From: Debbie Neustadt

> While on vacation, I stopped in Representative Boswell's office this
> past Monday and met his new environmental Legislative Assistant, John
> Davis. I gave John a copy of the "Dear Colleague"  letter and asked
> Representative Boswell to sign on. The issue and the letter are
> described below. I let Ananda know that Rep. Boswell was contacted.


> .
> Letters or phone calls ( at 282-1909) to the Des Moines office by
> others in Rep. Boswells district could only help.
>


erin jordahl IA wrote:

> sorry for cross postings
>
> Dear Water Activists,
>
> Once again, we need your help to stop the Bush administration from
> crippling the Clean Water Act.
>
> After much hard work on the part of activists across the country, we have
> found several members of Congress to lead an effort to send a message to
> the Bush administration that the Clean Water Act should continue to
> protect
> all of our nation's waters.  These four champions for clean water,
> Representatives Saxton, Leach, Oberstar and Dingell, are circulating a
> "Dear Colleague" letter to other members of Congress, asking them to join
> in urging the administration recall its guidance and discontinue their
> rulemaking process.  Both actions, the guidance and the rulemaking,
> jeopardize the safety of many wetlands, small streams and ponds.  A
> similar
> "Dear Colleague" letter will be circulating through the Senate soon.  We
> will let you know as soon as that letter is finalized.
>
> Through this "Dear Colleague"  letter, members of Congress will add their
> voices to those of individuals, states and organizations.  This is a great
> method for influencing the administration!  The more members of Congress
> who sign on to this letter, the stronger the message will be.  Please
> contact your member of Congress and urge them to sign on to the this "Dear
> Colleague" letter.   There are several ways in which you can contact your
> member of Congress.
>
>    The most effective way to communicate with your Representative is
> to set
>    up a face-to-face meeting with him or her.  Members of Congress are at
>    home during the Congressional recess in August so now is an ideal time
>    to do this.  Meeting with a member is really fairly simple, and we will
>    gladly assist you with the entire process- from helping you schedule a
>    meeting, to providing you with talking points and materials for the
>    meeting.
>    If you have less time but still want to ensure that your message is
>    truly personal, please send a letter to your Representative at:
>           The Honorable (full name)
>           U.S. House of Representatives
>           Washington, DC 20515
>
> Here is a sample letter which you may customize:
>
> Dear Representative_______________:
>
> Thanks largely to the Clean Water Act, we have made considerable progress
> in cleaning up our nation's waterways over the past three decades.  Today
> _______________ (name of a local waterbody) is much cleaner than it was 30
> years ago, but the clean-up job is far from over.  We should be
> focusing on
> enforcing and strengthening the Clean Water Act.
>
> Unfortunately, the Bush administration has said that it will no longer
> enforce the Clean Water Act to protect many small streams, wetlands and
> other waters. This doesn't make sense. All waters should continue to be
> covered by the Clean Water Act. Please sign on to the "Dear Colleague"
> letter being circulated by Representatives Saxton, Leach, Oberstar and
> Dingell, which urges President Bush not to eliminate existing protections
> for the nation's waters and to rescind the guidance they recently issued.
>
> The job of the EPA should be to protect America's waters from pollution.
> The EPA's rulemaking process ignores the fact that small streams, vernal
> pools, prairie potholes and supposedly isolated wetlands flow into our
> groundwater, rivers and lakes.   The EPA's rulemaking process also
> threatens the Clean Water Act's goals of restoring and protecting
> America's
> waterways.
>
> Please protect ______________'s (name of your state) waters by signing the
> letter urging President Bush to protect all our waters.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>    If you have even less time, you can use our automated form online and
>    send an email to your Representative.  Visit
>    http://whistler.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=215 and send the Clean
> Water
>    take action.
>
> Thank you for continued help!  If you would like to see a copy of the
> "Dear
> Colleague" letter, please reply to this email and I will send you an
> electronic version of the letter.  If you would like more information
> regarding this issue or are interested in possible meeting with your
> Representative, please call or email me.
>
> Thanks,
> Ananda D. Hirsch
> Sierra Club
> Program Assistant
> Environmental Quality Program
> Phone: (202) 675-6693
>
>
>
>
> Erin E. Jordahl
> Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
> 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
> Des Moines, IA 50310
> 515-277-8868
> [log in to unmask]
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