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Sierra Club Currents - Congress to FEMA -- Disaster Victims Deserve Better Volume VI, #74 Quote of Note: "In the absence of national or international consensus or progress, we have the opportunity to show the way." -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) on the role states can play in combating global warming. (1) Take Action: Support a Meaningful Energy Bill! (2) Take Action: Reaffirm the Clean Water Act! (3) FEMA: Toxic Trailer Residents Testify Before Congress (4) State Action: Governors Talk Efficiency (1) Take Action: Support a Meaningful Energy Bill! If there was one moment for you to take action on energy issues, this is it. The House is poised to vote on an energy bill next week, and we need you to urge your Representative to support a national Renewable Electricity Standard and improved fuel economy standards! These important steps will create thousands of new jobs, lower energy costs, and dramatically cut global warming pollution. Make sure Congress doesn't go home for recess in August without taking steps to deliver America a renewable and efficient energy future! Call to Congress to vote in a good energy bill! Photo courtesy NREL, Patrick Engineering (2) Take Action Reaffirm the Clean Water Act! Industry groups and polluters want to undo 30 years of progress under the Clean Water Act. And they are slowly making progress, chipping away at protections through court challenges and massive lobbying efforts. However, hearings in Congress this week show that despite industry pressure there is wide support for broad protections for our Nation's waters. Now we need to turn that support into action. Ask your representative to support clean water and co-sponsor the Clean Water Restoration Act. (3) FEMA:Toxic Trailer Residents Testify Before Congress Last week toxic trailer residents as well as Sierra Club activists Lindsay Huckabee, Paul Stewart, and Mary DeVany testified before a House oversight committee to raise awareness about the health threats faced by storm victims still living in trailers with dangerous levels of formaldehyde. Investigations by the committee found that FEMA willfully ignored reports that the trailers provided to victims had toxic chemical levels in order to avoid liability. This week FEMA announced that it will continue to give out and sell the remaining trailers, despite mounting evidence of the health threats they pose. Learn more about the Sierra Club's efforts on toxic trailers. Photo: Lindsay Huckabee and Paul Stewart outside the committee room in D.C. (4) State Action: Governors Talk Efficiency Thirty-five of the nation's governors met this weekend to discuss state-level strategies to help fight global warming. In the absence of national action, governors are stepping up to limit carbon emissions and make cars go further on a gallon of gas. Gov. Granholm (D-MI) joined Gov. Crist (R-FL) in recognizing that we cannot continue to ignore the carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants and still meet emissions reduction goals. Learn what cities are doing to help their states fight global warming. |
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Currents is the Sierra Club's weekly e-mail update providing you with facts, stories, quotes, and "take action" features. |