Center for Environmental Law & Policy

Mission

The Center for Environmental Law & Policy is a statewide organization whose mission is to protect, preserve and restore Washington's waters through education, policy reform, agency advocacy, and public interest litigation.

Description

CELP works to ensure the equitable and sustainable management of our most precious resource: water.  Our vision for the future is that Washington State will have clean and abundant waters to support healthy communities, thriving ecosystems, and resilience in the face of climate change. We believe water belongs to all of us and that current laws and policies are no longer adequate to protect this precious resource for humans, wildlife, and life itself. We work with other organizations, political leaders, agencies and tribal leaders to facilitate the adoption and implementation of more sustainable water management to protect Washington's water resources now and into the future.  

For three decades, the Center for Environmental Law & Policy has been Washington State’s top watchdog and defender of water rights and resources. Washington’s water resources are over-appropriated. Hundreds of streams and rivers are impaired due to lack of flow.  Statewide, more than two dozen salmon species are listed as endangered, and the lack of adequate river flows are a limiting factor for recovery. Climate change is making matters even worse as increasing temperatures have led to declining snowpack, melting glaciers, and more frequent and persistent droughts. These conditions make CELP’s work of promoting sustainable use of our water resources essential as we are the only statewide organization working full time to change water policy.