WVEC Action Alert

August 23, 2006

Below:

Save This Date
Sept. 30 - Oct. 1 WV Environmental Council's Annual Fall Conference, outside of Morgantown, at Chestnut Ridge Regional Park, adjacent to Coopers Rock State Forest. Join environmentalists from all over WV in an atmosphere of learning, sharing, organizing and planning for future action. Programs & Speakers welcome.  Plenty of nice on-site lodging and nearby motels, plus abundant recreation possibilities. A few hardy volunteers are needed for all or part of the weekend. Further details soon to follow. Inquiries: wyro@appalight.com or deniseap@earthlink.net

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"Take Back America" Rally & March
Aug. 26 Sat. 2PM, Charleston, WV: The "Take Back America" Rally & March, at the Robt. C. Byrd Federal Courthouse, on Virginia St., downtown, is being held by West Virginians United, a non-partisan coalition of union, faith, social justice and environmental organizations. These groups have banded together to work on progressive social issues including:

Affordable health care for all & a clean environment Workers’ rights & corporate responsibility The cost of war & a fair economy Women’s rights & our civil liberties A strong middleclass & the future of democracy

The day will be filled with West Virginians speaking of positive change for our country and our state. Bring your outrage, signs and solutions with you to Charleston this Saturday. There will be music and a few (hopefully short) speeches and then we will march down Capitol Street to the WV AFL–CIO state headquarters to hear Senator Robert C. Byrd speak. After the rally (around 5PM) attend the “labor night” at the new ballpark or come to the CAG office for some refreshments, political scheming and some great music by Full Flavor.

Please come, as this is our kickoff event to unite progressives around the state and begin to prepare for the '08 elections. Wear something blue if you ’re goal is to someday soon live in a blue state again. Maps, details and even potluck primitive overnight accommodations are available. Call 346-5891 for info.

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Clean Elections Week: August 21st - 25th

August is the time of year when members of Congress head to their home districts. Most lawmakers spend too much of their time fundraising from powerful special interests. Now is the time for them to hear from ordinary constituents who are angry about the way that business is conducted in Washington.

In the House, Reps. John Tierney (D-MA) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), are lead sponsors of H.R. 3099, which would establish public financing of elections for House races. A similar bill for the Senate is expected to be introduced soon.

Politicians in Washington think that voters don't care about campaign finance reform. They think the issue will just go away. They need to hear from their constituents that we won't let this issue go away until the system is fixed. Contact your representatives today!

Thanks for all you do to support Clean Elections. To learn more about Clean Electons Week visit http://www.publicampaign.org/week For more info and talking points, go to http://www.wvoter-owned.org/

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Smart Energy Summer
Cities Take the Lead Frustrated by the hot air and inaction in Washington, Sierra Club volunteers and community leaders are creating Cool Cities by moving forward with innovative local energy solutions that cut municipal energy use, reduce pollution and save taxpayer dollars. With the addition of Las Vegas, NV; Morristown, NJ; and Charlottesville, VA in the past two weeks, there are now 275 cities, from 43 states, representing over 48.2 million people, signed on to the US Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement - which obligates them to meet or exceed the global warming emissions cuts outlined in the Kyoto agreement. By investing in cleaner vehicles, energy efficiency and renewable energy, communities are proving that instead of waiting for federal leadership, we can solve global warming one city at a time. How "cool" is your city?

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