In this issue of Minnesota Currents|online:

2010 Legislative Summary

The 2010 legislative session ended in the early morning hours of May 17 after a brief special session was called by the Governor. Fights over the state budget and funding for health care and education dominated the atmosphere at the Capitol, making it a tough year to pass meaningful environmental legislation. However, once again Clean Water Action was able to celebrate several legislative victories this session. In addition to passing another bill to keep toxins out of our environment, we were able to stop attempts to weaken current environment laws and move Minnesota towards dirty energy options.

Federal Climate and Energy Legislation

Clean Water Action and all of the other activists and allies working for strong, comprehensive climate and energy legislation are still waiting for the introduction of new climate and energy legislation by US Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Lieberman (I-CT). These senators have been working with Senator Graham (R-SC) to craft a bill capable of passing the Senate since earlier efforts stalled. A draft was released during the middle of May.

Minnesota Currents|Online, Summer 2010

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day meant time for a celebration at Clean Water Action.

See more photos from our Earth Day celebration

Clean Water Action members, volunteers, allies and staff celebrated Earth Day’s 40th Birthday with food, fun and activism!

One of the main activities featured at this year’s Earth Day celebration was having consumer products tested by an XRF analyzer, a device used by the Food and Drug Administration, which uses X-ray fluorescence to detect the presence of heavy metals in products. We tested numerous toys and household items to find out whether they were healthy or sick. Fortunately, the majority of the products we tested were safe but we did find a few sick ones.

The summer is a time for hot weather and enjoying our lakes, rivers and streams. It is also a time when we tend to have our water closer to the forefront of our minds. Sometimes it seems like there is not much we can do to protect the health and vitality of our water because these problems seem too big. Increasingly, we all share a responsibility to do our part to protect our waters. How we use water, what happens to the rainwater falling on our lands and what we send down our drains are the next greatest challenges we must face together.

Minnesota Currents|Online, Summer 2010

Get the report of the President's Cancer Panel

Pesticide issues have gained momentum and long awaited attention at the federal level this year. Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota is leading the fight to ban the highly toxic and commonly used pesticide atrazine, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to disclose inert ingredients in pesticides and the President’s Cancer Panel released a report stating that chemicals threaten our bodies.

Rep. Ellison re-introduced a bill to ban atrazine, an herbicide used primarily on corn in Midwestern states, which has been found in many surface and ground waters throughout the region. The European Union banned this toxic chemical in 2004. Professor and scientist Tyrone Hayes from the University of California Berkeley found that atrazine has very potent hormonal impacts on frogs. Hayes’ research indicates that this chemical is responsible for changing the sex of frogs giving them female characteristics and even allowing male frogs to mate with males and give birth.

Minnesota Currents|Online, Summer 2010

Minnesota Currents|Online, Summer 2010

The drinking water sources for nearly 1 million Minnesotans are at risk of losing Clean Water Act protections. Congress now has an opportunity to fix this and restore protections weakened by the Supreme Court and Bush Administration.

For those whose water sources are no longer protected under the Clean Water Act, the status quo means increased contamination risks. Communities also face the prospect of higher water costs as expensive filtration and disinfection technologies are deployed.

Minnesota Currents|Online, Summer 2010

Summer is in full swing and so is Clean Water Action’s canvass recruitment program! We are currently hiring for part time and full time positions for our field and phone canvasses. Learn valuable skills, work with fun and exciting people, chat with our members about important environmental issues and build your resume. Spend your summer with us by calling today to learn more about our exciting employment opportunities.

Here is what phone canvass manager, Terrance Noble, and field canvass manager, Anna Waugh, have to say about working for the Clean Water Action canvasses.

Protecting her family from Toxics

Minnesota Currents|Online, Spring 2010

"It’s interesting how toxic chemicals affect all of us. I once heard somebody say that if you put a frog in hot water, the frog will immediately jump out to save itself. But if you place a frog in cool water, then slowly turn up the heat, the frog doesn’t realize what’s happening and it ends up getting cooked. That’s how I feel about toxic chemicals. So many of us have no clue how they are effecting us, our family members or even our pets."

In this issue of Minnesota Currents|online:

Clean Water At the Capitol 2010

Clean Water Action is working at the Capitol to preserve our precious water resources and the health of all Minnesotans. With your support, we celebrated many victories in 2009. When the legislative session began on February 4, our staff set out to work on a number of issues, including continuing to keep toxins out of our environment and maintaining our clean energy future by defending the statewide nuclear moratorium. We will continue to build on this success in 2010 by advocating for policies that safeguard Minnesota’s families and our environment now and for future generations.