Congress to vote on beach protection measures

Washingtonians will get more and better information about sewage spills that affect our coastline if Congress approves two Environment Washington-backed bills this year. The Beach Protection Act would increase water quality monitoring and public notification programs at selected beaches and provide resources to allow the EPA to investigate the sources of beach water pollution so that it can be cleaned up permanently.

The Sewage Overflow Community Right to Know Act would protect the health of Washingtonians by notifying the public whenever sewage is spilled. In 2006, more than 25,000 beach days nationwide were lost because of health advisories caused by sewage overflows and other pollution-related problems. Environment Washington is working to win congressional approval for these bills and get them signed into law before the end of the year.

Senate Republicans block global warming debate

On June 6, the Senate ended any chance of considering a global warming bill this year when it fell short of the necessary 60-vote threshold and ended consideration of the global warming bill before it was able to come to a vote. Environment America had been working over the past year to strengthen key provisions in the bill. In the end, what could have been a solid first step toward a comprehensive global warming bill failed to overcome opposition from powerful polluting industries.

Forty-eight senators voted to proceed with the bill, while 36 senators, led by the Republican leadership and emboldened by a Bush administration veto threat, blocked consideration of the bill. They used time-consuming procedural maneuvers, including forcing Senate clerks to read aloud every word of the 492-page bill.  After the vote, Global Warming Program Director Emily Figdor told the media, “Faced with an urgent problem that demands action, the Senate passed the buck. Next time around, the polluters and their allies in Congress won’t get off so easy.”