----------------------------Original message---------------------------- July 14, 1997 From: Jacqueline Hamilton, 202-289-2362=3B jhamilton@nrdc.org Peter Lehner, 212-727-4425=3B plehner@nrdc.org Sarah Chasis, 212-727-4423=3B schasis@nrdc.org Natural Resources Defense Council Re: Action Alert, Contaminated Sediment Cleanups in Jeopardy Citizen silence may lead to another industry give-away, dooming our waters and other resources now contaminated with toxic wastes. From the PCB's in the Hudson River to mercury in the Great Lakes, to the DDT in Los Angeles Bay, contaminated bottom sediments constitute one of the most important pollution sources. These toxics, which result from years of poisons dumped in our waters, continue to ensure that these waters are not fully fishable or swimmable. While the Clean Water Act itself does not, for the most part, address contaminated sediments, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund) does require their clean-up. CERCLA requires the polluter not only to clean-up the contamination at its own site, but to restore the "natural resource damages" caused by the movement of its toxic chemicals from the site to the surrounding water body. Superfund is the primary federal law mandating the clean-up of the contaminated sediments which threaten water quality around the country. Superfund also requires the polluter to make the public and the environment whole for losses incurred between the time of the pollution and the final restoration. The polluter must compensate for this lost "interim use" either in monetary payments or in provision of additional natural resources (such as preserved wetlands, beach access, or enhanced wildlife protections). The provision of Superfund requiring restoration and compensation is called the "natural resource damages" or NRD title of Superfund. Not surprisingly, it is facing a full scale assault by industry. Led by companies such as GE, Arco and Asarco, industry lobbyists are trying to convince Congress to do away with all but the most minimal natural resource damage mandates. Lobbyists argue there is no need to compensate the public for past interim losses or to restore the ecological value of the damaged resource. They prefer to trust "natural recovery" to clean up their mess and to provide only minimal alternatives for human uses of the resource in the interim, such as busing fishermen to unpolluted streams elsewhere or providing extra life guards at other, unpolluted beaches. Unfortunately, some of these resources are so devastated that they may never recover without active restoration work on the part of the industries that caused or contributed to their contamination. Superfund is a top priority for Congress this year. Active negotiations are now underway among Senate and House staffers and between both houses of Congress and the Clinton administration. Thus it is critical to voice your support for strong natural resource damage recovery provisions in Superfund now. Please contact your Senator, especially if he or she is on the Environment and Public Works Committee. Your Senator must know that you support the clean-up of contaminated sediments and restoration of contaminated rivers, estuaries and coastal waters. Since the same discussions are taking place among staff in the House of Representatives, this message must also reach your Representative, especially if she or he is on either the House Commerce or Transportation committee. Demand that the Superfund NRD provision not be weakened. Call the White House, too, and help them stiffen their spine. Write an editorial=21 Without the clean-up of contaminated sediments, water will never be clean. For more information contact Jacqueline Hamilton, Peter Lehner, or Sarah Chasis at the numbers/email above. A sample letter follows. Dear Senator: or Representative: I care deeply about my swimming and fishing waters. Yet these waters are at risk because of contaminated sediments resulting from years of toxic pollution. I write to urge you NOT to weaken the natural resource damages provision of Superfund. This is virtually the only law that will achieve the clean-up of the toxic sediments which underlie many of our waters and the restoration of natural resources damaged by this contamination. Superfund, officially the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act or CERCLA, is being debated again this year in Congress. Many industry lobbyists are trying to convince you to forget and forgive past pollution and to largely let nature take its course with these toxic sites. Don't be convinced. These toxic sediments are the result of years of pollution. The damage at these sites is severe, and many may never recover without active restoration efforts. We cannot simply stand aside and assume they will be restored naturally. After suffering years of pollution, the public and the environment deserve more help from the polluters. Do not let the natural resource damages provision of Superfund be gutted . Without a strong law, our waters will never be fully fishable and swimmable. Sincerely, Senators on the Environment and Public Work Committee are: Cong. Dist. P Senator Room/Bldg.. Phone # RI R John Chafee 505 Dirksen 202-224-2921 VA R John Warner 225 Russell 202-224-2023 NH R Robert C. Smith 303 Dirksen 202-224-2841 ID R Dirk Kempthorne 304 Russell 202-224-6142 OK R James M. Inhofe 453 Russell 202-224-4721 WY R Craig Thomas 109 Hart 202-224-6441 MO R Christopher S. Bond 267 Russell 202-224-5721 AR R Tim Hutchinson 233 Dirksen 202-224-2353 CO R Wayne Allard 513 Hart 202-224-5941 AL R Jeff Sessions 499 Russell 202-224-4124 MT D Max Baucus 511 Hart 202-224-2651 NY D Daniel Patrick Moynihan 464 Russell 202-224-4451 NJ D Frank Lautenberg 506 Hart 202-224-4744 NV D Harry Reid 528 Hart 202-224-3542 FL D Bob Graham 524 Hart 202-224-3041 CT D Joseph Lieberman 706 Hart 202-224-4041 CA D Barbara Boxer 112 Hart 202-224-3553 OR D Ron Wyden 717 Hart 202-224-5244 Representatives on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are: Cong. Dist. P Representative Room/Building Phone # AL D Spencer Bachus 442 Cannon 225-4921 MI D James A. Barcia 2419 Rayburn 225-8171 VA R Herbert H. Bateman 2350 Rayburn 225-4261 NY R Sherwood L. Boehlert 2246 Rayburn 225-3665 PA R obert A. Borski 2267 Rayburn 225-8251 FL D Corrine Brown 1610 Longworth 225-0123 TN D Bob Clement 2229 Rayburn 225-4311 SC D James E. Clyburn 319 Cannon 225-3315 NC R Howard Coble 2239 Rayburn 225-3065 IL D Jerry F. Costello 2454 Rayburn 225-5661 AL D Robert E. Cramer Jr. 2416 Rayburn 225-4801 MO D Pat Danner 1207 Longworth 225-7041 PR D Peter A. DeFazio 2134 Rayburn 225-6416 TN R John J. Duncan, Jr. 2400 Rayburn 225-5435 MI R Vernon J. Ehlers 1717 Longworth 225-3831 IL R Thomas W. Ewing 2417 Rayburn 225-2371 CA D Bob Filner 330 Cannon 225-8045 FL R Tillie K. Fowler 109 Cannon 225-2501 NJ R Bob Franks 225 Cannon 225-5361 MD R Wayne T. Gilchrest 332 Cannon 225-5311 CA R Stephen Horn 438 Cannon 225-6676 TX D Eddie Bernice Johnson 1123 Longworth 225-8885 NY R Sue W. Kelly 1222 Longworth 225-5441 CA R Jay Kim 227 Cannon 225-3201 IL R Ray LaHood 329 Cannon 225-6201 IA R Tom Latham 516 Cannon 225-5476 OH R Steve C. LaTourette 1239 Longworth 225-5731 IL D William O. Lipinski 1501 Longworth 225-5701 NJ D Robert Menendez 405 Cannon 225-7919 FL R John L. Mica 106 Cannon 225-4035 NY R Susan Molinari 2411 Rayburn 225-3371 NY D Jerrold Nadler 2448 Rayburn 225-5635 DC D Eleanor Holmes Norton 1424 Longworth 225-8050 MN D James L. Oberstar 2366 Rayburn 225-6211 MS R Mike Parker 2445 Rayburn 225-5865 WI R Thomas E. Petri 2262 Rayburn 225-2476 IL D Glenn Poshard 2334 Rayburn 225-5201 NY R Jack Quinn 331 Cannon 225-3306 WV D Nick Joe Rahall, II 2307 Rayburn 225-3452 PA R Bud Shuster 2188 Rayburn 225-2431 OH D James A. Traficant, Jr. 2446 Rayburn 225-5261 TN R Zach Wamp 423 Cannon 225-3271 IL R Jerry Weller 130 Cannon 225-3635 WV D Robert E. Wise, Jr. 2367 Rayburn 225-2711 AK R Don Young 2111 Rayburn 225-5765 Representatives on Commerce Committee are: Cong. Dist. P Representative Room/Building Phone # CA R Brian P. Bilbray 1530 Longworth 225-2040 VA R Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. 2409 Rayburn 225-2815 VA D Rick Boucher 2329 Rayburn 225-3861 OH D Sherrod Brown 328 Cannon 225-3401 ID R Michael D. Crapo 437 Cannon 225-5531 FL D Peter Deutsch 204 Cannon 225-7931 MI D John D. Dingell 2328 Rayburn 225-4071 OR D Elizabeth Furse 316 Cannon 225-0855 IA R Greg Ganske 1108 Longworth 225-4426 OH R Paul E. Gillmor 1203 Longworth 225-6405 PA R James C. Greenwood 2436 Rayburn 225-4276 NY D Thomas J. Manton 2235 Rayburn 225-3965 MA D Edward J. Markey 2133 Rayburn 225-2836 OH R Michael G. Oxley 2233 Rayburn 225-2676 MI D Bart Stupak 1410 Longworth 225-4735 LA R W. J. Tauzin 2183 Rayburn 225-4031 MI R Fred Upton 2333 Rayburn 225-3761 WA R Rick White 116 Cannon 225-6311 KY R Ed Whitfield 236 Cannon 225-3115 This message was sent by the Clean Water Network. If you would like to reply to this particular message, please make sure you send it to the appropriate contact. To send a message to the Clean Water Network listserve, please send an email message to cleanwaternt@igc.apc.org and indicate that you would like it posted to the Network listserver. We will try to respond or forward your message to an appropriate expert in a timely manner, but please be aware that we receive over 40 messages a day and so may take some time to get back with you. If you need to contact us immediately, please feel free to phone: Kathy Nemsick I Merritt Frey National Coordinator I Outreach Coordinator 202-289-2395 I 202-289-2421