FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2024
Nancy Crowley
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
ncrowley@sfwater.org
(628) 629-1748
***STATEMENT***
SFPUC GENERAL MANAGER DENNIS HERRERA ON U.S. SUPREME COURT ORAL ARGUMENTS IN CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO V. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, Dennis Herrera, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the City’s water, power, and sewer utility, issued the following statement on oral arguments being heard at the U.S. Supreme Court in the case City and County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency:
“Right now, San Francisco and other clean water agencies across the country face a Catch-22. The EPA is basically saying, ‘You can’t pollute too much, but we won’t tell you what too much is until after you’ve already done it.’ That’s untenable. The financial hit to our customers could be so severe that it would drive more than 8,000 San Franciscans into poverty. San Francisco remains fully committed to complying with the Clean Water Act. We are simply asking the EPA to tell us what the requirements are. Tell us the requirements, and we’ll meet those requirements. Clean Water Act permits should say what they mean and mean what they say.”
More information is available on the San Francisco City Attorney’s website: San Francisco files final brief in SCOTUS case to protect utility ratepayers from massive bill increases – City Attorney of San Francisco (sfcityattorney.org)
About the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. We deliver drinking water to 2.7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area, collect and treat wastewater for the City and County of San Francisco, and meet more than 75% of the electricity demand in San Francisco. Our mission is to provide our customers with high quality, efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests, and sustains the resources entrusted to our care. Learn more at www.sfpuc.gov.