JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Republican lawmaker from northwest Missouri is rallying legislators from both sides of the aisle to change who can serve on the state’s Clean Water Commission.

House Bill 488 would require all members of the governor-appointed Clean Water Commission to “have an interest in and knowledge of conservation and the effects and control of water contaminants.”

The measure also specifies that at least two of the seven members “shall be knowledgeable concerning the needs of agriculture, industry or mining.”

But the main focus of the measure’s sponsor, State Rep. Dean Van Schoiack, R-Andrew County, is to ensure “water people” are on the board that

“The reason for the bill is to get more people that are knowledgeable about clean water on the commission,” Van Schoiak said. “It says at least one person shall be knowledgeable in that field. So that means it could be more than one person.”

There is currently no requirement that mandates the governor pick a certain number–or any– members of the water industry, including hydrologists or retired citizens who worked in water works.

The commission, which is under the purview of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), exists to “ensure all 2,800 public water systems in Missouri provide safe drinking water.” The appointed-board is also charged with advising the DNR on “various drinking water issues.”

The Missouri Clean Water Commission was established in 1972, the same year President Richard Nixon spearheaded the effort to create the federal Clean Water Act. The early 1970s were also a time where other environmental causes were sweeping through the country under Nixon: the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the adoption of the Clear Air Act.

The current board consists of three Democrats and four Republicans. Van Schoiack said that includes members of the public, agriculture, mining but only one person who is a professional in the field of clean, reliable drinking water.

At a hearing this week, water utilities including Missouri American Water as well as the Metropolitan Sewer District testified in favor of the bill, citing concerns that members of the board are political appointees and not people who are experts in the field.

The proposal even got some support from environmental organizations like the Sierra Club, who testified that the intent of the bill is something they support. The only caveat from the Sierra Club’s representative was specific language related to a water-related board member who was also concurrently working in the industry.

But despite this objection to some of the language, the representative from the left-leaning organization told the committee that the crux of the bill is needed. lawmakers seemed poised to advance the bill onto the next stage of the policy process. Per House rules, HB 488 still needs to be heard and voted out of another committee before it can be taken up for perfection on the House floor.

If approved by members of the House, the bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration. Unlike the lower chamber, bills in the Senate only need to be heard in one committee before it can go to the floor.

Lawmakers are now halfway through the legislative session, with spring break set for next week.

For more information on Missouri’s Clean Water Law, click here.