** ACTION ALERT **
Stop
Congress From Rolling Back Clean Water & Other Vital Protections
(Beyond Pesticides, November 9, 2005) Multiple bills
are being considered in both houses of Congress that would remove pesticides
from the Clean Water Act and allow the President or EPA to waive or
weaken any other environmental, health, civil, and tax laws not only
in the Gulf Coast, but anywhere in the country. These bills could move
at any moment – please contact congress today!
The bills introduced in Congress would roll back the powers of the Clean Water Act to safeguard waterways against pesticides as well as allow a whole range of laws to be waived under the guise of rebuilding in the Gulf region. Hard-fought laws that protect workers, public health and the environment like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Civil Rights Act and others could be waived without explanation or public input. Big taxpayer giveaways are also included.
In the aftermath of a disaster like Katrina, the people of Louisiana and the Gulf region need strong health and safety protections now more than ever and deserve the same as the rest of the country. They should not be made to choose between clean water and a rebuilt home, they deserve both! These bills are a shameless exploitation of the Gulf tragedy and a total disregard for the need to reduce environmental toxins.
TAKE
ACTION NOW: Your voice counts and is needed!
Tell Congress to “VOTE NO” on roll backs in the Clean Water
Act (CWA) that would remove pesticide applications from its purview
and “NO” to any bill that waives environmental and other
laws that protect communities and future generations from polluted air,
contaminated drinking water, dangerous waste disposal, lost species,
race discrimination, inhumane wages, and other degradations.
Dear Honorable Member,
- [SENATOR] PLEASE
OPPOSE Senate Bills S.1269, S.1711, S.1765, S.1766 and any
other bills that include similar waivers or generate further chemical
pollution of our waterways.
[REPRESENTATIVE] PLEASE OPPOSE House Bills HR.1749, HR.3958 and any other bills that include similar waivers or generate further chemical pollution of our waterways.
- Please protect
the welfare of the people in our state and in Louisiana from further
exposure to toxic chemicals and pollution in the water, air and land.
Protect our rights and the rights of our children to live in a toxic-free
and just community.
- Do not allow
a roll back of the Clean Water Act under any circumstance, especially
for pesticides. No other Act can protect the quality of water like
the Clean Water Act. Bills S.1711 and HR.1749 will hurt our local
waterways, communities and ecosystems, not protect them.
- Do not support
the weakening of vital health, environmental and civil regulation
in the rebuilding in the Gulf region. Please ensure that environmental
justice is built into the process from the start. Federal and state
laws were not waived to help the affected communities recover from
other major disasters such as September 11th or the 1992 Florida Hurricane
– in fact they were needed to protect those involved in the
reconstruction.
- Please support the “Public Health and Environmental Equity Act” (House Res. 477 and Senate Res. 261) that asks Congress to maintain environmental, public health and environmental justice laws and regulations in response to the Hurricane Katrina crisis.
For background and
links to the bills and more information:
Pesticides
and the Clean Water Act - Contact Eileen Gunn, Beyond Pesticides, 202-543-5450
Hurricane Katrina Waivers - Contact Josh Klein at the Clean Water Network at 202-289-2421
“Public Health and Environmental Equity Act”- introduced in the House by Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) and Rep Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and in the Senate by by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL)