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NATIONAL
CLEAN WATER CALL-IN DAY
September
26th is National Clean Water Phone Congress Day!
The U.S.
House of Representatives is poised to act this fall on what could be
the most important clean water legislation in 35 years: The Clean
Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421).
This bipartisan
bill is needed now to ensure that all of the nation's streams,
headwater tributaries, wetlands and other waters remain protected
from pollution by the federal Clean Water Act. It will reaffirm that
the Clean Water Act was intended to protect all of the waters of the United States, from big rivers to
small streams, and from the Great Lakes
to remote wetlands. Passage of this historic legislation will ensure
that we will be able to continue to promote strong environmental
protection of Michigan’s
streams, wetlands and other waterways.
What can you
do? On Wednesday, September 26th, the Clean Water Network, a national
coalition of clean water organizations from across the country, is
sponsoring a National Clean Water Call-In Day to Members of
Congress.
To make the
Clean Water Restoration Act a reality please call the offices of your
U.S. Representatives in Washington DC anytime between 9 am- 6 pm
Eastern Time on September 26th, to ask for support of the Clean Water
Restoration Act.
The message
is simple: Please support the Clean Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421)
NOW. The Clean Water Restoration Act will provide environmental
protection for ALL of our nation's waters. The Act will ensure
protection of waterways in all of the communities in Michigan. The
House needs to pass this bill immediately.
If your
Representative is not a co-sponsor already, please encourage them to
become one.
If your
Representative is already a co-sponsor, please thank them and ask
them to use their influence to bring the bill to the House floor for
a vote by, for example, requesting that they speak to their House
colleagues about supporting the bill.
A current
list of cosponsors can be found at
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR02421:@@@P
GREAT LAKES,
GREAT MICHIGAN
WATER USE LEGISLATION
A broad
coalition of lakes defenders have proposed strong new measures to
keep our water from being shipped out of the Great Lakes and protect
Michigan's lakes, rivers and streams from the impacts of water
withdrawals. Known as the "Great Lakes, Great Michigan"
platform, the proposal calls for comprehensive water use laws that
will prevent adverse impacts on our waterways and natural resources,
making Michigan
a leader in water conservation.
This year, the state
legislature is expected to review and debate passage of The Great
Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (the
Compact), part of the Great Lakes Charter Annex 2001. They advocate passage of the
Compact with strong implementing legislation and believe it presents
a critical opportunity to improve our current state laws. They propose the following platform
to accomplish two important things: 1) Bring Michigan
into compliance with the Compact; and 2) Improve implementation of
the Compact in Michigan
by strengthening our state laws.
Combining passage of the
Compact with these changes to Michigan
law will result in strong protections for the Great
Lakes and our valuable inland lakes, streams, ground
water, and wetlands. This not
only benefits the citizens of Michigan and the Great Lakes Basin, it
also demonstrates our willingness to work with other states in this
region and do our part to aggressively protect the waters that are so
crucial to our livelihood and lifestyle.
The
Great Lakes, Great Michigan
coalition advocates passage of the Compact with strong implementing
laws that will:
- bring
Michigan
into compliance with the Compact, and
- protect Michigan's valuable water for
generations to come.
Such
a package of legislation will create strong protections for the Great Lakes and our valuable inland lakes,
streams, groundwater and wetlands.
Click here for
more information on the Great Lakes,
Great Michigan campaign or contact Grenetta
Thomassey at grenetta@watershedcouncil.org
if you want to become a coalition member.
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