WRDA was introduced yesterday at 5:50 pm CDT and next Tuesday will be 
the day for debates and votes until done.
**********************TAKE ACTION*********************************

TELL YOUR SENATORS TO DIRECT THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO PROTECT
HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

VOTE FOR THE FEINGOLD-MCCAIN AMENDMENTS TO S.728 
Last August, Hurricane Katrina hit our coast, killing over 1500 people;
displacing thousands more; and causing millions of dollars in damage. In 
the storm's aftermath, we discovered fundamental flaws in our
country's national water resource policies.  Now the U.S. Senate is
poised to vote on S. 728, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), as
early as next week.  This bill would authorize and fund hundreds of U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers projects including flood protection, navigation
and environmental restoration efforts.  But rather than learning from
the mistakes made apparent following  Hurricane Katrina, S. 728
continues to direct the Corps to work on projects that are fiscally
irresponsible and threaten both citizens and  the environment.

Senators Russ Feingold and John McCain (and others) will offer two
critical amendments to S.728 to rectify the many problems in the current
bill.

The Feingold-McCain Independent Peer Review amendment will require the
Corps to submit costly or controversial projects to be reviewed by an
independent panel of experts in science and transportation. This
amendment will ensure that Corps projects are based on solid
engineering, are technically and environmentally sound, and are fiscally
responsible.

The Feingold-McCain Prioritization amendment will require an independent
panel to identify the top priority flood control, navigation, and
restoration projects for our country.  The panel will share their
findings with Congress to guide funding decisions.

The last WRDA bill was passed almost six years ago.  If S.728 is
enacted, it will be many years before we have another opportunity to
change the way the Army Corps does business.  We must act now to steer
the Corps in a new direction. 
What you can do today will make a difference.  Please:

Call both your senators and ask them to vote for the Feinold-McCain
Independent Peer Review AND the Feingold-McCain Prioritization
amendments to S. 728;
Send this alert to as many groups and individuals as you can, asking
them to help;
You can reach your senators in Washington, D.C. by calling the U.S.
Capitol switchboard at 202/224-3121 and ask to be connected to their
offices.  Ask to speak to the aide working on the WRDA vote and urge
your senators to vote for the Feingold-McCain amendments.

-- 
  ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>
Deborah Neustadt
Des Moines, IA
Sierra Club
Water Committee, Chair
Wildlife and Endangered Species Committee, Member
Iowa Chapter, Executive Committee Member, Political Chair

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