Rep. Polis to join Fat Tire brewer to back EPA water rule

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) will join the Colorado-based brewery behind Fat Tire to promote the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to redefine its jurisdiction over bodies of water.

Polis, New Belgium Brewing Co. and the American Sustainable Business Council will host an event Thursday in Fort Collins, Colo., to make the business case for the “waters of the United States” rule, proposed earlier this year to clarify the streams, lakes and ponds where EPA can enforce the Clean Water Act.

{mosads}“In order for us, and many other businesses, to be successful, we must have clean water,” Jenn Vervier, New Belgium’s director of sustainability and strategy, said in a statement.

“There is no substitute for clean and abundant water for our business, for communities and for individuals,” she said. “This proposed rule will offer the clarity and certainty that we need to continue to grow.”

A New Belgium executive testified to a House committee in June in support of the rule, saying breweries must be able to count on abundant, clean water in order make beer.