MO Senate Action Alert

[SilverMallard]

I got a very nice and encouraging email from Holly Neill, ExDir of James River Basin Partnership this morning. She indicated that they are working with Watershed Committee of the Ozarks on the lobbying efforts I posted above. And she apologized for the delay in replying to my attempts to contact them. Very professional and very appropriate response. But I would have expected nothing less from Holly or JRBP.

[Dan Pemby]

I just read the entire bill, OMG.

Anyway, this is what I wrote to my Senator.

Dear Senator,

I have just read SB364 and I would like you to know I am strongly opposed to this bill. I would like you to please vote against SB364.

I would like you to understand I am opposed to any bill that would strip cities, counties and watershed/drainage districts of ANY authority to enforce conservation / pollution regulations. Our water resources are far too fragile as they are. If anything, stricter policies should be in effect to protect the resources that we share with agriculture.

The damage caused by mining will probably never be fixed in our lifetime and I would like my grandchildren to be able to enjoy what you and I know are some of the most beautiful waterways in this country

Thank you for your attention

Dan Pemberton

[SilverMallard]

That's a MODEL letter, Dan! Excellent. Can others use it if they want to? And thanks for taking the time. SB 364 is one of the 3 worst things I have ever seen considered by the MO Legislature.

[Dan Pemby]

I encourage everyone to use it!

I find it very disappointing that the Senator that sponsered this bill Chris Koster, sits on the Economic Development, Tourism and Local Government committee as the vice-chair and yet he proposed a bill to reduce the effectivness of local governments on issues that greatly concern them. Seems very hipocritical. I guess that is the life of a politician.

[SilverMallard]

He hails from a HUGELY pro-ag district. But this isn't even pro-ag! What about the farmer next door to a polluter who uses the same water he does? If SB 364 becomes law, he won't be able to sue his neighbor for poisoning his livestock or burning up his crops!

[Crippled Caddis]

Copy of e-mail of encouragement just sent to Ms. Norma Champion:

<Ms. Champion,

I am not one of your constituents nor am I even a resident of the state of Missouri, but I DO live downstream. As a resident of the White River drainage basin in Arkansas and a perennial defender of our water I am writing to tell you that I greatly deplore SB 364. It might well be considered the very model of the type of legislation calculated to destroy what little clean water that remains in the Ozarks. It is so egregiously evil in intent that it boggles the rational mind to think that it would even pass out of legislative committee.

Through public sources I understand that you oppose SB 364. Good for you! Many of your neighbors to the South visit your state for recreational purposes. I myself just within the last few weeks bought an out-of-state annual fishing license and trout permit. I had hoped to visit some of the fisheries in Missouri in the next year. I now wonder if any will remain if SB 364 is permitted to pass.

Not only is SB 364 an egregious violation of federal water standards but it is a huge disservice to Missouri's neighbors downstream. It would adversely affect our waters as well and create ill-will between neighbors both private and governmental.

Please do all within your power to short-circuit this evil and prevent approval.>

Anyone know who else I might forward a copy of my opinion to that might need to know that downstream neighbors are aware of what is going on?

[SilverMallard]

Senator Jack Goodman, who represents Taney, Stone, Ozark, Barry, McDonald, and Lawrence Counties. Roaring River SP, Taneycomo, Table Rock, and I believe NFOW are in his district. Tourism and not ag is the lifeblood of his district. So clean water is an easier sell and he's more responsive to anglers and paddlers by nature. Try jackgoodman@senate.mo.gov or call his office at the number listed on the state senate website.

Senator Chuck Purgason has the Current River, Montauk SP, most of the Mark Twain National Forest, and I think the Eleven Point in his district. That's another good one we should be able to count on. He has mining interests in his district that are pretty strong, but so is tourism. Again, try chuckpurgason@senate.mo.gov

Senator Dan Clemens represents Greene County, Christian County, Webster County, and Douglas County except for the city of Springfield. BUT he's got a masters in AG from Mizzou and has held significant positions within the Mo. Farmers Assn (MFA). On the other hand, he has served with the James River Basin Partnership as the ag liason and is an avid hunter and fisherman. His family owns a 400 acre ROW CROP farm East of Springfield. He would be an important person to convince to oppose this bill. But his loyalty is to the ag lobby and farmers in his district, while his ideology and personal past-times might provide grounds upon which can appeal to his better nature. Try danclemens@senate.mo.gov or Dan@ElectDanClemens.org or call his office. He has co-sponsored legislation last year that was passed that SB 364 would NEGATE! So there's a good chance he can be convinced to oppose this bill.

The @senate.mo.gov email adresses I posted here on a hunch apparently do not work. Folks will need to CALL THESE PEOPLE'S OFFICES AND ASK TO SPEAK TO THEIR CHIEF LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT. We already know the senate email server is not reliable. So don't waste time filling out the form on the senate website that you get when you hit "Email the Senator" on their senate pages. CALL THEM. If I get working email addresses for these folks, I will post them here.

[Crippled Caddis]

Thanks for the eddresses SM. I sent a modified version of my original post to all the senators for whom you provided an eddress. Sadly all 3 promptly bounced. Unfortunately I am a Luddite regarding computers and 'googling' is something I do with saltwater when I feel a sore throat coming on.;o( CC

[SilverMallard]

Thanks for the eddresses SM. I sent a modified version of my original post to all the senators for whom you provided an eddress. Sadly all 3 promptly bounced. Unfortunately I am a Luddite regarding computers and 'googling' is something I do with saltwater when I feel a sore throat coming on.;o( CC

Unfortunately, the @senate.mo.gov email addresses were a stab in the dark based on the one Senator Champion's CoS gave me for her. As I explained in a post way back on this thread, it seems the senate webmaster has not been forwarding ANY email to Senator Champion about SB 364. So I have no confidence in the email server on the Mo Senate website. They had over a week to receive mine and several others', and had not gotten any of them. Now, Dan Clemens should be reachable through Dan@ElectDanClemens.org The others we will probably have to call and perhaps get email addresses from their offices for the benefit of others.

[SilverMallard]

Just in from Table Rock Lake Water Quality, Inc.:

Hi Ken,

I am still in Baltimore but I was able to read your email. Thank you for sending these links.

I agree this bill does not seem to be in the best interests of the environmental community. I am going to make my board aware of this situation and also talk to our State Senator and Representative. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

David

David Casaletto, Executive Director

Table Rock Lake Water Quality

And THIS guy has been in Baltimore, Maryland, all week at a water quality conference! Gotta admire this sort of response.