*NEWS RELEASE *

For immediate release:* *October 6, 2008

*Group cites her commitment to the environment*

*Philadelphia*: Clean Water Action today announced its endorsement of Congresswoman Allyson Scwharz (D-13) in the 2008 General Election.

"We are pleased to announce today that Clean Water Action officially endorses Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz for the U.S. Congress," said Myron Arnowitt. "We are confident that she will continue work to protect Pennsylvania’s lakes, river, streams and drinking water sources as well as the health of our families and communities.”

Congresswoman Schwartz has been a leader in fighting to protect the environment. Going all the way back to her career in the State Senate, her commitment to the environment has been an ongoing theme for Congresswoman Schwartz. She has taken the lead in greening the practices of government and greening the operations of her own organization.

NEWS RELEASE - September 30, 2008

Philadelphia: Clean Water Action today announced its endorsement of Joe Sestak (D-07) in the 2008 election.

"We are pleased to announce today that Clean Water Action officially endorses the Hon. Joe Sestak for Congress," said Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania Director of Clean Water Action. "We are confident that he will continue work to protect Pennsylvania’s lakes, rivers, streams and drinking water sources as well as the health of our families and communities.”

Joe Sestak has been the single most consistent pro-environment vote in the Pennsylvania House delegation. Sestak has also been talking about building a green economy in the Commonwealth since he first ran in 2006. He continues to make this a priority, supporting alternative energy ventures and pushing tax incentives for green enterprises.

I have known Dr. Keith Leaphart for over two years now, and I am hopeful that his Exploratory Committee becomes a full fledged Congressional campaign. Full disclosure: I have no official role, but I have spoken with Dr. Leaphart about my professional interest in helping him with his Exploratory Committee. But regardless of whether I view him as a client, friend, community activist, doctor, or congressional candidate, my admiration for his leadership and commitment to his community remains the same. Dr. Leaphart is man who has proven his intellect and compassion through his education and career choices, and demonstrated a deep committment to his community through years of organizing and mentoring.

UPDATE, 2:53PM: In a vote of 27-21, the HELP committee has passed a non-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. A full floor vote is next. Only four Democrats voted against this non-inclusive bill: Reps. Yvette Clark, Loretta Sanchez, Rush Holt and Dennis Kucinich. I don't know what Sestak's rationale for voting for a non-inclusive bill is yet. It must be tough for him with the speaker and other House Dem leaders pushing for this bill. However, a non-inclusive bill does not do anything to address the core problems inherent to LGBT workplace discrimination. I'll provide more of an update on next steps when it becomes clear what they are

Dear Congressman,

A lot of us here in Philadelphia vocally supported you last fall. You were a hero on this and other local blogs, and local grassroots groups like Philly for Change and Liberty City endorsed you, and helped your campaign. That's why it's exciting to me that your vote on the markup of a bill today could make a big difference.

Today, your committee (the House Education and Labor committee) will meet at 10 AM and vote to mark up a bill called ENDA to extend employment rights to lesbians and gays. Currently there is no federal law protecting non-heterosexuals from being fired for having sex, in non-working hours, with someone else of the same sex.

Passage of this bill would be a big step forward in establishing, under law, a set of rights and a class of protection for gays and lesbians. However, some members of the queer community have never been able to get or keep jobs, not because of who they sleep with, but because of who they are.

That's right, I am talking about nellies, sissies, butches, genderqueer, and transgender people. Some of these folks identify as a different gender than the sex they were born with, and some identify fully as the sex they were born with--they're just more feminine or masculine than the norm.

These are the people who face the most discrimination in the workplace, and yet some of your colleagues want to remove protections from ENDA that would designate gender identity and gender presentation as protected classes under the law.

As I watched the Congressional Hearing over the controversial Jena 6 case last night on C-SPAN a few things didn't sit well with me. Being an African American male watching this kind of treatment being implemented towards black teens wasn't my major beef. Having family from southern states made me aware of how some of these racist states (S. Carolina , Florida, Georgia, etc.)operate ,so this isn't nothing new. What had me fuming is that how our so-called United States Government dropped the ball in protecting these 6 black teens from this kind of behavior and nipping this whole racism thing in the bud. And how we elect and have these people in office to do their job not only don't care about the welfare of the constituents, but just coming to work to collect a check just like the rest!