Press Releases

LCV Launches Facebook Ad Campaign Criticizing Senators for Voting Against Clean Water

Nov 13, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) launched a $20,000 Facebook ad campaign holding Senators accountable for their votes last week on Senator Barrasso’s Dirty Water Bill, S. 1140, and the Congressional Review Act “Resolution of Disapproval,” S. J. Res. 22, which permanently blocked implementation of the EPA’s  and Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Rule. The ads criticize Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Richard Burr (R-NC). The Facebook ads are targeted to their respective states, and will run for one week.

“These Senators made the reprehensible choice to place polluters’ profits ahead of the clean drinking water of 117 million Americans,” said Madeleine Foote, LCV Legislative Representative. “These two bills comprised one of the most extreme legislative assaults on our clean water that we’ve seen in the U.S. Senate, threatening the clean water our families, communities, and businesses depend on. These Senators did the bidding of big polluters and refused to listen to the overwhelming public support for clean water safeguards.”

On May 27th, the EPA released the final EPA Clean Water Rule, which would restore protections to the small streams and wetlands that feed into the drinking water supply of one in three Americans. These critical safeguards protect the clean water our children and grandchildren drink, swim and play in. On November 3rd, the Senate voted on S. 1140, Senator Barrasso’s Dirty Water Bill, which would not only have blocked implementation of the Clean Water Rule, but also threatened to gut the Clean Water Act itself. On November 4th, the Senate voted on S.J. Res. 22, a radical and obscure Congressional Review Act “Resolution of Disapproval” to stop the rule and permanently prevent the EPA from issuing similar protections in the future.

A recent poll for LCV, done by Hart Research, found overwhelming public support for the Clean Water Rule. The rule was favored by 80 percent of respondents, including a majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

View the ad criticizing Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) here.
View the ad criticizing Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) here.
View the ad criticizing Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) here.
View the ad criticizing Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) here.

###