photo by Stig Nygaard
CC BY 2.0

Take Action: Keep the River of Grass Alive!

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.

Take action to protect Minnesota's Nuclear Moratorium

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!

Take Action - Ask Sentator Klobuchar to protect children’s health by reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act.

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.

Clean Water Action welcomes today's Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment hearing on "Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Drinking Water." Growing evidence of occurrence of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the nation's water bodies, including sources of drinking water, has led to widespread concern that merits not only new research and water policy but an "upstream" approach as well.

Tell Sen. Feinstein that gutting the Endangered Species Act is bad for California's economy and environment.

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.

Take Action: Tell your elected leaders that stormwater needs to be managed!

photo by Thirteen Of Clubs

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.

Stop the Asian Carp Invasion! Tell the President, the EPA, and the Army Corp of Engineers that the Great Lakes are too precious to be turned over to this invasive species.

Over the past few months, you've joined us in calling for swift action to stop the Asian carp invasion of our Great Lakes. We're down to the wire now, and we need to shut down the locks linking the Chicago river - where we know there are carp - and our precious Great Lakes via Lake Michigan. Earlier this week, Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm joined in a summit at the White House to discuss the threat with Obama administration officials and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

During the summit, representatives from Obama's administration said that the locks would be closed-but only at certain times! What's to stop the carp from swimming through any time the locks are open?

On January 21st a federal judge upheld a 2008 decision ruling to cancel over 5,700 acres limestone mining permits adjacent to Everglades National Park in Miami-Dade County.

The mining permits, issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, were found unlawful because they compromised drinking water safety for the interests of private companies and did not comply with federal protections outlined in the National Environmental Policy Act.

First ever biomonitoring study detects chemicals on EPA’s priority list

Clean Water Action recently joined with Physician’s for Social Responsibility to release their report “Hazardous Chemicals In Health Care”, detailing the first investigation ever of chemicals found in the bodies of health care professionals. The study found all 20 study participants, including a doctor and nurse from Minnesota, have toxic chemicals in their bodies. Testing shows each participant has at least 24 individual chemicals present. Four of the chemicals found are on the recently released Environmental Protection Agency list of priority chemicals for regulation. These chemicals are all associated with chronic illness and physical disorders.