In 2014, a corroded chemical storage tank leaked 10,000 gallons of a chemical used to clean coal into the Elk River in West Virginia. The Elk River is the sole drinking water source for more than 300,000 people, who were left with water that could only be used for toilet flushing and firefighting for more than a week. After this disaster several groups sued EPA to create a long overdue Clean Water Act program to deal with these spills.
In 2016, EPA agreed to finalize these safeguards by 2019.
They call it the Magna Carta of environmental laws; the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the foundation for landmark health and environmental protections like the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. NEPA is what gives any person or community group a voice on projects that can impact our health and well-being. It's what requires governments and developers to slow down and consider public concerns.
Corporate polluters and their friends in Congress are pushing an extreme agenda to roll back vital laws, regulations, and funding that protect clean water, reduce air pollution, and fight climate change. Please urge your representatives in Congress to stand up for commonsense protections, and to reject budget cuts that undermine vital safeguards.
Who's Minding the Store, the 2017 Retailer Report Card was released recently. It shows that while some retailers are making improvements in getting toxic products off their shelves, the industry as a whole is failing to protect consumer health.
The oil and gas industry, aided by the erosion of campaign finance laws and nearly boundless lobbying budgets, asserts enormous influence over legislative processes in real time while also enjoying legacy influence in regulatory frame- works. The results can be devastating to the health of the environment and the public.
YES! I call on Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar to oppose EPA efforts to undermine protections for streams, wetlands, and drinking water. Minnesotans are counting on our Senators to stand up for clean water.
Despite the fact that toxic fluorinated chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects, liver problems, and decreased effectiveness of vaccines, they are still used in food packaging. This is unacceptable, which is why Clean Water Action is sponsoring AB 958, a bill that would require any food packaging and cookware containing one of these chemicals to include a warning label.
Contact your legislators today and tell them that you support the State Water Plan moving forward as an executive order, and you want them to vote to pass it in the 2019 legislative session.
Please sign the Jersey Renews petition urging New Jersey's elected officials to take steps to fight climate change and protect good jobs.