Erin Brockovich: Local Advocacy Drives Big Change
09 October 2013
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Kaye Spector
Environmental activist and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich said in a recent interview that  individuals can—and should—exert influence on big corporations by flexing their muscles at the local level. That means using social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, and showing up at local government meetings to express their opinions.
"It begins at a very local level," Brockovich told EnviroNews in the video interview below.Â
Sometimes just showing up at a local meeting can influence politicians, she said. "When people are there, they've  got something to answer for."
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The Izaak Walton League of America
The Izaak Walton League has been fighting all year to restore these lost protections. We took an important step forward this summer when the Corps and U.S. Enviornmental Protection Agency proposed some common sense, science-based guidelines that move us closer to our goal.
That progress is at risk right now in the U.S. Senate. Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming and Dean Heller of Nevada plan to offer an amendment this week that would block the Corps from taking any action to restore even limited protections to streams and wetlands nationwide. And this isn't a temporary ban—it's a permanent prohibition.
Senators need to hear from constituents who hunt, fish, boat and enjoy the outdoors in opposition to this amendment.
Call your U.S. Senators today and urge them to vote against the Barrasso-Heller amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Click here to find your Senator's phone numbers.
Here are talking points:
I am calling from [insert your town or city] to urge Senator [insert last name] to vote against the Barrasso-Heller amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill.
The amendment directly and permanently blocks efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers to protect water quality and critical habitat for fish and wildlife. It would also undermine the hunting and angling economy in our state and across the country. Hunters and anglers spend more than $86 billion annually. This spending supports local jobs and manufacturing nationally, and depends on clean water, healthy wetlands, and abundant fish and wildlife.
Please vote against the Barrasso-Heller amendment when the Senate considers the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Thank you.
For more information, click here.