It’s hard to believe that we’re already in the final months of 2021. This is the time of the year when many of us gather with our communities -- whether they are our family, our friends, or our neighbors. This year I am thinking about another community -- the community of Clean Water members and activists -- and how much people like you matter.
2021 has been a busy year. We started by celebrating the inauguration of a President who promised to put people first, tackle the climate crisis, protect our water, and focus on environmental justice. We knew we had a slim majority in Congress committed to the same priorities. We were hopeful that we could get back into our offices and back to talking to our members, face to face. We were hopeful that we could make progress on the transition to clean energy, reverse damaging Trump administration policies, and make visionary ambitious investments in our future.
Much of that happened, like funding to get the lead out of our water and reversing many Trump administration rollbacks; some things didn’t, like getting back to our offices. But through it all, Clean Water members never wavered. You took action when we asked you to -- members like you sent more than 157,000 messages (and counting) to elected officials and CEOs of companies. Those messages were about everything from investing in getting lead out of drinking water and rolling back Trump administration rules to protecting our freedom to vote and demanding that companies get toxic PFAS out of their products. You joined us for virtual events like webinars, celebrations, and more. You made your voices heard and you made a difference.
States across the country passed landmark laws to protect consumers from PFAS, to safeguard kids and firefighters from toxic flame retardants, to tackle plastic pollution and more. Thanks to members like you, the nation is investing billions to replace lead pipes and we’re close to ambitious investments to address the climate crisis. Clean Water members matter -- and I couldn’t be more proud of our community.
Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for continuing to support us. We’ve been able to win for our water and health for nearly 50 years because of our community of members. As we get ready to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2022, I am grateful that you have chosen this community and look forward to what we can do together.
