Once a year, we join our partners within the Conservation Voter Movement to lobby our elected officials in Congress in Washington, D.C. FCV Executive Director Aliki Moncrief and Deputy Director Jonathan Webber visited nine Florida representatives, carrying the Florida Conservation Voters flag.
We focused on three issues: clean energy, land and water conservation, and toxic PFAS contamination.
Here’s a recap of the progress we made:
Clean Energy for All
Every community deserves to be pollution-free, and access to clean energy is an essential part of a clean future. Clean Energy For All is a grassroots campaign that moves our country closer to 100% clean energy by 2050, rejecting dirty fossil fuels. But we need our lawmakers to lead the way. Thankfully there are many of Florida’s most important Congress members who agree and are leading the “charge” for us in DC.
Land and Water Conservation Fund
Everyone loves our national, state, and local parks. That’s why we must fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has helped build some of our favorite outdoor places across the country like Everglades National Park. Like most large conservation projects, consistent funding is key to success and will help us save what’s left of America’s natural, cultural, and historic treasures. We were heartened to see that the Florida delegation members were enthusiastic about the LWCF and the impacts it has in Florida and the country – especially as it relates to protecting our drinking water and economy.
PFAS/Water
PFAS, short for Per- and polyfluoroalkyl is an unregulated toxic chemical that contaminates drinking water. PFAS is found in food packaging, household products, firefighting foam, and much more. It can build up in our environment over time. Sadly, these chemicals are linked to major health problems like cancer and liver complications and are found in more than 1,500 drinking water systems across the country. Over 20 sites have been identified for PFAS contamination in Florida alone. To protect our families and ourselves, we must hold polluters accountable, stop PFAS production, and clean up current contamination.
Although our 50 states are different, we all work for conserved land, clean energy, and safe water. We are delighted to make these visits, and meeting with our congresspeople further motivates us to fight for Florida’s future.
Representing FCV in DC is an honor and a pleasure. And we had every single one of our supporters in mind every time we sat down to chat with a lawmaker.
Together, we will save Florida’s environment.