Publications
Great Lakes Days
Great Lakes advocates from across Minnesota braved storms and rain and snow to get to Washington, DC in early March for 2013 Great Lakes Days. Snows in Minnesota and around the Washington, DC area did not deter the hardy group that made it to this annual event hosted by the Healing Our Waters–Great Lakes Coalition. Clean Water Action and other Great Lakes supporters from across the basin met with Members of Congress, urging them to maintain support for federal Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts.
In meetings with staff from each of Minnesota’s Representatives and Senators, Great Lakes supporters called for:
From the Minnesota Director
By Deanna White
Celebrate Earth Day Every Day
This is the time of year when thoughts turn to spring… even with the possibility we might see more snow. For many, spring means Earth Day — the annual celebration of environmental protections.
This Earth Day, I hope we will have much to celebrate. Votes in the Minnesota Legislature will determine the fate of a number of bills that could have a huge impact on our environment and public health.
MN Legislative Update 2013
With the Minnesota Legislature well underway, Clean Water Action is working overtime to pass new measures to protect Minnesotans’ water and health. The biggest push this year is for laws to protect children from toxic chemicals in the products they use every day.
Two of Clean Water Action’s priorities are bills to ban bisphenol-A (BPA) in children’s food packaging and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in children’s personal care products. BPA is a known hormone disruptor, and formaldehyde can cause asthma and other respiratory problems. Both bills have already passed through several State Senate and House committees over the past two weeks.
Voting for Clean Water: Minnesota 2012 Voting Guide
Record numbers of anti-environment candidates were elected to Congress and the Minnesota Legislature in 2010. That power shift brought a significant negative impact on Minnesota’s water, environment, and communities. Actions by both bodies to roll back the bedrock laws that keep polluters from destroying the environment have earned them the label as two of the most anti-environmental governing bodies in history.
Minnesota Currents | Elections 2012
are you a clean water voter?
Other Publications
Built By Michigan - April Newsletter
Ann Arbor city council passes EV resolution
By Charles Griffith - Climate & Energy Program Director, Ecology Center
In a great example of a good start, Ann Arbor’s city council approved a plan earlier this month to further prepare the city’s infrastructure to support plug-in electric vehicles. The resolution calls on city staff to review permit and planning processes, as well as zoning codes, to remove barriers to creating plug-in infrastructure. The resolution also requires the city’s administrator to consider adding plug-in vehicles as part of the city’s fleet.
Turning Up the Heat II: Exposing the continued failures of the manufacturers thermostat recycling program
A manufacturer-run program for collecting mercury thermostats is failing to keep the toxic heavy metal out of the trash—and the environment. Turning Up The Heat II estimates that, at most, the industry recycling program has captured 8% of mercury thermostats coming out of service in the past decade. This has resulted in the disposal of over 50 tons of mercury into the environment, which can expose people to the neurotoxin through fish consumption.
Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut Newsletter | March 2013
Help us continue to make Connecticut Safe and Healthy!
_________________________________________________________
CSHC leads the way with 3 bills to protect health
HB 6526 Toxics Disclosure and Innovation for Healthy Children. This bill will:
- Require DPH to identify chemicals of concern to children and prioritize 2 every 2 years for action.
- Require manufacturers to disclose the presence of the prioritized chemicals in children’s products.
- Require the development of a plan to shift to safer alternative.
- Assist CT businesses that manufacture children’s products to work with green chemistry experts in CT to shift to a safe alternative.
New Jersey Currents | Spring 2013
new jersey currents
Hands Off New Jersey's Water!
There’s an expression we use a lot in New Jersey: “Jersey Strong”. We are proud of our strength and resilience and our ability to stand up to anything. Superstorms, superbugs, superfund sites — you name it, we (think) we can conquer it.
But New Jerseyans aren’t going to be
“Jersey Strong” much longer if a bill that will weaken New Jersey’s
drinking water quality makes its way through the New Jersey Legislature.
The new legislation (A2123), sponsored by Assemblyman John Burzichelli
(D-Gloucester), proposes to add industry representatives to the Drinking
Water Quality Institute (DWQI). This would allow polluting interests to
decide what level of contaminants end up in New Jersey tap water — as
if the state’s drinking water situation wasn’t already bad enough. Read More