Virginians deserve clean water. But Representatives Virgil Goode & Thelma Drake have consistently taken the side of polluters in opposing stronger protections for our waterways.
Full report on Rep. Drake
Who can protect Virginia's water?
Virginians depend on clean water for drinking, recreation, farming and the preservation of healthy ecosystems for fish and wildlife. The drought of 2007 was a reminder of the importance of clean water-particularly at times when there is too little water to go around.
Virginia needs representatives in Congress who understand the importance of clean water to the state's economy and our environment and will take on the polluters. Unfortunately, Reps Virgil Goode and Thelma Drake have stood with George Bush and the polluters as they have worked to dismantle America's protections for clean water.
The Bush administration's assault on clean water
Since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, America has made great progress toward cleaning up our nation's waters. However, our rivers, lakes and streams are still in dire need of protection from industrial pollution, contaminated runoff, sewage overflows and a host of other threats.
Even today, 47 percent of America's assessed rivers and streams and 59 percent of our assessed lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming or other uses. Polluters dumped more than 244 million pounds of toxic chemicals into American waterways in 2006. And more than 850 billion gallons of raw or inadequately treated sewage are discharged into waterways each year.
But under George Bush, America has taken a large step backward in the protection of our precious water supplies. Time and again, the Bush administration has pushed to roll back critical protections for clean water. President Bush:
* Moved to eliminate Clean Water Act protections for at least 57 percent of Virginia's streams-waterways that are critical for a variety of wildlife and that feed the drinking water supplies of 3.3 million people.
* Curtailed enforcement of the Clean Water Act. For example, major Virginia facilities exceeded their permitted amounts of water pollution more than 220 times in 2005.
* Curbed the public's right to know about toxic pollution of waterways by allowing polluters to conceal more information about their toxic discharges.
* Put the interests of Big Oil ahead of the public by exempting the construction of oil and gas drilling sites from the Clean Water Act.
Representative's Goode & Drake both:
G求 Voted to allow polluters to conceal more information about the 19.5 million pounds of toxic chemicals dumped each year into Virginia's waterways-undermining the public's right to know about environmental threats.
G求 Voted with George Bush to deny longstanding Clean Water Act protections to many streams and wetlands at a time when 63 percent of Virginia's assessed rivers and streams and 97 percent of Virginia's assessed lakes are already too polluted for fishing, swimming or other uses.
Rep. Drake also:
G求 Voted to give Big Oil a free pass to avoid liability for contamination from the toxic gasoline additive MTBE, which has fouled drinking water supplies serving 12,000 Virginia residents.
Rep. Goode also:
G求 Voted against critical funding for the repair and upgrading of outdated sewer systems in Virginia and elsewhere across the country.
G求 Voted to exempt the construction of oil and gas drilling sites from the Clean Water Act.
Americans deserve clean water and a healthy environment. To get there, we need to take a few common-sense steps:
* Restore Clean Water Act protections to all U.S. waterways, including source water streams and wetlands.
* Enforce the Clean Water Act to make sure polluters are following the law, reduce discharges of toxic chemicals, sewage and other pollution into waterways, and make polluters pay to clean up the damage they have caused.
* Invest in repairing outdated sewer systems and measures to reduce runoff pollution.
* Defend and expand the public's right to know to know about the release of toxic pollution into our rivers, lakes and streams.
Virginians have a choice this November. To protect the health of Virginia's waterways and our environment, Virginians in the 2th congressional district should elect Glenn Nye to the U.S. Congress.
Virginians in the 5th congressional district should elect Tom Perriello to the U.S. Congress.
Get more info on Drake and Goode visit:
There is bi-partisan support for the CWPA legislation in Congress AND in Virginia, and CWPA co-sponsors include Jim Moran, Bobby Scott, and Frank Wolf.
The question is simple.
Does Virgil Goode want to stop dumping toxic mountaintop removal mining waste into our rivers and streams? There is no coal interests in his district.
Does Thelma Drake want to stop dumping toxic mountaintop removal mining waste, much of which eventually finds its way to the Chesapeake Bay, into our rivers and streams?
If they do, they should join 153 members of Congress as co-sponsors of the bi-partisan "Clean Water Protection Act."