Thanks to clean water voters who came out in force for last week's elections, most of the pro-environment candidates endorsed by Clean Water Action here in Texas prevailed, and our endorsed candidates who lost, did so by very narrow margins.
Mind the Store is a national campaign that works to get major retailers to get toxic chemicals off of their store shelves. Major retailers across the United States sell thousands of products containing toxic chemicals. Every year, Mind the Store releases a report card grading some of these retailers towards their progress on getting toxic chemicals off of store shelves. The companies are scored in different areas such as accountability, policy and disclosure.
Voters went to the polls in record numbers in the 2018 mid-term elections. According to a preliminary estimate from the Secretary of State's office, nearly 2.6 million Minnesotans voted in-person on Tuesday or by absentee ballot, giving the state its highest voter turnout for a non-presidential election since 2002. People were eager to make their voices heard – and they did.
Congratulations to all of the newly elected legislators in local and state office and those who won reelection. Thank you to so many talented, passionate individuals who ran campaigns elevating environmental issues in their districts.
Tuesday was a good day for clean water!
Thanks to clean water members and clean water voters we helped elect a pro-environment majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. We also elected governors and state legislators across the country who will focus on protecting clean water and healthy communities. We’re heading into 2019 with a lot of momentum. Check out all our wins here.
Last night, New Jersey led the clean water wave that helped ensure a pro-environment majority will set the agenda in the US House of Representatives. Garden State voters sent people to Washington who will defend clean water and take the urgent action we need to address the climate crisis. We sent a clear message that we expect our elected officials to prioritize our health and water, instead of corporate special interests.
Yesterday voters made it clear that we're done. Done with the status quo, done with our elected officials paying more attention to corporate campaign donors. Done with the stranglehold the oil and gas industry and other special interests have on our democracy. Done with nothing but rhetoric full of racism, fear, and prejudice from the President. Done with politicians offering talking points instead of solutions.
Our rivers, streams, and wetlands threatened by a repeal of the Clean Water Rule can not vote. Our western forests threatened by more frequent and severe wildfires due to climate change can not vote. Endangered species, like the iconic California Condor, threatened by congressional rollbacks on protections, can not vote.
The world won’t end if humans keep up with business as usual, but we will face the most catastrophic loss of human and animal life the world has ever seen. We can’t downplay these findings. The real question is how do we talk about this in a way that communicates meaning and mobilization, instead of fear?
Environmental advocacy work has been pretty daunting these past two years. Every day it seems there is another attack on our environment whether it’s rolling back the Clean Power Plan, withdrawal from the historic Paris Agreement, allowing more methane pollution, rolling back achievable emission standards for cars and trucks, opening up public lands to drilling and mining, reducing standards for maintaining coal ash ponds or rolling back the Clean Water Rule. The list goes on and on.