What is the greatest threat polluting the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers? The answer may surprise you. It is not industrial waste or piles of trash.

It's stormwater runoff.

Unfortunately, this problem often goes unnoticed for the simple fact that we can't see it. During rain storms (or when our recent dumping of snow melts) water rushes off all of our paved surfaces taking all of the untreated oil, sediment, trash and other pollutants into our sewer system which empty directly into the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.

Unlike the pollution that can more easily be controlled from a single source (waste discharged from an industrial building or construction site) stormwater management is more difficult to control and thus requires a comprehensive solution.

The problem in the District is that two-thirds of the existing pipe system combines sewage waste with rain water in the same pipe. When there is a heavy rainstorm these pipes are maxed out and what results is combined sewer overflow (CSO) or more simply, raw sewage and waste overflow untreated directly into the Anacostia River. Take action now: Ask EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to issue the strongest permit possible for DC.

On March 10th and 11th, the South Florida Water Management District's Governing Board (SFWMD) will make a decision on the River of Grass land acquisition contract.

The recent opening of the 2010 legislative session gives us the opportunity to advance the use of solar power in Connecticut to create jobs, cut pollution and stabilize electricity costs. House Bill 5362, An Act Concerning Renewable Energy, would make it feasible to install enough solar to power the equivalent to 100,000 homes over the next decade.

This bill is being heard in the Energy and Technology committee on Thursday March 4th and the committee will need to vote on the bill within the next three weeks.

You can help by asking your state legislators to support a solar bill to create new green jobs through expanding the in-state solar power industry. Solar power benefits Connecticut's economy by lowering energy costs for families, businesses, and municipalities, and by decreasing our dependence on imported non-renewable fossil fuel sources and their volatile prices. Solar power also decreases Connecticut's harmful global warming pollution .

Thanks to the collective action of NJEF, coalition partners and our members, in December 2009, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a draft permit that requires a closed loop cooling system/cooling towers at Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Lacey Township, NJ.

The draft permit is a crucial step in protecting the health of Barnegat Bay and the Jersey Shore—we appreciate your support on this important issue.

However, the fine print of the permit gives Exelon Corporation, the owners of the plant, more than seven years in which to build the cooling towers. We simply can't wait seven years to require this technology at the plant.

Minnesota's progress on the path towards a clean and renewable energy future will be in danger if we allow more nuclear reactors to be built in our state.

Allowing the construction of new nuclear reactors in Minnesota will lead us off the renewable energy path that has made this state a national leader. Minnesota’s moratorium on the construction of new nuclear reactors was enacted for a good reason – reactors are expensive to build and threaten our precious water resources. Plants being built in Texas and Florida are projected to cost over $17 billion each. The nuclear plants currently operating in Minnesota are allowed to withdraw almost 390 billion gallons of surface and groundwater each year. That’s more than the amount of drinking water allotted to the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Duluth combined!

Parents of newborn babies are excited about all the new things their children will experience in their lifetime. Unfortunately, many of their experiences will be harmful to their health. In fact, most babies are exposed to chemicals that have the capability to cause severe, long-term health problems before they are even born.

In "The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act", our partners at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families examine the link between toxic chemical exposure and rising rates of diseases such as cancer, learning and developmental disabilities and reproductive problems.

California's salmon fishing season is about to be cancelled for the third straight year due to the collapse of fishing populations. The economic cost to California is significant; nearly $1.4 billion annually. The job losses in coastal communities have been enormous; nearly 23,000 jobs have been lost.

Senator Dianne Feinstein wants to make matters worse. She has proposed an amendment to the federal jobs stimulus bill that would override Endangered Species Act protections in order to deliver more water to some agricultural users south of the Delta.

A dangerous, dirty experimental, costly, and unneeded coal and chemical plant has been proposed for Linden, New Jersey. The proposal, purposely mis-named "PurGen", would include a pipeline that stretches 100 miles into the ocean in an attempt to bury carbon dioxide a mile and a half below the ocean floor.

Comprehensive clean energy jobs legislation would free the United States from our dependence on foreign oil. For Michigan, comprehensive legislation will rev the engine of our clean energy economy, which is already driving our economic resurgence. 

Comprehensive legislation will level the playing field, create more than 50,000 jobs in Michigan alone and move us to a sustainable, homegrown energy future.

One of the greatest threats to the quality of our drinking water and health of the Chesapeake Bay is stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff carries untreated debris, chemicals, sediment and other pollutants into our waterways. Unlike pollution that can be controlled at a single source, stormwater management requires a comprehensive solution.

Fortunately, new water management practices can reduce and even eliminate stormwater pollution, though these practices have associated costs. According to local governments, the backlog of  "green infrastructure" repairs caused by stormwater runoff exceeds $20 billion statewide. Stormwater-related damage to Maryland's waterways can only be reversed by establishing a dedicated funding source for this purpose. The Watershed Protection & Restoration act will do this. Take Action Now: Tell your elected leaders that stormwater needs to be managed.