean Water Act. Supporters of the proposed regulation say that it would provide support for the third of Americans whose drinking water currently comes from upstream sources not protected under the Clean Water Act, while opponents say the regulations would be overreach on the part of the EPA.

A 2014 poll conducted by the American Sustainable Business Council found that80 percentof small business owners support federal rules for protecting upstream headwaters as proposed by the EPA, with 71 percent saying that clean water is crucial to support economic growth.

Lemley mirrored that sentiment before the committee on Tuesday, calling access to clean water a "key to economic development" for the craft brewing industry.

This isn't the first time that New Belgium Brewing Company has voiced support for the proposed rules. In June of 2014, Lemleytestifiedbefore the House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans in favor of the regulations, saying then that "making world class beer, being profitable and honoring the environment for [New Belgium] go hand in hand."

New Belgium is just one of dozens of craft brewers that have rallied behind the EPA's proposed regulations: Allagash Brewing Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Goose Island Beer Company, and Sierra Nevada are some of the 45 breweries that have joined the "Brewers For Clean Water Campaign", led by Natural Resources Defense Council, in a show of support for clean water regulations.

Source: Climate Progress

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