WVEC Action Alert

June 3 , 2005

Below:
The Clean Water Protection Act
Kyoto Petition

The Clean Water Protection Act

The Clean Water Protection Act has just been introduced in the 109th Congress. It was introduced with 55 original co-sponsors, a big increase from the previous 108th Congress when it had 17 original co-sponsors. The press release is below. Please help get the word out by sending this to your lists and posting it on your websites.

This is a great time to contact your Representative and ask them to become a co-sponsor of the Clean Water Protection Act. For help writing your letter or email, click here.

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – JUNE 2, 2005

CLEAN WATER PROTECTION ACT INTRODUCED IN US CONGRESS, WILL SAFEGUARD MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES AND STREAMS

CONTACT:
Andrew Souvall or Jennifer Cannata, Rep. Frank Pallone, 202-225-4671
Mary Anne Hitt, Executive Director, Appalachian Voices, 540-239-0073
Janice Nease, Executive Director, Coal River Mountain Watch, 304-854-2182

The Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 2719, has just been introduced by Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Christopher Shays (R-CT), and 53 other members into the United States House of Representatives. The bill will protect communities and water quality by outlawing the dumping of mining waste into streams.

The legislation was introduced to address a 2002 executive rule change that altered the long-standing definition of “fill material” in the Clean Water Act. The new definition allows mining waste to be used to fill streams, an attempt to legalize the filling of Appalachian mountain valleys with countless tons of mountaintop removal coal mining waste.

“Congress meant for the Clean Water Act to protect our nation’s water resources; the Administrative rule change endangers those resources,” said Rep. Pallone, the author of the legislation. “The dangerous precedent set by the Administration’s rule change undermines the Clean Water Act. I've proposed the Clean Water Protection Act so the Bush Administration can no longer use our nation's waterways as dumping grounds for industrial waste."

Mary Anne Hitt, executive director of the regional conservation group Appalachian Voices, stated, “Mountaintop removal mining has already obliterated hundreds of thousands of acres of mountain forests and buried over 1,000 miles of streams. Mountaintop removal is not only destroying one of the richest ecosystems on earth, but it is terrorizing families in the coalfields.”

Janice Nease, executive director of the coalfield citizens’ group Coal River Mountain Watch, continued, “From flooding to blasting to coal dust to dangerous sludge dams, the families in the coalfields are under siege as a result of mountaintop removal coal mining. We need Congress to take action to protect our safety, security, and rights as United States citizens.”

An editorial by the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot News published on May 25 echoed that sentiment, stating, “Such environmental destruction as [mountaintop removal] – and we've barely touched on its full ramifications – should not be allowed in the United States of America. Indeed, it should not be allowed anywhere on this planet where there exists an ounce of respect for the land or even a modest concern for the people who call it home. This type of mining needs to be stopped in its tracks. And only Congress can do that.”

For more information, go to www.appalachianvoices.org.

Mary Anne Hitt
Executive Director
Appalachian Voices
703 West King Street, Suite 105
Boone, NC 28607
828-262-1500

Visit us on the web: www.appalachianvoices.org

Return to Index

Dear Friends of CCC and signers of the Kyoto Petition:

We’re sending news from the People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty.

The Greenpeace Thin Ice Campaign

The Climate Crisis Coalition is collaborating with Greenpeace USA in a major effort to wake up America to the realities of global warming. We are encouraging everybody we’ve contacted over the last year, including all petition signers, to get on board Greenpeace’s Project Thin Ice. This project, which is sponsoring an exciting arctic expedition now underway, provides us with a dramatic and informative way to experience the melting of our polar ice cap. Their website (www.projectthinice.org) also provides us with an engaging vehicle to do something positive. Please visit the site, register your name, collect points as you lend a supporting hand, and follow this adventure.

Not insignificantly, Project Thin Ice is helping us to collect signatures for the People’s Ratification petition, for which we are most grateful. When you go to their site, please do not sign the petition a second time; you will find other actions that you can sign on to.

The US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

You may have read about the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (The New York Times, Eli Sanders, 14 May 2005). 132 Mayors, representing 29 million citizens in 35 states, have signed this agreement, pledging to do all they can to have their cities meet the Kyoto guidelines – not withstanding our national government’s intransigent refusal. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is leading this encouraging initiative (www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate), and our ally, KyotoUSA, (www.kyotousa.org) is going all out to promote it. Please visit both sites, and consider taking action to get your community to join this bandwagon.

The Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and our People’s Ratification petition offer complementary ways for US citizens to cooperate with the intentions of the Kyoto Protocol. In contrast to our national government, we can set a good example and be responsible stewards. We recognize the grave threats that greenhouse gases pose to our fragile planet, and we can act proactively.

The People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty Many people have been asking us what our plans are for the petitions we collect. We can now announce the first destination. During the first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, this November 28 to December 9, in Montréal, we will announce the People Ratification in a way that will maximize international attention to fact that US citizens care about global warming.

This will be a significant international gathering, which coincides with the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention. It will have a huge international presence. The fact that the US is not an official party to the treaty will loom very large. It will be an important forum to demonstrate that, notwithstanding our President, people in the US support the Kyoto Protocol.

It is now incumbent on us to gather as many signatures as we can. To date we’ve collected 24,700 – 15,300 on our website and 9,400 collected separately by allies and supporters. Seeds have been planted, and we have a long way to go. We are particularly encouraged by the people who are downloading copies of the petition, collecting signatures and sending them in. And with more allies like Greenpeace (Project Thin Ice has collected 6,500 signatures for the People’s Ratification) and by focusing on the need to present many signatures in Montréal, we can build on the momentum now underway. Please help spread the word, urge people to visit our website and if you can collect signatures on printed copies.

Finally, now is the time for your contribution to be most effective in this vital campaign. As we rev up the People’s Ratification, expenses are growing. Our challenge is to have at least ½ million signatures by December. We’re at 5 %, and this is no time to falter. Contributions can be made on our website, or checks can be sent to Kyoto and Beyond, P.O. Box 648, Lenox, MA 01240. You may also email us for information about tax-deductible contributions and the Climate Crisis Coalition’s other projects. We deeply appreciate your support.

Sincerely yours,

Ross Gelbspan, Connie Hogarth, Rev. Paul Mayer and Paul Glick, Steering Committee;
Tom Stokes, Coordinator MISSION STATEMENT

The Climate Crisis Coalition (CCC) is founded on the premise that the climate crisis is real, that it is overarching and that there is an urgent need for intensified public awareness and political action. A central mission is to broaden the circle of individuals, organizations and constituencies engaged in this issue to include labor, the environment, peace, social justice, civil rights, civil liberties, farmers, students, academics, people of color and people of faith. CCC will provide a structure for these constituents to find a common agenda and advance action plans to be implemented with a united front.

Return to Index