EDITORIAL

Some ideas are slam-dunks. Some ideas are well-meant, but flawed. And

then there are ideas such as the one being pitched by a New Jersey

congressman to change the nation’s long-standing Clean Water Act, ideas

so misguided they would be laughable if they weren’t so threatening.

In this case, the threat is that the proposed legislation would allow

boaters to dump partially treated sewage into Newport Harbor and the Back

Bay.

That’s right. Right now, there is strong federal protection on both

water bodies. But under this proposal, boaters could simply disinfect

their waste through a process that kills bacteria but not viruses.

Newport Beach city leaders, rightly, are outraged by the bill. They

quickly sent word to Rep. Chris Cox, requesting that he oppose the

proposal. And they were right to act immediately -- this bill, if made

law, would dirty our waters, plain and simple.

Leaders in neighboring Huntington Beach, who are equally against the

bill -- which was introduced by Republican Rep. Jim Saxon -- are also

rallying opposition and working with their congressman, Rep. Dana

Rohrabacher. Leaders in both cities also would be wise to get together to

pool their influence to sink this proposal well before it gets any more

life.

Fortunately, it appears that our local representatives see the utter

folly of this proposal.

“If the embers were ever stoked, our local delegation would stamp it

out immediately,” Cox said. “There’s no reason to worry about it becoming

law. . . . I am very concerned with whether the bill has any prospects.

And it does not.”

That is the sound of strong opposition we want to hear toward this

bill. But until it is finally stamped out, our elected officials should

not let up in their fight. This bill deserves to be nothing more than a

dirty memory.