From Clean Water Network:
NEWS UPDATE: It appears that we may have succeeded in getting Congress to avoid attaching the Barrasso-Heller amendment and other dirty water legislation to must spend federal spending bills. But we still need to be extremely vigilant. As Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over til its over.”
Thanks to each and everyone of you for meeting with Members of Congress and their staff, making calls, and sending e-mails, letters and tweets. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated on the status of the anti-environmental bills we have been tracking on Capitol Hill.
We now need your help to urge the Obama Administration to stay on course to deliver a strong Waters of the US Guidance and rulemaking.
In April 2011, the Obama Administration proposed important new policies to close gaps in Clean Water Act protections. With water, air and health protections under constant attack by some in the U.S. Congress, now is a perfect time to remind the Administration that people really do support clean water.
Current policies leave over half our streams and 20 million acres of wetlands vulnerable. Streams and wetlands aren’t just geographical features. They provide drinking water for over 117 million people, serve as critical habitat for fish and wildlife, protect us against floods and filter pollution out of our water (One acre of wetlands can hold 1 million gallons of floodwaters). They are vital parts of our water infrastructure. We need the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to keep this clean water progress moving.
Help us tell the White House to keep standing up to polluters on water protection policies. Join a coordinated Twitter Torrent on Thursday, 12/15. Please join CWN and its coalition members across the country, in this important effort-and help spread the word by forwarding this message to your networks, friends, family…everyone! We want to show the Administration that support for clean water is broad and deep. Thanks to CWN Board Member Clean Water Action for organizing this important effort! Help us to make this effort even more popular than the very successful Senate tweet campaign held a little more than a week ago.
General Guidelines for the Twitter Torrent:
1. This effort will start at 10:00 am Eastern time on 12/15 and continue over the course of the day. It’s good policy to schedule tweets until at least 5:00 pm Pacific.
2. At 10 am start the Twitter Torrent with a simple tweet from your organization’s Twitter account (if you have a personal account, use it too) about what today’s activity is all about – encouraging the Obama Administration(@WhiteHouse) to continue our clean water progress and ensure ALL Americans have access to clean drinking water.
Kickoff Tweet: We’ll be tweeting today as part of a Torrent to support @WhiteHouse moving forward to #ProtectCleanWater
3. Then proceed to send out tweets about clean water over the course of the day (see Sample Tweets below), always using the hashtag #ProtectCleanWater in your tweets (See Hashtags below).
4. Follow the Twitter Torrent’s progress throughout the day by clicking on the hashtag #ProtectCleanWater, where you’ll be able to see all the tweets from the day. This is a great place to find clever tweets that can be retweeted.
5. Whenever possible, please make tweets state-specific-referencing a favorite local waterbody and the fact that people in XX state support clean water.
6. Respond and re-tweet your followers’ tweets in support of clean water.
Links to include:
1. Waters of the US Factsheet:
http://www.cleanwaternetwork.
2. Waters of the U.S. Guidance Press Release:
http://www.cleanwaternetwork.
3. The Clean Water Framework: http://1.usa.gov/
4. EPA Waters of the US page: http://1.usa.gov/uMJFr1
5. William Reilly, former EPA Administrator on the Clean Water Act http://nyti.ms/sNmzyW
6. The NY Times on EPA Guidance - http://nyti.ms/rCotHy
7. The NY Times on Dirty Water Bills in Congress - http://nyti.ms/uPpQGa
8. Say NO to Dirty Water:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Hashtags
–Always use #ProtectCleanWater in your tweets
–Since we are tweeting The Administration, whenever possible make sure @WhiteHouse is included in your tweets. Where appropriate use @EPAgov, @LisaPJackson, or @USACE_HQ (many local Army Corps Districts have their own Twitter handles
–Other hash tags to consider using, in addition to #ProtectCleanWater (space permitting): #DrinkingWater, #CleanWaterAct, #CleanWater, #EPA, #ArmyCorps
–Please tweet this at least once: “Clean Water is the Foundation of Healthy Communities & a Healthy Environment. @WhiteHouse & @EPAgov – #ProtectCleanWater
Sample tweets
Kickoff Tweet: We’ll be tweeting today as part of a Torrent to
support @WhiteHouse moving forward to #ProtectCleanWater
- Help the @EPAgov and @USACE_HQ #ProtectCleanWater
- Big Coal would rather not #ProtectCleanWater. Show the @WhiteHouse you care about clean drinking water for ALL. Pls RT!
- 117 million Americans whose drinking water is at risk are counting on @WhiteHouse and @EPAgov to continue the fight to #ProtectCleanWater.
- We urge @WhiteHouse to continue the strong efforts to #ProtectCleanWater http://www.cleanwaternetwork.
org/sites/default/files/WOTUS_ Pls RTfactsheet.pdf - #WeCantWait to #ProtectCleanWater! Now is the time for @WhiteHouse to keep standing up to polluters & move ahead w/strong protections
- Hey @WhiteHouse: we know you’re standing with people-not polluters to #ProtectCleanWater & we’re with you
- Ppl in [insert state abbreviation-e.g. NY, OH, etc] are counting on @WhiteHouse to #ProtectCleanWater & defend [insert attractive waterbody in your state] against polluters.
- Americans want to swim and fish in #CleanWater. We urge @EPAgov & @WhiteHouse to keep working to #ProtectCleanWater
- The #CleanWaterAct is under assault from the biggest polluters around. @WhiteHouse, we’re with you to #ProtectCleanWater
- For nearly 40 years, @EPAgov has worked to restore and #ProtectCleanWater. Let’s keep it that way.
- The #CleanWaterAct, has doubled the water safe for swimming & fishing. Let’s keep working to #ProtectCleanWater
- The Great Lakes are the largest system of surface freshwater on earth, they deserve adequate protection. #ProtectCleanWater
- The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most extraordinary places in America. Let’s #ProtectCleanWater
Thank you for participating in this important Tweet Campaign and for everything you do to protect our nation’s waters. Collectively we have a much stronger voice!
Natalie U. Roy
Executive Director
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