It doesn't matter what industry you're talking about, businesses rely on clean water to produce safe, high-quality products.
In 2001, the Philadelphia Brewing Company acquired a 38,000 square foot brewery facility on the 2400 block of Frankford Avenue, filling a space that had long been vacant and bringing new life to a changing commercial corridor. Today, the wildly successful brewing company employs 30 and pays family-sustaining wages. It is also part of Pennsylvania's fast-growing craft beer industry, which contributes more than 20,000 jobs and $2 billion annually in revenue to our state's economy.
This industry, like so many others, depends on clean water. Water powers many of the businesses that underpin our economy, and it is essential that the water is of good quality. However, streams and waterways that service businesses and residents are at risk for pollution and destruction.
We need to protect this vital resource. There is an opportunity to do that now through support of the EPA's proposed "Waters of the US" rule. Two Philadelphia City Council members, Blondell Reynolds Brown and Jim Kenney, took an important step this month with their resolution calling for the city to support the proposed rule. It is important that our other local representatives and businesses follow suit and show support for the rule.
Consider just how important water is to our economy. Pennsylvania is a national leader in food production and agribusiness. This industry accounts for $32 billion in shipments, ranking fourth in the nation (ahead of Ohio, Georgia and Wisconsin).
The Keystone state also stands as the 7th largest manufacturing economy in the US, with 550,000 Pennsylvanians employed in that industry. Fishing activities generate $4.7 billion a year in revenue and support 43,000 Pennsylvania jobs.
There is also a growing sector of our economy made up of businesses working to keep our waters clean. Through Philadelphia's landmark Green City, Clean Waters stormwater management plan, the Philadelphia Water Department will be investing $2 billion over the next 25 years in green stormwater infrastructure, while catalyzing significant private investment in this area as well. Many of the region's engineers, landscapers, landscape architects, contractors, material suppliers, and more are benefitting from Philadelphia's investment in clean water.
And these are just a few examples. All of our state's industries, and the jobs that they support, are reliant on clean water.
That's why the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia supports the proposed rule. Sustainability is more than just greening the economy; it's making sure our local economies can continue to grow in a way that benefits everyone, including the small businesses we all rely on. Without consistently available clean water, that's not possible.
The Clean Water Act was designed to protect our waterways from harmful discharges that could pollute our water. But a pair of Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 threw the law's enforcement ability into legal limbo. The "Waters of the U.S." rule would clarify that most seasonal and rain-dependent streams, as well as wetlands near rivers and streams, are protected waterways.
The EPA's proposal will clarify the agency's jurisdiction, giving businesses the added certainty they've been asking for since the Supreme Court's decisions. And let's be clear: The EPA doesn't get any extra authority from this rule. If it wasn't covered before, it wont be covered once the final rule is complete.
Water pollution is not some far-off problem. In the past year alone, we've seen spills in West Virginia and North Carolina that have devastated local economies. If we don't protect our waterways, our local economy will suffer as well.
And small business understands that. Recent polling from the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) found that 80 percent of small business owners supported the proposal, including clear majorities of self-identified Independents and Republicans. Clean water isn't a partisan issue. It's an economic one.
Businesses across the state should join Philadelphia Brewing Company and hundreds of other members of the Sustainable Business Network in supporting this rule by submitting their comments to the EPA. Let's act now to protect our water and our economy.
Barton is Co-owner of the Philadelphia Brewing Company. Gauthier is Executive Director of Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, which engages local independent businesses in the policymaking process.
, William Barton
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