The following is suggested text provided by FLARE for a letter to your representative in Congress asking for support for the Barton bill. Of course, you can modify this letter as you see fit.
If your representative is a member of one of the key committees, it is especially important that he or she hears from you.
The general address shown in the heading of the letter will get your letter delivered to your representative's office. If you need additional assistance, contact FLARE (630) 416-6221, IFI, (301) 622-1900, the Baise & Miller law firm (202)331-9100, or your state or regional trade association office.
The Honorable (First name) (Last name) United States House Of Representatives Washington D.C. 20515 Dear Representative (Last Name), I am writing to ask for your support for H.R. 1711, The Small Business Remediation Act. This bill, introduced by Representative Joe Barton (R-TX-6) on May 22, 1997, seeks to establish reasonable clean up standards for any possible contamination associated with drycleaning sites. Current clean up standards are not based on health issues, economic impact, or scientific logic. In many cases, the required clean up level requires expenditures that seriously impair or even bankrupt the dry cleaner affected. In the vast majority of these cases, the contamination level is extremely minute and results from normal, legal and often mandated drycleaning practices carried out over many years. However, the required clean up can be so expensive that for legal and economic reasons it never gets done. H.R. 1711 would establish logical clean up requirements which would safeguard human health by setting standards based on OSHA's stringent limits for human exposure to drycleaning solvents. The bill specifically excludes any relaxation of drinking water standards and allows future revision based on any changes in health data. H.R 1711 would allow scarce funds for cleanup to be directed to these sites which pose a genuine danger to human health. At the same time it would relieve drycleaners, landlords, and lenders from the threat of economic ruin from remediation standards which are frequently illogical and technologically unattainable. I would be happy to visit with your environmental aide to answer any questions or concerns. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, (Your Name, Address and Phone Number)