Our country faces unprecedented challenges. In November, unemployment reached the highest level in 14 years. America is still addicted to oil. The global warming crisis goes unabated.

With this election, Americans signaled we are ready to find new, lasting solutions to our energy, economy and global warming challenges.

Now is the time to Repower, Refuel and Rebuild America. By investing in clean energy, we can cut our dependence on oil, get clean electricity and reduce Global Warming pollution.

These investments will create millions of good-paying jobs in the hardest-hit construction and manufacturing sectors and create pathways out of poverty for the most affected communities.

Last year with your support we helped pass laws to limit lead and asbestos in children's products, and it's time to gear up for new legislative campaigns to protect each consumer, including our littlest ones! Toxic chemicals in everyday products, workplaces, and the environment are accumulating in all of us and contributing to an epidemic of chronic diseases and disorders including asthma, reproductive disorders, many forms of cancer, and learning and behavioral disorders in children. Connecticut can be a leader on promoting safer solutions, including glass baby bottles as an alternative to bisphenol-A polycarbonate bottles that are still on some store shelves in our state.

Even though the Pequannock River is supposed to receive the highest level of protection in the state, the river is suffering from high temperatures, dead fish and low water levels. (Source: The Bergen Record)

Why? For the past 15 years, water laws protecting this river have not been upheld, allowing for the City of Newark to essentially run the river dry.

The Chesapeake Bay is in trouble.

This is no longer news, but the recent meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council (a decision-making body that includes the Governors of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the Mayor of the District of Columbia and others) confirmed that the existing 2010 cleanup deadline will not be met. Participants in that meeting agreed that setting long term deadlines no longer made sense, and that our elected leaders of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed need to take short term actions with near term deadlines to accelerate progress.

You can stop Michigan from getting more dirty coal plants!

Right now, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is taking comments on the air permit application for the proposed Rogers City coal plant. If this coal plant receives a permit, it will start our state down a very dangerous path.

Take Action: Please take a moment to tell the DEQ to deny the Rogers City coal plant permit. Your voice counts and it must be heard!

The drinking water of between 15 and 20 million Californians is contaminated with perchlorate, a salt that is used as the primary component of solid rocket fuel.

Perchlorate poses a health threat by impacting the thyroid's ability to take up iodide and produce thyroid hormone. Even a short term reduction in thyroid hormone can irreparably impair brain development in fetuses and infants, and impact iodide deficient individuals and those already with thyroid problems.

Despite these serious health impacts, there is no federal drinking water standard for perchlorate thanks to pressure from the White House and polluters such as the Department of Defense.

Protecting America's waters cannot wait any longer.

As a result of weakened regulations and poor enforcement from the Bush administration, today nearly 60% of our nation's water is unprotected from pollution and damaging development. This includes the drinking water consumed by 110 million Americans, and more than 20 million acres of wetlands that provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

The Clean Water Restoration Act would protect these waters and wetlands, and reassert the original intent of the Clean Water Act - which is to protect all of America's waters.

Clean Water Action is working to make a clean, renewable energy economy a reality in Minnesota and on the national level. We advocate for strong, science-based policies both in the State Legislature and Congress.
In the state, Clean Water Action advocates for a variety of clean energy policies, focused primarily on Cap, Auction and Trade legislation - to reduce Global Warming pollution quickly and effectively.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a harmful chemical found in many plastic children’s products including baby bottles, formula can linings and sippy cups. Studies done at one landfill showed that BPA was present in the groundwater near the landfill 20 years after it was closed. Since safer alternatives are available, BPA should be phased out to pro¬tect the health of young children, who are especially vulnerable to its effects.

Send an email to your legislators and the Governor today to urge them to protect the health of our children.

Did you know that Lennar Corporation is again seeking a bailout from developer-friendly Miami-Dade County by requesting to move the Urban Development Boundary?

We must tell our Commissioners to say no to building the "Parkland" Development and adding 6,941 homes within 2 miles of Everglades National Park.

You can help protect our economy, community, and the environment from the enormous costs of sprawl by taking action now!