The Senate is about to hear legislation pertaining to coal ash waste regulation. There is an amendment proposed to slash EPA’s funding so that they cannot enforce safeguards at coal ash waste landfills. The following is a message from our friends with Environmental Integrity Project. Please take a few moments to contact your senator and let them know you want enforcement of regulations on these very hazardous and dangerous waste sites.
Dear Friends,
Thank you for helping to influence 183 Representatives in the US House to vote against Congressman McKinley’s amendment to eliminate EPA’s funding to regulate coal ash as a hazardous waste. Eighteen Representatives were Republicans switching ranks to vote against their party’s leadership and for safe water.
Within one week we MUST defeat this amendment likely to be proposed to the budget bill (Continuing Resolution) that is brought to the floor of the Senate, or this egregious proposal to slash EPA’s funding could become a reality – leaving EPA unable to enforce basic safeguards at toxic coal ash dumps such as liners, covers or monitoring and thousands of American communities nearby in harm’s way.
Nearly a half million Americans submitted comments on the EPA’s proposed coal ash rules with a majority of them in support of safeguards. More than a thousand concerned citizens who traveled to 8 day-long EPA hearings supported these safeguards. Clearly, Americans have voiced their support FOR protection of our drinking water and public health by the US EPA.
Please call your Senators today and urge them to vote NO to any amendments to cut the US EPA’s authority to protect our health from toxic coal ash.
Use this link to find phone numbers for your Senators – you just need to type in your zip code: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/1. Tell your Senators you want them to respect the rule-making process and the comments that their constituents submitted on the EPA coal ash regulation.
2. Tell them to let the US EPA to do its job and protect public health.
3. Ask them if you can count on their support for basic safeguards to protect public health from toxic coal ash.
After you make your call, please let us know you’ve made the calls and what their offices said. Send your responses to: lwidawsky@environmentalintegrity.org.
Please let your US Senators know today that Americans throughout the country want to be protected – call them immediately and tell them to uphold our right to safe drinking water.
Thanks for your continuing help and please spread the word.
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