12月16日一項美國國會調查結果公布了淨水法（Clean Water Act）執法不力的報告。這個調查是追查最高法院一項蒙蔽問題的決策，針對的問題是美國的河川、溪流及濕地是否受到保護，免於污染及開發。
這個報告透露，在2006年美國公民Rapanos等人對美國政府提起公民訴訟獲得決議之後，超過500個必須執法的清淨水執行案件，不是被撤銷，就是被擱置。
這項調查是由美國國會政府監督和改革委員會（House Oversight and Government Reform Committee）主委瓦克斯曼（Henry Waxman）及交通和基礎設施委員會（Transportation and Infrastructure Committee）主委奧柏斯塔（James Oberstar），從新的內部文件中發現數百件違反清淨水法案的案件一直都沒有被追查執行。
瓦克斯曼主委表示：「布希政府所遺留的事蹟之一就是他在保護國家水資源安全與健康上的失敗。我們的調查顯示，清淨水計畫因數百件應執法案件受到撤銷、降級、延遲或甚至重未被提出而徹底被扼殺掉了。我們必須與新政府一起努力，重建此重要法案的效力與正義。」
兩位主席在12月16日給美國總統當選人歐巴馬的一封信當中寫到：「我們委員會成員共同進行的一項大規模調查發現，聯邦政府的清淨水法案執行計畫在過去2年已經被徹底扼殺了，將國家的水資源陷於健康與安全危機之中」。
他們檢視2萬多頁由美國環保署（U.S. Environmental Protection Agency）及美國陸軍工程兵團（the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers）交給委員會的文件，並將檢視結果遞交給歐巴馬。
他們寫到：「實際的問題可能比文件中所敘述的要更糟糕。美國環保署隱匿數百件由委員會所提出的文件。當這些文件被揭露之後，環保署重新編撰所有被控污染水道及特定水域的公司或個人的身份及特質。」
這項調查顯示，幾十件現有應執法案件已經改成非正式回應，有些已經被賦予減徵民事罰款，有些獲得緩處分處置，許多違法事件甚至因為明顯減少調查行動而沒有被揭發。
有關石油逸漏的違法事件佔了違反清淨水法案將近一半的個案，這些案子被發現了但卻未被舉發。
此外，委員會的調查顯示，美國陸軍土木工程兵團（the Army for Civil Works）助理秘書長，在亞利桑納州桑塔克魯茲河（Santa Cruz River）清淨水法案的決策上，將公司說客的利益置於其職務賦予的科學決斷力之上。
清淨水法案執行狀況最差的區域是在美國環保署第六管轄區（EPA Region 6）及第八管轄區。第六轄區涵蓋新墨西哥州、德州、奧克拉荷馬州、阿肯色州及路易斯安那州，在此區有138個需執法的個案被撤銷；第八轄區包括蒙大拿州、北達克達州、南達克達州、懷俄明州、猶他州及科羅拉多州，在此區有106個違法個案被撤銷。
The results of a Congressional investigation released today detail the collapse of the Clean Water Act enforcement program in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that clouded the question of whether rivers, streams and wetlands remain protected from pollution and development.
The report reveals more than 500 clean water enforcement cases that have been dropped or stalled in the wake of the 2006 decision in Rapanos v. United States.
The investigation, by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, uncovered new internal documents showing that hundreds of Clean Water Act violations have not been pursued with enforcement actions.
"One of the legacies of the Bush Administration is its failure to protect the safety and health of the nation's waters," said Chairman Waxman. "Our investigation reveals that the clean water program has been decimated as hundreds of enforcement cases have been dropped, downgraded, delayed, or never brought in the first place. We need to work with the new Administration to restore the effectiveness and integrity to this vital program."
In a letter sent today to President-elect Barack Obama, the two committee chairmen write of "an extensive joint investigation by our Committee staffs that finds that the federal government's Clean Water Act enforcement program has been decimated over the past two years, imperiling the health and safety of the nation's waters."
The chairmen forwarded to Obama the results of a review of more than 20,000 pages of documents produced to the committees by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"The actual problems may be even worse than described in the documents," the chairmen wrote. "EPA has withheld hundreds of documents from the Committees. When documents were provided, the EPA redacted the identity of every corporation or individual accused of polluting waterways, as well as the specific waters affected."
The investigation shows that dozens of existing enforcement cases have become informal responses, have had civil penalties reduced, and have experienced delays. Many violations are not even being detected because of the substantial reduction in investigations.
Violations involving oil spills make up nearly half of the Clean Water Act violations that have been detected but are not being addressed.
In addition, the committees’ investigation revealed that the Assistant Secretary for the Army for Civil Works placed the interests of corporate lobbyists over the scientific determinations of career officials in making Clean Water Act decisions about the Santa Cruz River in Arizona.
The regions with the most lost enforcement actions are EPA Region 6, which includes the states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, where 138 enforcement cases were dropped, and EPA Region 8, which includes the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, where 106 enforcement cases have been dropped.
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