In this issue of Minnesota Currents|online:

2010 Legislative Summary

The 2010 legislative session ended in the early morning hours of May 17 after a brief special session was called by the Governor. Fights over the state budget and funding for health care and education dominated the atmosphere at the Capitol, making it a tough year to pass meaningful environmental legislation. However, once again Clean Water Action was able to celebrate several legislative victories this session. In addition to passing another bill to keep toxins out of our environment, we were able to stop attempts to weaken current environment laws and move Minnesota towards dirty energy options.

Earth Day Birthday Bash Highlights

Clean Water Action members, volunteers, allies and staff celebrated Earth Day’s 40th Birthday with food, fun and activism!

One of the main activities featured at this year’s Earth Day celebration was having consumer products tested by an XRF analyzer, a device used by the Food and Drug Administration, which uses X-ray fluorescence to detect the presence of heavy metals in products. We tested numerous toys and household items to find out whether they were healthy or sick. Fortunately, the majority of the products we tested were safe but we did find a few sick ones. View some of the products that tested high for lead or cadmium, like this jewelry bead and food storage container.

Restoring the Clean Water Act

The drinking water sources for nearly 1 million Minnesotans are at risk of losing Clean Water Act protections. Congress now has an opportunity to fix this and restore protections weakened by the Supreme Court and Bush Administration.

Tips For Water Conservation and Safety

The summer is a time for hot weather and enjoying our lakes, rivers and streams. It is also a time when we tend to have our water closer to the forefront of our minds. Sometimes it seems like there is not much we can do to protect the health and vitality of our water because these problems seem too big. Increasingly, we all share a responsibility to do our part to protect our waters. How we use water, what happens to the rainwater falling on our lands and what we send down our drains are the next greatest challenges we must face together.

Pesticide Issues Gain Urgency At Federal Level

Pesticide issues have gained momentum and long awaited attention at the federal level this year. Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota is leading the fight to ban the highly toxic and commonly used pesticide atrazine, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to disclose inert ingredients in pesticides and the President’s Cancer Panel released a report stating that chemicals threaten our bodies.

Meet Our Canvassers - Is This Job In Your Future?

Summer is in full swing and so is Clean Water Action’s canvass recruitment program! We are currently hiring for part time and full time positions for our field and phone canvasses. Learn valuable skills, work with fun and exciting people, chat with our members about important environmental issues and build your resume. Spend your summer with us by calling today to learn more about our exciting employment opportunities.

Campaign Updates, Summer, 2010

Federal Climate and Energy Legislation

Clean Water Action and all of the other activists and allies working for strong, comprehensive climate and energy legislation are still waiting for the introduction of new climate and energy legislation by US Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Lieberman (I-CT). These senators have been working with Senator Graham (R-SC) to craft a bill capable of passing the Senate since earlier efforts stalled. A draft was released during the middle of May.