The 113th Congress officially began last Thursday, January 3. A group of 67 freshman Representatives (29 Republican, 38 Democratic) were sworn-in that morning. A few hours later, Appalachian Voices staffers were in their offices telling them about mountaintop removal mining and the Clean Water Protection Act. I joined the dream team of Matt Wasson, Lenny Kohm and Kate Rooth as we crashed some welcome-to-Congress parties, handing Congressional staffers their first bit of homework.

Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-6) will once again be introducing the Clean Water Protection Act later this spring. Over 100 current House members have cosponsored the legislation in the past, and we’re looking to bring every one of them back. We waited until last Friday, the second day of Congress, to ask them to let Rep. Pallone know that they would like to sign back onto the bill.

While many of the cosponsors we’ve had over the years have retired or lost their seats in the elections, quite a few anti-mountaintop removal champions have moved to the U.S. Senate. Senators Martin Heinrich (NM), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Mazie Hirono (HI), and Chris Murphy (CT) are just the latest to join the ranks of former Clean Water Protection Act cosponsors in the Senate. You can be sure we’ll call on them to remain committed to ending mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia.

It’s an exciting time to be on Capitol Hill, with plenty of new faces and opportunities for positive change. As difficult as it will be to affect that change, we’re ready to buckle down and get to it. And remember, it’s never too early to call your Representative to tell them to cosponsor the Clean Water Protection Act.