Clean Water Action Chesapeake Sustainer Bulletin Summer 2008

Maryland also in this issue… Page VA: Polluters Foiled 2 DE: Indian River Discharge Permit 2 Donna Edwards Victory DC: Lead Testing Update 2 Brings Another Environmental Natl: Clean Water Restoration Act 3 Champion to Congress Donna Edwards’ landslide upset victory over incumbent persuading people to get involved,” said Donna Edwards. Congressman Albert Wynn in the 4th Congressional District “I look forward to being an environmental champion in in set in motion Wynn’s early retirement, and Congress.” Edwards’ victory in a June special election. CWA endorsed On June 17th, Edwards easily won a special election that Donna Edwards in November and reached out to over was held to fill the seat after Rep. Wynn unexpectedly 20,000 households in the 4th to mobilize a massive vote resigned. She was sworn in soon afterwards, and so for Edwards on February 12. Maryland 4th District residents can enjoy her representation After starting voter outreach immediately after the months earlier than if Wynn had served out his term until November general election, CWA staff and volunteers January, 2009. have visited more than 20,000 households in the district, Over the past two years, Clean Water Action’s Chesapeake polling voters about which candidate they supported and offices have been involved in successful election campaigns delivering a message of support for Donna Edwards. CWA for Baltimore and Washington, DC City Council, Loudon also made more than 5,000 calls to its members in the and Fairfax County (VA) Board of Supervisors and the district to poll and persuade them or to encourage them Virginia General Assembly. CWA was also a key participant to vote for Edwards on Primary Day, and contacted in the election of US Rep. in 2002, and thousands of voters in the field on Primary Day to ensure Edwards’ election means that two of Maryland’s eight that they voted. House members are in place after our critical support “I saw the value of the work that Clean Water Action does helped defeat entrenched incumbents. The power of the so well, having conversations with voters one-on-one and environmental vote in Maryland is strong.

Clean Water Action endorses Barack Obama for President (more details in the

Winning candidate Donna Edwards (center) with Clean Water Action staffers (left next Chesapeake to right) Sonali Chitre, Richard Starostecki, Melissa Schick and Cyprus Walker. Sustainer) Clean Water Action endorses Virginia Gerry Connolly for Congress Polluters Foiled In Attempt (more details in the next Chesapeake Sustainer) To Eliminate Citizen Boards During the 2008 General Assembly Session in Richmond, legislative allies of developers and other polluter interests 2009 General Assembly Session. Write or call your Senator attempted to pass bills that would have done away with and Delegate and urge them to say no to fast-tracking citizen boards, such as the Air, Water and Waste Boards. Virginia to allowing the mining of uranium in the Instead, the conservation community succeeded in Commonwealth. strengthening the Boards, preserving their permitting Write to: authority and strengthening restrictions of permit holders State Senators Delegates on the Boards.. Senate of Virginia Building General Assembly Uranium Mining: The moratorium is still in place, but P.O. Box 396 P.O. Box 404 we can expect legislative movement on this issue in the Richmond, VA 23218 Richmond, VA 23218

District of Columbia Delaware Independent Testing for Discharge Permit for Lead in D.C. Tapwater Indian River Power Plant CWA and allies won an important commitment from the The Indian River Power Plant has been polluting the waters District Government by getting it to agree to independent and air surrounding the facility for too long. The plant testing for lead in the District’s drinking water, and a operators have been angling to get extensions on its Units review of past and present monitoring and oversight of 1 and 2, which would prolong the life of this aging and the persistent problem of lead at the tap. Lead is a polluting plant. Delaware officials are deliberating on a neurotoxin with the potential for causing permanent draft permit, which, if issued as currently written, would learning and behavioral disabilities, and is unsafe at any enable the Indian River plant to continue polluting amount in drinking water. Delaware’s air and water. Please ask that the proposed (draft) permit NOT be issued, and ask that immediate In testimony before the Committee on Public Works and steps be taken to: the Environment on February 22nd, CWA Chesapeake Regional Director Andrew Fellows and allies called for • ensure that Units 1 and 2 will be shut down the independent tests and review and released District of on schedule; Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) documents • require that a cooling tower be installed on obtained through Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) Unit 3 within 2 years; requests that showed a pattern of manipulation of data by • that discharge concentrations of toxic water the District’s drinking water utility. pollutants be reduced to levels consistent Write to Mayor Adrian Fenty and thank him for the with EPA standards and guidelines, NOT independent testing and review, and urge him to make assuming any dilution that discharges of oil sure that WASA and the Army Corps of Engineers and grease not be allowed; and involvement in the process is limited to requests from the • that the number of permitted outfalls be independent entity. reduced from 30 to no more than 4. Write to: Please send your comments to: Mayor Adrian Fenty [email protected], John A. Wilson Building [email protected], and 1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW [email protected]. Washington, DC 20004 2 National Summer Update 2008 Clean Water Action is a national citizens’ organization working for clean, safe and affordable water, The bi-partisan Clean Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421 and prevention of health-threatening pollution, S. 1870) (CWRA) is closer than ever to passing in the House creation of environmentally-safe jobs and businesses, and the Senate looks like it is about to take action on their and empowerment of people to make democracy work. version of the bill. This legislation restates and clarifies the Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups original intent of the Clean Water Act—to protect all waters and coalitions, and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and to solve of the United States. environmental and community problems. In April, CWA Minnesota Program Coordinator Darrell This update was prepared for our Gerber testified before the U.S. House Transportation and Chesapeake regional members (in Delaware, Maryland, Infrastructure Committee in support of the Clean Water the District of Columbia and Virginia) who contribute at the sustaining level of $60 or more. Restoration Act. “In our work with over a million members in more than twenty states, people tell us that passing the Chesapeake Regional Director: Clean Water Restoration Act is the right thing to do,” Gerber Andrew Fellows said. “The critical question before Congress is: Do we want Maryland Program Coordinator: to throw out 35-years worth of progress in cleaning up our Andrew Galli waters or do we want to continue working to make all our Chesapeake Program Organizer: waters fishable, swimmable and drinkable? The people we Carla Brown talk to across the country, and independent polls, resoundingly Field Canvass Directors: say the clean-up must move forward.” Margo Coruzzi (Baltimore) Andrew Grinberg (Washington) Waters covering 59 percent of the nation’s waterways that Phone Canvass Director: are the drinking water source for more than 100 million Mary Carbone people were put at risk when a series of court decisions Assistant Phone Canvass Director: followed by federal agency actions in 2003 and 2007 resulted Steve Moss in removal of many wetlands and streams from protections Canvass Supervisor: under the nation’s 35-year-old Clean Water Act. Meg Haenn Program Assistant: After years of delay, votes could be scheduled on this crucial Aaron Mintzes legislation this summer. Write your House and Senate Office Managers: representatives and urge them to vote for the Clean Water Sadea Ramsay (Washington) Restoration Act (H.R. 2421 and S. 1870). Tim Barnett (Baltimore) Write to: Canvass Managers: Robin Abelson, Ryan Anderson, Juana Camacho, United States Senate Meaghan Elliott, Adam Fischer, Melissa Foster, Washington, DC 20510 K.J. Fuelner, Michelle Patterson, Sadea Ramsay, Alayna Spratley, Andrew Swanekamp United States House of Representatives Washington Office Washington, DC 20515 1010 Vermont Ave. NW Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 Ph: 202.895.0420 • Fax: 202.895.0438 Welcoming New Chesapeake [email protected] Regional Staff Baltimore Office 711 West 40th Street, Suite 209 We are proud to announce our new staff Baltimore, MD 21211 in the Chesapeake Region Ph: 410.235.8808 • Fax: 410.235.8816 [email protected] Andrew Galli – Maryland Program Coordinator [email protected] www.CleanWaterAction.org Carla Brown – Chesapeake Program Organizer Reproduction in whole or part is [email protected] permitted with proper credit. Mary Carbone – Phone Canvass Director Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Andrew Grinberg – Washington Field Canvass Director

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