December 12, 2011
Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann
House of Representatives
103 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
VOTE YES ON H.R. 425: GREAT LAKES WATER PROTECTION ACT
I am writing to you as a health educator and concerned citizen of one of hundreds of Great Lakes communities. I believe that we are currently not doing enough to keep our water sources clean. The Great Lakes Water Protection Act will improve the care and quality given to the waters that flow into the Great Lakes.
This act will improve the Federal Water Pollution act, more commonly known of as the Clean Water Act. There are currently requirements for water treatment but publicly owned treatment centers are not required to to treat all waters that flow into the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes is a vast source of drinking water with 33 million people drinking from it on a daily basis. The lakes contain 21% of the world's fresh water. Although the earth is mainly covered by water, the amount that drinkable is about 1%. We need to pass this act in order to to keep the health of our citizens safe.
Some may say that it will cost too much too treat the water before it goes into the lake. We need to consider the cost of the medical implications if this bill is not passed. Diseases spread quickly when passed through water. It is a preventative measure that will end up saving us money in the future.
I appreciate the initiative you took when voting to protect clean water when you voted yes on H.R. 2018, Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011. I hope you realize how the quality of the Great Lakes affects the health of your voters and vote "yes" to H.R. 425: Great Lakes Water Protection Act.If you have any questions I can be contacted at 123-456-789 or healthstudent@advocacy.com. Thank you for your time.
MS
Showing posts with label Advocacy Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advocacy Project. Show all posts
Monday, December 12, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Advocacy Project: Fact Sheet
What is the issue?
- The Great Lakes are at risk of an increase in pollution
- Currently, not all streams that flow into the lakes are being treated
What are the effects of pollution in the Great Lakes?
- Many of us drink water from the Great Lakes which is very dangerous if it is polluted
- We can come in contact with more harmful bacteria and viruses
- Recreational activities in the Great Lakes is at risk and harmful if the water is not monitored
This type of pollution is called Source Water Pollution.
- Every day, 2 million tons of sewage and industrial and agricultural waste are discharged into the world’s water
- The St. Louis River has already been declared an area of concern by the EPA
- This is the largest tributary to Lake Superior
- 9 out of the 14 beneficial uses of the tributaries are impaired
What can you do?
- Vote YES for H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Acthttp://epa.gov/greatlakes/aoc/stlouis.html
Monday, November 21, 2011
Advocacy Project: Issue Overview
Currently there is the Federal Water Pollution Act (also know as the Clean Water Act, bill number 33) which does set requirements for water treatment but it has not covered all the bases. The Great Lakes Water Protection Act takes it one step further and demands that publicly owned treatment works don't intentionally bypass any streams that need water treatment before they flow into the Great Lakes. The water treatment centers may not want the extra work that comes along with treating additional streams, but with the passing of this bill all streams would be accounted for .
Because we live in the Great Lakes region we are the ones who are most affected by this. Most of our drinking water comes from the Great Lakes. It already is at risk of pollution because of how accessible it is, but why would we want to allow water treatment centers to skip over streams that need cleaning. If we ignore this problem we will not have safe drinking water unless we spend much more money on the treatment of the water once it is already in the lake. If this bill is not passed the water treatment centers will benefit from not having to spend the additional money on treatment.
Others in surrounding areas are also affected by this because many people use the Great Lakes for drinking water!
The money that we spend in taxes go towards the community budget which is in control of the treatment of water. Purdue University explains that when you receive your water bill, if the company gives water to more than 10,000 people, there will be a report of the water quality included. This is helpful because many of us so blindly take things as good without question if it comes from the government. The report also tells where the water comes from!
If the companies were to not treat all the water that goes into our lakes, they would be able to save time and money. They would surely benefit from this but it would harm all of us that drink and enjoy the water of the Great Lakes.
Cities that are located on the Great Lakes benefit greatly from the location. Duluth, Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee all pride themselves on being located on the lake. They are often used for recreation like swimming, fishing, and boating. If the streams were not treated correctly, all of these social benefits would not be enjoyable.
The biggest barrier to passing this act is money. The city may have to raise taxes in order for the treatment centers to have enough money to treat the streams that they may have been avoiding previously. It is hard to come up with money when so many people are in debt. It may be possible however that there would be less money needed to treat the water after it had been in the lake so some of the budget could be shifted around.
Community members will need to play a large part in getting this bill passed. It is important to educate others on where our drinking water comes from and the large effects it has on our health. It is also important to write to our representatives so that they know how we feel about the issue and that it is important to us.
I think that people that are for water quality will want to support this cause. Also, women with young children will see the safety issues with their children drinking poor quality water.
I would try to find a way to keep taxes the same but have enough funding to ensure that all streams that flow into the Great Lakes have been properly treated. This will hopefully come from money that is already in the budget for water quality, but it will be done in a more efficient way.
I want policy makers to vote Yes on this bill. I want to be able to know that what I am drinking is safe water, and will continue to be safe for years to come!
Because we live in the Great Lakes region we are the ones who are most affected by this. Most of our drinking water comes from the Great Lakes. It already is at risk of pollution because of how accessible it is, but why would we want to allow water treatment centers to skip over streams that need cleaning. If we ignore this problem we will not have safe drinking water unless we spend much more money on the treatment of the water once it is already in the lake. If this bill is not passed the water treatment centers will benefit from not having to spend the additional money on treatment.
Others in surrounding areas are also affected by this because many people use the Great Lakes for drinking water!
The money that we spend in taxes go towards the community budget which is in control of the treatment of water. Purdue University explains that when you receive your water bill, if the company gives water to more than 10,000 people, there will be a report of the water quality included. This is helpful because many of us so blindly take things as good without question if it comes from the government. The report also tells where the water comes from!
If the companies were to not treat all the water that goes into our lakes, they would be able to save time and money. They would surely benefit from this but it would harm all of us that drink and enjoy the water of the Great Lakes.
Cities that are located on the Great Lakes benefit greatly from the location. Duluth, Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee all pride themselves on being located on the lake. They are often used for recreation like swimming, fishing, and boating. If the streams were not treated correctly, all of these social benefits would not be enjoyable.
The biggest barrier to passing this act is money. The city may have to raise taxes in order for the treatment centers to have enough money to treat the streams that they may have been avoiding previously. It is hard to come up with money when so many people are in debt. It may be possible however that there would be less money needed to treat the water after it had been in the lake so some of the budget could be shifted around.
Community members will need to play a large part in getting this bill passed. It is important to educate others on where our drinking water comes from and the large effects it has on our health. It is also important to write to our representatives so that they know how we feel about the issue and that it is important to us.
I think that people that are for water quality will want to support this cause. Also, women with young children will see the safety issues with their children drinking poor quality water.
I would try to find a way to keep taxes the same but have enough funding to ensure that all streams that flow into the Great Lakes have been properly treated. This will hopefully come from money that is already in the budget for water quality, but it will be done in a more efficient way.
I want policy makers to vote Yes on this bill. I want to be able to know that what I am drinking is safe water, and will continue to be safe for years to come!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS
H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act (Introduced in House)
Title: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a deadline for restricting sewage dumping into the Great Lakes and to fund programs and activities for improving wastewater discharges into the Great Lakes.
Short Title: Great Lakes Water Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep Dold, Robert J. [IL-10] (introduced 1/25/2011)
Cosponsor: Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 1/25/2011
Latest Major Action: 1/26/2011 Referred to House subcommittee.
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Recommendation: Vote YES for H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act
My Political Representative: Congressman Michele Bachmann
Title: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a deadline for restricting sewage dumping into the Great Lakes and to fund programs and activities for improving wastewater discharges into the Great Lakes.
Short Title: Great Lakes Water Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep Dold, Robert J. [IL-10] (introduced 1/25/2011)
Cosponsor: Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 1/25/2011
Latest Major Action: 1/26/2011 Referred to House subcommittee.
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Recommendation: Vote YES for H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act
My Political Representative: Congressman Michele Bachmann
Monday, November 7, 2011
Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives
I am going to share with you some of my political representatives. This is important for knowing who to talk to about making changes
President: Barack Obama, Democrat
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111
Congresswoman:Amy Klobuchar,U.S. Senate/Democrat
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3244
Congressman:Al Franken, U.S. Senate/Democrat
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20500
202-224-5641
Congressman: Thomas Huntley, U.S. House of Representatives/Democrat
351 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-2228
Governor: Mark Dayton, Democrat
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
State Legislator: Mary Murphy, Democrat
343 State Office Building
100 Rec. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155
President: Barack Obama, Democrat
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111
Congresswoman:Amy Klobuchar,U.S. Senate/Democrat
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3244
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20500
202-224-5641
Congressman: Thomas Huntley, U.S. House of Representatives/Democrat
351 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-2228
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
State Legislator: Mary Murphy, Democrat
343 State Office Building
100 Rec. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Welcome to Morganne's In-Tents Outdoor Adventure
Welcome to Morganne's In-Tents Outdoor Adventure!!
My name is Morganne and I am a Senior at UMD. I am double majoring in Exercise Science and Community Health Education. I love spending time outside, especially fishing and hiking. When friends come with its even better! I am a waitress and bartender at Outback Steakhouse. I live a very busy life but try to take time to relax outside. This blog will be a reflection upon my outdoor adventures. I like to go to state parks or find random trails along roads and see where they lead!
There are 5 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:
- Advocacy Project
- Eye Openers
- Reflections
- Read 'n' Seed
- Share and Voice
If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post is has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.
The members of my web group are:
- Jamie@PerservingtheWaysofHanaumaBaryJamieKay
- Ashley@Ashleysgonegreen
- Emily@LetsGoGreenWithEmily
- Dr.V.@Enviro-Surfing
You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile."
Thank you for stopping by! I look forward to interacting and learning a lot from each other!
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