Chesapeake Newsletter, Winter 2009

The recent publication of a study that shows a relationship between elevated blood lead levels and high levels of lead in the drinking water after a switch of water treatment has given a new impetus for the need to revamp the way that the District manages water resources. The need for a health-based policy is clear, and recent events confirm that it is impossible to trust the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) under its present leadership. There is no safe level of lead exposure, and WASA continues to trumpet that the City's drinking water is safe, despite clear and persistent evidence of lead contamination.

 

In this issue of the Chesapeake Newsletter:

Winning Big
The November elections were a flood of successes for clean water across the country, and the Chesapeake region had its share of victories.

Protecting Our Water Resources
In October of 1972, Clean Water Action was there when a bipartisan congressional majority overrode a presidential veto and passed the Clean Water Act into federal law. We were there in the 1990's when Rep. Newt Gingrich led an effort to replace the Clean Water Act with what we described as the "Dirty Water Act." And when the Bush administration initiated efforts to dismantle the Clean Water Act in 2001, we mobilized a national grassroots effort that halted their efforts. 

2009 Maryland Session Focuses on the Budget
Annapolis lawmakers are focusing on a budget crisis in this year's legislative session, and the state's fiscal woes emerge as a theme in addressing this year's priorities:

• The Climate Crisis demands action...
• Sprawl is a related crisis...
• Defunding the Inter-County Connector is the priority campaign that encapsulates all the others...

Keep the Ban on Uranium Mining in Virginia
In November 2008, the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission voted to move forward on a wide ranging on the potential impact of uranium mining in Virginia. Earlier last year, during the 2008 Virginia legislative session, the House Rules Committee killed an attempt to fund a related study. These efforts are widely viewed as initial steps towards lifting a ban on uranium mining in Virginia that has been in effect since 1982, after uranium was discovered in an area used for cattle, hay and timber.

New Study Illuminates Lead Link of Children's Health and Water
The recent publication of a study that shows a relationship between elevated blood lead levels and high levels of lead in the drinking water after a switch of water treatment has given a new impetus for the need to revamp the way that the District manages water resources.

Protecting the Delaware A Test For the New Governor
Jack Markell was sworn in as Delaware's new Governor in January, 2009, and immediately has an opportunity to make it clear that he is a clean water advocate by opposing the proposed deepening of main channel of the Delaware River.

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