[announce-gpco] House Bill 1079

[Charlie]

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*_Ensure the public is informed of the history and environmental 
conditions of the proposed Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge!_*

* The Colorado State Legislature is considering House Bill 1079, which 
would require the government to inform future visitors to the Rocky 
Flats National Wildlife Refuge of the site’s environmental history as a 
former nuclear weapons manufacturing complex, past contamination and 
cleanup conditions. The Colorado Green Party supports this legislation 
and urges everyone to contact their legislators, other leaders and the 
media to request passage of this important bill. *

* *House Bill 1079, introduced by Representative McKinley (D, Baca 
County, Dist.64) on January 12, was approved by the state House Health 
and Human Services Committee on January 31. It is presently in the 
Appropriations Committee.

_Learn about the Bill**_

*The bill text can be found on the State Legislature Web site at: 
*http://www.leg.state.co.us/Clics2005a/csl.nsf/BillFoldersHouse?openFrameset

*The Green Party Proposal in support of the bill is on the Jeffco Greens 
Web site at: http://www.jeffcogreens.org/legislative.htm*

_Take Action**_

*Please call or write to your legislator and/or members of the House 
Appropriations Committee. To find out their contact information, you can 
call the Legislative Information Line at *303-866-3055, or find this 
information online at:* 
*http://www.leg.state.co.us/Clics2005a/csl.nsf/Directory?openFrameset.

Below is a sample letter that can be cut and paste into your own message 
with your name and sent out.

To the Honorable (Your Legislator or Committee Members):

I am writing to urge you to support passage of Colorado House Bill 1079, 
an act concerning measures to inform future visitors to the proposed 
Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge of its environmental history. I 
strongly support this bill and would like you, as my government 
representative, to approve it.

This bill recognizes the government’s responsibility for and the wisdom 
behind cleaning up our environment to ensure our health and the health 
of future generations. It puts the power to decide whether we consider 
something a risk and whether we want to risk our health into our own 
hands, locally and personally.

(Please add your own comments here to personalize the message.*)

This bill, which is endorsed by the Colorado Green Party, supports the 
following Green Values: Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots 
Democracy, Decentralization, Personal and Global Responsibility, and 
Future Focus.

Thank you for your attention to my request. I would appreciate it if you 
would let me know what you decide on this bill.

Respectfully,

(Your Name)
* Additional comments that could be added to your message (suggested by 
Green Party member Tanya Ishikawa):

To me, this bill is important because it gives visitors the information 
to make a knowledgable decision on whether they want to visit the 
refuge. I believe most people, especially those from out of state and 
especially those coming after a decade has passed, won't know the 
history of Rocky Flats. They would be surprised to know about the former 
contamination and current underground contamination, and I am sure they 
would want to know about it.

The Legislature needs to act on this bill because the state and federal 
government agencies in charge of the cleanup are hesitant to provide 
this information. They are opposed to it because it harms their 
self-esteem. They've complained that this bill presupposes failure in 
the cleanup, offending the agencies involved, but that is not the 
purpose. Whether the cleanup is perfect and the Flats becomes a 
perfectly safe place to visit or not, I believe that visitors should be 
informed of its history of contamination.

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