Call to Action!

Help Save the Clean Water Act!

Please call your congressperson and urge them to sign the "Dear Colleague" letter to President Bush, calling on his administration to stop its plan to weaken the Clean Water Act. Environmentalists from across the nation will join forces to send a strong message to Members of Congress: stop changes to the Clean Water Act that could threaten tens of millions of acres of wetlands, streams, and other water bodies with pollution or outright destruction.    

U.S. Representatives John Dingell (D-MI), Jim Leach (R-IA), James Oberstar (D-MN) and Jim Saxton (R-NJ), are seeking signatures from their colleagues on a letter to President Bush. The letter urges the administration "not to pursue any policy or regulatory changes that would reduce the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act."  Click here to view a PDF version of the letter.  The deadline for signing this letter is October 31. We need as many signers to this letter as possible to send a strong message to the administration.

We need your help to generate as many calls to the Massachusetts Congressional delegation as possible! Please pass this alert along to your members, allies, and friends.  

Please set aside a few minutes to call your U.S. House Representative. Use the list below to see if your member has already signed on the letter.

• If they have signed the letter -- please call and thank them for supporting clean water. Representatives need to hear from us that we support them when they resist polluters and do the right thing!
• If they have not yet signed the letter - please use the message below to urge them to sign the letter. 

To find out who represents you in Congress, click here and use the "Find your Representative" search using your zip code.  

The Message: "Sign the Clean Water Act Letter"

You can either leave a message with the receptionist - these do get passed on to your Representative - or you can ask to speak with a legislative assistant who works on environmental issues:

If you leave a message with the receptionist say who you are, where you are from, and:

• I oppose the administration's efforts to weaken the Clean Water Act.
• Please ask Representative ____________ to sign on to the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Representatives Dingell, Saxton, Oberstar and Leach. 

If you speak with a legislative assistant, you might want to add:

• This letter asks the President to stop a rulemaking, initiated earlier this year, to limit the number and types of waters that receive protection under the Clean Water Act.
• Changes to Clean Water Act rules that eliminate protection for many kinds of wetlands and streams would be devastating to wildlife and could set back 30 years of progress cleaning up the nation's waters.
• Eliminating Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams would exacerbate flooding, pollute drinking water sources, and eliminate recreational opportunities enjoyed by millions.
• Changes to Clean Water Act rules are not necessary to implement the Supreme Court's narrow ruling in the "SWANCC" (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County) decision.  That ruling does not change any existing rules, even though the Bush administration may try to use that as an excuse to change the rules. 

For more information, go to www.SaveTheCleanWaterAct.org