WVEC Fundraising Letter

July 22, 2003

Brothers and Sisters,

The West Virginia Environmental Council is your voice for the environment at the West Virginia legislature. And with all the serious environmental challenges facing our state, providing that voice has become a more daunting task each year.

For the 2003 Regular Session of the legislature, WVEC assembled a larger and more experienced lobby team, along with a larger financial commitment, than ever before. This strategy paid big dividends, as we were able to successfully fend off the usual onslaught of bad legislation while advancing our own pro-active energy conservation agenda.

After the session DEP Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer said in a public meeting that the WVEC lobby team provided a "credible and effective" voice for environmental issues at the legislature this year. Believe me, folks, that is a high compliment.

Each year it has also become increasingly evident that in order for WVEC to be an effective voice for environmental legislation we must be involved during the "interim sessions" of the legislature. For example, this year legislative interim committees are dealing with such important issues as ownership and use of our streams and rivers, eliminating the Environmental Quality Board, and a coal industry proposal to roll back regulations it claims are "more stringent than federal law."

Therefore, for the last couple of years the WVEC Board has made an additional commitment to provide at least minimum lobbying coverage of interim committees, as well as important meetings and hearings of all the various agencies that administer state environmental regulations and rules.

As I mentioned before, this a larger financial commitment than the West Virginia Environmental Council has ever attempted. In order to accomplish this, almost all of our regular organizational members have pledged more financial support than in years past. But that is not enough -- now the rest is up to you, our individual members and donors. With our larger commitment, we need your help more than ever. In the past, we have sought your financial support only once a year. But you have told us we need to do more. We agree, but that means you must do more as well.

So we are asking that you reach down deep in your pockets again and show us that you support our expanded effort on behalf of the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the natural resources of West Virginia that you so cherish.

Please send your contributions to: West Virginia Environmental Council, 1324 Virginia Street E., Charleston, WV 25301.

Please do it today. Thanks for your continued support.

Denise Giardina, WVEC member

Donald S. Garvin, Jr. WVEC Legislative Coordinator

WVEC Home