We All Live Downstream

By Jennifer Clary, California Program Associate

In February two reports about Californians’ drinking water quality were delivered to the state legislature. The first report “Californians with Contaminated Groundwater” found that the source water for 21 million Californians is contaminated and that nearly half a million Californians have unsafe water at the tap (see footnote 1) .  The second report “Recommendations Addressing Nitrate in Groundwater” provides 15 recommendations  to prevent continued contamination of groundwater by nitrate and provide safe drinking water in two of California’s most intensively cultivated agricultural areas.

The highest priority recommendation from California’s State Water Quality Control Board is that  “a new funding source be established to ensure that all Californians, including those in Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) have access to safe drinking water.”   Read the rest of this entry »

Gina McCarthy

By Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Director

Today the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was supposed to vote on the nomination of Gina McCarthy to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Clean Water Action fully supports this nomination, and we fully support letting EPA do its job.

I’ve been hearing a lot of Senate Republicans criticizing McCarthy and the EPA’s work. This morning they boycotted the hearing due to a perceived lack of “transparency.” And, because all 8 Republicans stayed home the Committee couldn’t vote. The nomination can’t move forward until they show up and vote. It is unacceptable obstructionism. It makes me wonder – who are they representing (hint – it’s not you and me)? Read the rest of this entry »

By Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Director

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at the direction of Congress, is conducting a multi-faceted scientific study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water.  Because this study is being conducted in a transparent, peer-reviewed process, EPA is consulting with its Science Advisory Board which convened a special panel to answer specific questions related to the five aspects of the hydraulic fracturing water cycle being covered in the project.

We think it’s a good way to celebrate Drinking Water Week.

You can read Clean Water Action’s comments to the Science Advisory Board Hydraulic Fracturing Research Panel here. You can learn more about the Study of Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources here.

By Erin Adair, Colorado Program Coordinator

In Colorado, we’ve been extremely engaged on oil and gas issues from fracking on federal public lands down to the fights local communities are waging with the State to keep fracking out of their neighborhoods and away from schools. Recently, the State went through a rulemaking process to increase drill site setback and create drill site groundwater monitoring standards. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is appointed by the Governor and oversees oil and gas operations in the state. The COGCC heard testimony and public comment from many stakeholders including our members and other activists concerned with the impacts of drilling and fracking close to homes and schools. Read the rest of this entry »

Protecting Drinking Water Sources: We celebrated Earthy Day by celebrating the Source Water Collaborative, which Clean Water Action helped found in 2005.

By Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Director

It turned out that the Source Water Collaborative annual meeting and anniversary celebration was the perfect place to spend Earth Day.  We welcomed new members – Smart Growth America and the National Association of Conservation Districts – and had some great discussion about innovative ways to protect our drinking water sources. Clean Water Action works to make sure that we “Put Drinking Water First” in our planning and regulation of activities that impact water – producing energy, growing food, building our communities. Otherwise, we’re putting the burden on everybody who pays a water bill and the Public Water Systems who serve them.  That just doesn’t make sense.

The Source Water Collaborative brings together diverse players in new ways to accomplish some of this task. We’re always saying we should “Act as if Drinking Water Matters,” and the Source Water Collaborative embodies just that intention.

By Angelique Giraud, Energy Community Organizer

Right now, Florida’s public health and the safety of our water resources are in jeopardy. Clean Water Action is calling on Governor Rick Scott to veto dangerous legislation that would put our communities at heightened risk for exposure to toxic coal ash. Join us and take action today!

Burning coal generates cheap energy, but at what cost to our environment and public health? Entire ecosystems are destroyed to extract, burn, and dispose of coal. Public and environmental health is threatened at every stage of the lifecycle of coal. Blasting mountaintops to mine the coal contaminates our water and makes us sick. Burning coal releases air pollution that chokes us and damages our lungs. Toxic coal ash landfills and unstable leaking ponds expose us to toxic chemicals through water contamination and sometimes even spills into our neighborhoods.

As if that onslaught of toxic exposure weren’t enough, coal ash is also sold back to us to be reused as filler in products that end up in our homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Read the rest of this entry »

By Gary Wockner, Colorado Program Director

This originally appeared in Huffington Post.

On Thursday evening, April 11^th, Colorado State Rep. Joann Ginal’s (D-Fort Collins) House Bill 1275 was heard, and died, in committee in the Colorado State Legislature. Rep Ginal’s bill asked and proposed to answer a very honest and simple question, “Are people living near oil and gas drilling and fracking getting sicker than people who don’t?” And, the bill would have provided that information to the public in a short timeframe.

Our organization, Clean Water Action, organizes door-to-door in the Denver metro area and across the northern Front Range where fracking is moving into suburban neighborhoods. We hear a lot of stories on people’s doorsteps and we hear lots of stories from our colleagues involved in this issue. The stories we hear are similar to those reported in the newspaper and offered as testimony at recent meetings of the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission — people believe they are getting sick because of drilling and fracking near their homes, schools and neighborhoods. Read the rest of this entry »

By Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Director

Let EPA Get the Job Done!

Yesterday’s letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe from over two dozen Republican Senators urges EPA to perpetuate the stalemate which is leaving drinking water sources without Clean Water Act protection.

We hope this letter has the opposite effect, which is to remind the Administration that we can’t face today’s clean water challenges with this kind of vulnerability affecting so many of our precious water resources. The science is behind this. Despite this letter’s claims, the intent of the Clean Water Act is behind this.

And if that’s not enough, consider this:

• The water bodies left vulnerable to pollution and destruction serve the drinking water sources for over 117 million people in the United States.
• Just last month, EPA released a report on the condition of our nation’s rivers and streams which found that 55% of them are unhealthy for aquatic life.

We’re urging people to let the President know they care about progress, not stalemate.  Take action today!

by Jonathan A. Scott

Today, I had the good fortune to visit with Aveda salon and spa owners, managers, stylists and volunteers in Concord, Hooksett, Londonderry, Windham and Milford, New Hampshire. My colleagues on the Clean Water staff and volunteer Clean Water leaders go to make Earth Day additional salons in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Volunteers in each salon had organized “cut-a-thons” to benefit Clean Water Fund as part of a series of similar global Earth Day Aveda events. Besides helping Clean Water Fund and other great clean water causes, hundreds of Aveda volunteers and clients across the U.S. and around the world were shooting for a new Guinness World’s Record: the largest number of haircuts for charity in one day.

Concord, New Hampshire

Hooksett, New Hampshire

Milford, New Hampshire

The possibility that we could be part of setting a world record was exciting enough. But the best part of the day for me was meeting all the fun, fabulous, creative, welcoming and dedicated folks at each stop on my New Hampshire Earth Day cut-a-thon mini-tour. And being able to say “Thank You” in person.

Londonderry, New Hampshire

Windham, New Hampshire

What did you do for Earth Day 2013?

SPECIAL BONUS FEATURE: the secret recipe for the chocolate peanut butter coconut no-bake cookies delivered during these visits

1/2 cup coconut oil (I got this in the baking supplies aisle at the supermarket; it was in a glass jar and looked almost like mayonaise from the outside of the jar)
2 cups sugar (I used about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup rice milk, plain, not vanilla or other flavoring (I used this because Deb asked me to make these dairy free; you could also use almond milk or soy milk, or try it with regular milk)
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
pinch of salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (or chunky if you prefer)
3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. add first 5 ingredients to a 4-quart saucepan
2. bring to a rolling boil until everything is melted and dissolved and then keep going for no more than 1 minute once you’re there.
3. remove from heat
4. throw everything else into the pot and mix it all up
5. spoon onto waxed paper and let cool

6. package into containers, and store in cool place where you can’t find it (or you will eat them all)