Water/Sprawl Conference

September 17, 2001
Protecting Our Rivers Conference, Sept 22:

September 17, 2001
3.  ANNOUNCEMENT - Water/Sprawl Conference Nov. 9-11, REGISTER TODAY:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  Our annual conference will be NOVEMBER 9-11! at Lakeside Resort in Smithville, TN!  TN Clean Water Network (TCWN) & TN Environmental Council (TEC) Present a Conference on Clean Water/Sprawl Issues in TN:

DAY ONE of the conference (Saturday) will feature Jim Hightower, a popular nationally syndicated radio talk show host (invited and almost confirmed!) and workshops on working on measures in your watershed that protect against sprawl and water pollution.

On Saturday night, we will have fun, music, and you can meet people from across Tennessee that are working on water and sprawl related issues.

DAY TWO of the conference (optional) will feature a series of recreational events including a canoe trip, a hiking trip, a trip on Centerhill Lake, and possibly some craft-based activities.

***Tennessee Clean Water Network's NEWSLETTER: TENNESSEE WATERSHED WATCH has just been released.  In depth articles are featured about important clean water issues in Tennessee including:

*Dalton, Georgia's proposed withdrawal from the Tennessee River
*How Tennessee's new Inter-basin Transfer law works
*Criminal Judgment Assessed Against Wolf River Polluter
*Forest Watch's Efforts to Track Chip Mill Development in Tennessee and more....

If you want to receive TCWN's quarterly newsletter, become a member!
You will help support our river protection efforts AND get benefits such as the newsletter, a SAVE TNRIVERS bump sticker, and a reduced rates at TCWN events.  To join, email [email protected] or log onto our website at www.tcwn.org***

September 7, 2001
Water/Sprawl Conference Nov. 9-11, REGISTER TODAY:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  Our annual conference will be NOVEMBER 9-11! at Lakeside Resort in Smithville, TN!

TN Clean Water Network (TCWN) & TN Environmental Council (TEC) Present a Conference on Clean Water/Sprawl Issues in TN:

Mark your calendars for TCWN's 4th Annual Conference, offered jointly by TCWN and TEC, to be held November 9-11, 2001 The conference will focus on clean water issues and sprawl issues in Tennessee.

DAY ONE of the conference (Saturday) will feature Jim Hightower, a popular nationally syndicated radio talk show host (invited and almost confirmed!) and workshops on working on measures in your watershed that protect against sprawl and water pollution.

On Saturday night, we will have fun, music, and you can meet people from Across Tennessee that are working on water and sprawl related issues.

DAY TWO of the conference (optional) will feature a series of recreational events including a canoe trip, a hiking trip, a trip on Centerhill Lake, and possibly some craft-based activities.

September 7, 2001
Free Postcards and On-Line Letters for Wetland Protection from Clean Water Network:

August 6, 2001

Message Kit:  BIODIVERSITY AND SPRAWL

August 6, 2001

MARK YOUR CALENDARY!  Our annual conference will be NOVEMBER 9-11! at Lakeside Resort in Smithville, TN!

June 19, 2001
1.  NOV 9-11, TN Clean Water Network (TCWN) & TN Environmental Council (TEC) Present a Conference on Clean Water/Sprawl Issues in TN:

Mark your calendars for TCWN's 4th Annual Conference, offered jointly by TCWN and TEC, to be held November 9-11, 2001 at Lakeside Resort in Smithville, TN!  The conference will focus on clean water issues and sprawl issues in Tennessee.  Additional details are forthcoming.

May 28, 2001
Tennessee Environmental E-News:

The Tennessee Environmental Council is pleased to announce the launching of a new monthly electronic environmental newsletter the Tennessee Environmental News or TEN.  With TEN, we will keep you informed with brief updates on key issues and events across Tennessee. We invite all interested people to visit our website. There you can easily sign-up to receive TEN monthly.

Please forward this notice to anyone who might be interested in this service. We also invite you to send us newsletter submissions on issues or announcements you would like to bring to our attention.  Send your ideas and updates to [email protected].  We look forward to bringing you timely and interesting hot issue information each month. Look for the inaugural edition early in June.

16 Apr 2001 

Want to Help?  

Join one of National Clean Water Network's Workgroups:

                        Enforcement Workgroup

The new White House has already been asked by the Environmental Council of the States (a group representing State environmental commissioners) to dissolve the EPAâ*™s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and shift responsibility for enforcement and compliance to other EPA offices. Members of the workgroup have good reason to be concerned that the Bush Administration will take significant steps backwards in enforcing the Clean Water Act.

Later this year, the Clean Water Network will help U.S. PIRG release its report detailing significant noncompliance at major facilities across the United States. The Network hopes to release additional reports on clean water enforcement during the next two years and are taking suggestions from Network members about the focus and scope of these reports. 

The enforcement workgroup is collecting enforcement success and horror stories to help make the case for stronger enforcement. If you have a great story or if you would like to join the enforcement workgroup, contact Richard Caplan with U.S. PIRG at 202-546-9707 or [email protected]

                        Feedlots Workgroup

Feedlot workgroup members will focus their energy on influencing EPAâ*™s proposed regulations for Combined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). The workgroup is working on a set of comments to submit to EPA, as well as talking points for individual organizations to use as models in crafting their own comments. The deadline for submitting comments to EPA is May 14, 2001.

The workgroup will continue to implement its strategic work plan, focusing on our four main campaigns: 1) requiring pollution control permits for livestock factories; 2) requiring environmentally sound and humane systems for livestock production; 3) implementing and enforcing the existing law; and 4) educating the public. For more information or to join the feedlots workgroup, contact, Melanie Flynn at NRDC at 202-289-2393 or [email protected].

                        Wetlands Workgroup

This year the workgroup will work to fill the hole in the Clean Water Act left by the recent Supreme Court decision on isolated wetlands through a number of mechanisms, including sharing state-level legislative strategies for providing wetlands protections through our section 404 listserve. In addition, the workgroup will seek increased funding for wetlands  conservation programs in upcoming appropriations bill and the reauthorization of the Farm bill.

For more information or to join the wetlands workgroup and listserve, contact CWNâ*™s Ami Grace at 202-289-2421.

                    Wet Weather/Funding Workgroup

Keep Raw Sewage at Bay and Fund Cleaner Waters! At Clean Water Week, this workgroup discussed the latest policy developments in storm water, Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), and infrastructure funding. The workgroup also talked about the need to increase awareness about "green solutions," like rain gardens and buffers, as Congress considers proposals to increase funding for clean water and drinking water infrastructure.

The workgroup is urging Administrator Whitman to publish the recently proposed SSO rule. The workgroup will develop comments once the rule is officially proposed, including comments to improve the costs/benefit section of it. The proposed rule can be found at www.epa.gov/owm/rulmakef/htm. Please to go the action alert on CWNâ*™s web site at www.cwn.org  and send a letter to Whitman. 

 Workgroup members will continue to address CSOs by commenting on guidance and making sure appropriate monies are provided to cleaning up CSOs. The workgroup has also created a list of principles for infrastructure funding which is on the Networkâ*™s web site at www.cwn.org  under Wet Weather. For more information about these rules or to join the workgroup, please contact Nancy Stoner with NRDC at 202-289-2394 or [email protected].

                            TMDL Workgroup

The TMDL workgroup participted in a feedback session on the Networkâ*™s new TMDL Development and Implementation Campaign. The campaign areas that prompted the most interest and discussion were the TMDL toolkit and trainings. The TMDL toolkit will focus on materials that can be produced nationally, but tailored to local conditions. It will include a basic guide to TMDL review, a guide to debunking industry attacks on the program, experts list, and more. The Networkâ*™s TMDL trainings are currently focused on the policy and technical issues surrounding TMDL development. The group expressed interest in expanding trainings to include media work and other special interest areas. 

Follow up discussions on these and other campaign issues are happening on the TMDL listserve. Join today! The first version of the toolkit should be out in late March or early April. Watch for its release on email and in this newsletter. TMDL trainings are on-going â*” one was held in Mississippi in mid-February and a second was held on March 10 in Iowa. Contact Merritt Frey at 208-345-7776 or [email protected] if you are interested in a hosting a TMDL training session in your state.