Forwarded by Jane Clark PLEASE CONTACT GOVERNOR, URGE VETO OF SF 65 Please contact the Governor's Office now and urge Governor Vilsack to veto SF 65 -- the "LIHEAP" bill (Low-Income HEating Assistance Program). Although the goal of this legislation is worthy, the bill raids the Groundwater Protection Fund of $6.5 million to pay for the energy assistance. This is an unprecedented attach on groundwater-protection programs in Iowa! Here are some arguments to use with the Governor. Feel free to rephrase the concepts into your own words. Contact the Governor's office at 515-281-5211 or send an email through the Governor's website at: http://www.state.ia.us/governor/comments/capitol_correspond/index.html Please contact the Governor ASAP, because he will only have three days to consider the bill once it hits his desk on Monday, Feb. 5. Some suggested arguments to use: o Iowa law establishes this fund to pay for groundwater protection, not for other programs. o Although energy assistance is a worthy goal, this is an unprecedented attack on groundwater protection in Iowa. Never before has the Groundwater Protection Fund been used to pay for non-clean-water-related programs. o The Groundwater Protection Fund is too important -- please veto this bill to force the Legislature to reconsider sources of funding for the energy-assistance program. o The Groundwater Protection Fund was established by the Iowa legislature in 1987 as part of Iowa's landmark Groundwater Protection Act and provides funding for many programs that have truly made a difference in protecting Iowa's groundwater and surface water quality. o Programs that depend on the groundwater fund include: - the Grants to Counties program that funds private well testing and closure of abandoned wells - the Landfill Alternative Assistance Program that supports innovative ideas to reduce the amount of waste going to our landfills, - research on alternatives to agricultural drainage wells - the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU - the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the UNI - the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination and the state hygenics lab at the U. of Iowa. Thank you for your help in this matter. Please! Contact the Governor today! ------------------- Mark O. Lambert Executive Director Iowa Environmental Council 711 East Locust St. Des Moines, Iowa 50309 515/244-1194 phone 515/244-7856 fax [log in to unmask] http://www.earthweshare.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]