I just received an alert from National about the Clean Water Protection Act. That act involves mountain top coal mining and the burial of the streams with mining waste. There is a second act that will soon be introduced, which is the Clean Water Restoration Act. That Act will provide federal protection of waters that are not navigable and are not connected to navigable waters. This act affects wetlands in Iowa and small streams that are not navigable. These wetlands lost their protection in 2001 with a Supreme Court decision. About 30 years ago congress approved and the president signed the Federal Clean Water Act. It remains the law today. It is this act that provides for antidegradation, Use Attainability Analysis, water standards. - - - This is the email alert that I just received from National. The coal mining industry is trying to remove mountains—literally. Through mountaintop removal coal mining these companies are dumping mountaintops into rivers and streams and polluting the surrounding communities. That's why more than 150 citizens from 25 states are taking to the halls of Congress this week to ask their representatives to cosponsor the Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 1310 - a bill that will rein in mountaintop removal coal mining. _We can put an end to Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining. Call Congress Today! _ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=JfuhZibNhXVwdTia2tdhcg..) _Please call your Congressional Representative and urge them to end mountaintop removal coal mining by supporting the Clean Water Protection Act. _ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=wADtKttOzPy9q1PagXlncQ..) The Clean Water Protection Act will restore the original intent of the Clean Water Act to ensure that mining waste doesn't end up in our streams and rivers. The momentum around this legislation is growing. So far over 120 members of Congress have signed on to support the bill, and just today the New York Times editorialized on the urgency of protecting Appalachia's mountains, streams, and communities1. But we still have a long way to go. We need your help to make sure that Congress acts to restore these critical protections to Appalachia. _Please call your Representative and urge them to cosponsor the Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 1310. _ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=t7Q-qw1BHwjHVjAMsjAOhg..) In the last week over 11,000 people emailed their Congressional Representatives and asked them to support this bill. With your help, our message will be impossible to ignore: Support the Clean Water Protection Act to help end the devastating effects of mountaintop removal on the communities of Appalachia and all those downstream. This is our chance to end the destruction of Appalachia's natural heritage. Please call your elected official today, you can use the link below to get started: _http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=r8Hy6IjXskvc_9wS00h5Qg.._ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=r8Hy6IjXskvc_9wS00h5Qg..) Many thanks for all that you do to help end mountaintop removal coal mining. Sincerely, Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign In a message dated 3/16/2009 8:29:53 AM Central Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: The Clean Water Protection Act serves to clarify that it is illegal under the Clean Water Act to allow our nation's streams, rivers and wetlands to be buried in wastes and destroyed forever. It restores the definition of fill that was in effect before the Bush administration's rule change. The Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 1310, was introduced with 116 cosponsors by Congressmen Pallone, Reichert, and Yarmuth. In Iowa, only Bruce Braley has signed on to cosponsor this bill. The Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 1310 impacts every one of our clean water issues including anti deg, CAFOs, wetlands, etc. Is there any way we can use Helen to alert members in Boswell's and Loebsack's district to cosponsor this bill? Today is the National Sierra Club call in day to members of the house to sign on to this important bill. Phyllis **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219850974x1201371016/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID %3D62%26bcd%3DfebemailfooterNO62) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/