Dear Community Leader:
We have news of a bad bill moving in the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Environment. Though the bill is environmental in substance, the overall impact of the bill is an attack on access to the courts for rural communities. Specifically, it takes away your right to protect your family and farm animals’ drinking water from factory farm pollution.
The members of Congress pushing this bill are saying that this is an effort to “protect farmers” when what it really is, is an effort to shield agribusiness from being held accountable for pollution, and strip the power from the people impacted by bad practices.
On Thursday November 9th, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment will hold a hearing on the discussion draft of the so-called "Farm Regulatory Certainty Act." This proposal seeks to carve rural communities out of federal protections if they are harmed by toxic waste from agricultural operations. Waste generation, storage and disposal from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) have endangered human health, farm animals, and the environment by contaminating groundwater aquifers, releasing pathogenic bacteria into drinking water and recreational waters, and fouling drinking water supplies of communities who are disproportionately reliant on private wells.
ACTION NEEDED: We need you to sign on as many rural people, farmers and ranchers to this letter as possible, demonstrating that this effort by Congress will harm rural people. Deadline to sign-on is Tuesday November 7th
The below House members are on the Committee hearing the bill. If you live in any of the below states, Please call the below Congress members and tell them that you vehemently oppose the bill and ask them to do the same. You can reach their office, by calling the Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Bill Johnson (R): Ohio
Richard Hudson (R): North Carolina
Kevin Cramer (R): North Dakota
Tim Walberg (R): Michigan
Buddy Carter (R): Georgia
Greg Walden (R): Oregon
Raul Ruiz, Jerry McNerney, Doris Matsui, Tony Cardenas, and Scott Peters (D): California
Gene Green (D): Texas
Diana Degette (D): Colorado
Debbie Dingell (D): Michigan
Frank Pallone (D): New Jersey
The right of rural communities to protect their health and environment must be protected. Please join us in opposing this unacceptable attack. See below to review the text of the letter, or click here to sign on: https://goo.gl/forms/