From the Flint Riverkeeper

ETA:  Here is a link to a form letter for writing your representatives created by Trout Unlimited addressing this same topic - time is of the essence!

Act Now to Stop the Most Serious Threat to Clean Water in Decades!     DIRTY WATER BILL THREATENS ALL GEORGIA RIVERS, CREEKS AND WETLANDS Seldom will we send you a more important call to action. The US Clean Water Act established and has protected your rights to abundant, clean, drinkable, swimmable, fishable water since the early 1970s. Riverkeepers were at the forefront of the effort to establish this important protection, and, nationwide, have used this tool to restore and protect clean water for decades.  In Georgia, the Chattahoochee in Metro Atlanta, the mighty Altamaha from its headwaters in Metro to the coast, the elegant Ogeechee, the hardworking Savannah, the delicate Satilla, and, recently, your precious, stunning Flint, have benefitted from Clean Water Act enforcement actions, lawsuits, and/or federal oversight of state permitting. Now, a truly radical group in the US House of Representatives, hiding behind a “pro business” and “jobs” agenda that will in fact lead to less productive businesses and fewer jobs, are moving forcefully to neuter federal power to enforce the Act, instead leaving it to Georgia officials to protect our water. Please call your call U.S. representative today and urge him to OPPOSE H.R. 2018.Tell him that this bill will harm the Flint River and all Georgia waterways because if passed, it would:  • prevent the U.S. EPA from stepping in if Georgia fails to adequately protect our waters from pollution; • abolish EPA's authority to block permits that may negatively affect drinking water, fisheries, wildlife, recreation, and downstream communities; and • undermine the Clean Water Act's central goal to restore the Chattahoochee and other Georgia waterways to "fishable, swimmable" standards. To find your representative, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code.Then, under the “president and congress” column, click on your representative's name.  Tell him that you are opposed to HR 2018, and in favor of abundant, clean water. HR 2018 - "Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011" - was passed out of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee two weeks ago without any public hearing or environmental subcommittee review. This is undoubtedly the boldest attempt to date to dismantle the federal-state cooperation that lies at the heart of the Clean Water Act and has safeguarded our water ways for nearly four decades. When passed in 1972, the Clean Water Act gave EPA the authority to control pollution and improve water quality across the country, helping to protect our waterways for drinking, swimming, and fishing. HR 2018 takes EPA out of the picture, shifting regulatory power back to the states, back to the days when Georgia and other states could dump untreated sewage and toxic chemicals unceremoniously into our rivers and lakes. YOU MUST CALL, TODAY, AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD. You will most likely talk to a staffer, or even a recording. Some of you may have a personal relationship with your congressman. Either way, simply say you are from your Congressman’s district (referencing his name, and yours, and the town or city you live in or near), and state that you are firmly opposed to HR 2018, and in favor of continued, strong federal oversight of the Clean Water Act. ACT NOW. ACT STRONGLY. IT IS YOUR WATER, YOUR RIVER. IT IS COMPLETELY UP TO YOU TO MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK. Thank you. For the Flint, and clean, abundant water all over Georgia, Gordon The Flint Riverkeeper's (FRk's) sole purpose is to serve as a steward for this valued waterway and to ensure the future life and health of the river and its tributaries remains certain during these uncertain times. FRK is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation with the goal of protecting the Flint River in its most natural state for future generations to enjoy. Flint Riverkeeper ® is a fully licensed member of the Waterkeeper ® Alliance. Visit us at www.flintriverkeeper.org.

Copyright© 2009 Flint Riverkeeper. All rights reserved Flint Riverkeeper | P.O. Box 468, Albany Ga. 31702 | (229) 435-2241

Preserve Independent Judges for Our Environment

 We received an Action Alert from the Georgia Environmental Action Network this week that we think deserves your attention. Please review and contact your appropriate representatives.

Dear Friend,

Our judicial system is a cornerstone of our democracy. We rely on our courts to create a level playing field for everyone – citizens and businesses alike. Under Georgia law, decisions that affect the air we breathe and the water we drink are reviewed by judges who are expected to exercise an independent review of the facts and judge cases fairly on their merits. Now, a few special interests want to change that—and if they win, it will harm our democracy and our environment.

Problem:

Senate Bill 486 would unfairly tilt the balance of power toward the state environmental agency and away from citizens and business owners who monitor its actions. This bill would affect permit decisions regarding landfills, coastal development, water withdrawals or transfers, coal plants and more.SB 486 would change the standard by which the state Department of Natural Resources’ actions are reviewed so that an Administrative Law Judge must give deference or preference to technical expertise presented by the government for every permit and every decision.
Our judges should be able to give equal weight to technical expertise presented by citizens in order to make an independent decision on the merits of a case.

Solution:

Keep the law the way it is now. The current law respects the role of a judge as a neutral decision-maker who will equally weigh the facts presented by citizens or businesses and by the government. The government’s technical expertise should not be given more weight than the technical expertise presented by citizens or businesses.

Action Needed:

Urge your State Senator to vote NO on SB486 to ensure that citizens and businesses get a level playing field when appealing environmental permit decisions in the courts by our Administrative Law Judges. The bill narrowly passed committee by a close 5-4 vote and must be voted on by the full Senate this week to remain alive. Contact your Senator today.

Deadline for responding: Please take action by Thursday, March 26, 2010.