An important provision in the Clean Water Act—Section 401—authorizes states and tribes to review applications for federally licensed or permitted projects to assess potential impacts to water quality. Pipelines, fossil fuel export terminals, dams, and other large projects can harm water quality in many ways, including by filling in wetlands, damming rivers, and digging trenches through streams and other water bodies. A state or tribe can approve, reject, or request modifications to these projects.
Our democracy has been under assault for years by powerful special interests who want to buy their way into our government. They have helped elect politicians who put their needs first and then do everything they can to make sure they can’t be held accountable by voters – introducing strict voter ID requirements, gerrymandering districts so it’s nearly impossible for them to lose, and more.
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.
California’s ground-breaking Safer Consumer Products (SCP) program creates a scientifically based regulatory structure so that product manufacturers can explore safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in the products they sell here. This program is a win for Californians who want to protect their families and the environment, as well as for companies who want to meet market demands for safer products, both in this state and beyond. Help us make it stronger today.
We are winning the fight to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. Enbridge and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce might have millions of dollars, but our people-powered campaign has led the way for bold action from Attorney General Nessel and Governor Whitmer. But we’re not done yet – this is a critical moment and your state senator and representative need to hear from you.
Poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, are a class of almost 5,000 man-made chemicals that pose a serious threat to public health and the environment:
They are in the bodies of virtually all Americans, and can contaminate drinking water, air, soil, and food. According to a limited federal monitoring program, California has the most drinking water detections (435) in the nation. As we look for more PFAS at lower levels than the federal government, we will likely discover that the problem is much worse than we thought.
The Newsom Administration and CalEPA have championed environmental protections and providing safe drinking water. But polluting industries are backing a basin plan amendment in the Central Valley that threatens the environmental commitments of this administration. The Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability plan, or CV-SALTS, lets polluters legally pollute groundwater for the indefinite future without requirements to reduce discharges or to clean-up the harm they cause.
Urge your legistors to support HB 1752 and protect Pennsylvania's air and communities.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is accepting public feedback on the draft plan until September 16th. Write a letter to the BPU to let them know what a clean energy future looks like to you!