home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

Since September 11, the chemical industry has pressed
the government to withhold information about chemicals
that are used and released without regard for public
safety. Take Action! Urge your senators to not let
the chemical industry restrict your "Right to Know"
about hazards at its facilities.

You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/RTK/wk8bxn2a78x6j6

Spread the word about the campaign to protect your
"Right to Know" about chemicals in the environment.
Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/RTK/forward/wk8bxn2a78x6j6

We encourage you to take action by December 7, 2001

Protect Your Right to Know about Chemicals in the Environment

----------------------

***************************  
Action Network from Environmental Defense.  
Finding the ways that work.  
***************************  

PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW:
Communities living near chemical facilities have the
right to know about hazards at those facilities. Public
access to information about pollution from chemical
facilities is one of the most effective tools for holding
companies accountable for their environmental impacts
and encouraging technical improvements to reduce this
pollution. Communities use this information to work
with facilities to reduce chemical hazards and prepare
for potential accidents.  

For example, Environmental Defense's Chemical Scorecard
(http://www.scorecard.org) uses government data to
identify toxic chemical facilities in your community
so you can work proactively to reduce pollution. Tools
like Scorecard have prompted many companies to voluntarily
reduce toxic chemical pollution. Without such important
public information, pollution reductions may not have
been possible.

However, under the guise of "national security," chemical
companies are seeking to block the public's access
to a wide array of information since September 11.
Instead of withholding information about potential
dangers, the country must place a priority on reducing
the actual problems wherever feasible. This includes:

***increasing security at chemical, energy, and nuclear
facilities;

***using less or non-toxic chemicals (thus reducing
the need for security measures) in smaller, safer volumes;

***improving emergency response procedures to prepare
for potential dangers.  

Legislation introduced by Senators Bennett (R-UT) and
Kyl (R-AZ) would restrict the public's "Right to Know"
about these pollution hazards. Their legislation would
bar the federal government from disclosing information
to anyone, including the courts, concerning a wide
range of facilities - from chemical and power plants
to gas stations.  

If this legislation passes, neither the public nor
the courts will have access to information about illegal
releases of toxic chemicals from a chemical facility
located in a heavily populated neighborhood, for example.
We strongly support efforts to keep national security
information confidential and believe that current law
includes sufficient protections. However, this bill
exceeds national security interests by including overly
broad provisions for cloaking information. It would
create a new, dangerously broad tool to conceal information
from the public.  

This legislation may be introduced this week as an
amendment to a bi-partisan bioterrorism bill. Take
action! Urge your senators to protect our "Right to
Know" about pollution from chemical facilities.

More information:

Learn about toxic releases from chemical facilities
in your neighborhood at http://www.scorecard.org .

For a listing of government information that has been
removed or destroyed since September 11, see http://www.ombwatch.org/info/2001/access.html .


Or contact Carol Andress, Economic Specialist at Environmental
Defense at candress@environmentaldefense.org.

----------------------

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/RTK/wk8bxn2a78x6j6  

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish. Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and address
to your letter. Our system automatically does this
for you.  

We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Senator Hillary Clinton
Senator Charles Schumer


-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------

I urge you to oppose legislation that would restrict
public access to a broad array of environmental information.
Senate Bill 1456 would require the federal government
to preserve the secrecy of information that is turned
over by industry regarding "critical infrastructure."
The legislation may be offered as an amendment to the
Senate's bipartisan bioterrorism bill.  

The legislation intends to encourage the sharing of
information that would strengthen national security
against terrorist attacks on and through computer systems.
In practice, however, it could have devastating effects
on the regulatory process and federal law enforcement.


Senate Bill 1456 holds the potential to:

***Bar the federal government from disclosing information
regarding spills, fires, explosions and other accidents
without obtaining written consent from the company
that had the accident.  

***Give the manufacturing sector unprecedented immunity
from the civil consequences of violating the nation's
environmental, tax, fair trade, civil rights, labor,
consumer protection, and health and safety laws.  

***Sweep aside record-keeping and disclosure requirements
under federal laws other than the Securities Exchange
Act.  

The Senate should not pass provisions with such profound
unintended consequences without first considering their
implications very carefully. Please oppose Senate Bill
1456, a dangerous restriction of the public's "Right
to Know."

-------END OF LETTER-------------------------

****************************
* WILD ALERT
* Tuesday, November 27, 2001
****************************

Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

A new proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
reduce air pollution from snowmobiles, dirt bikes, and all-terrain
vehicles (ATVs) does little to substantially reduce air and noise
pollution from off-road vehicles.  Meanwhile, the off-road industry
vows to fight even these weakened standards.  Contact the EPA before
December 19th and tell them to strengthen the proposal:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=867

BACKGROUND
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a
proposal to reduce air pollution from snowmobiles, dirt bikes and
all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).  This proposal sets weak standards --
especially for snowmobiles -- and will not substantially reduce air
and noise pollution from off-road vehicles unless strengthened
significantly.  

To make matters worse, during recent public hearings in Washington and
Denver, the off-road industry presented a united front opposing the
proposal as too stringent, and made it clear it would submit "many,
many comments" against it.

DIRTY MACHINES
Dirt bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles are a major source of air and noise
pollution nationwide.  Most of these machines are powered by
antiquated two-stroke engines that burn a combination of gas and oil.  
According to the EPA, the average two-stroke dumps 25 to 30 percent of
its fuel unburned into the air and water.  The California Air
Resources Board concluded that operating a two-stroke motor for about
7 hours generates as much smog-forming pollution as driving a modern
car more than 100,000 miles.  

The EPA estimates that dirt bikes, snowmobiles and ATVs alone produce
10 percent of all hydrocarbon pollution from vehicles nationwide.  Air
pollution from these machines also threatens public health and has
been directly linked to respiratory disease, cancer and premature
death.

POLLUTING PUBLIC LANDS
Off-road vehicles are a major source of pollution on public lands.  In
Yellowstone National Park, although cars outnumber snowmobiles 16 to
1, snowmobiles produce as much as 68% of the Park's annual carbon
monoxide pollution and up to 90% of all hydrocarbon emissions.  

The average dirt bike traveling across BLM lands in the west generates
8 times as much air pollution as the average car.  Pollution controls
are also needed because these machines are impairing visibility in
national parks, wilderness areas and other public lands across the
country.

WEAK PROPOSAL
The EPA has taken a step in the right direction by proposing to reduce
pollution from these machines - a step that's long overdue.  However,
the proposal issued on September 14 falls far short because:

1) It fails to encourage a rapid transition from dirty two-stroke to
cleaner, more fuel-efficient four-stroke engines, especially in
snowmobiles.
2) It fails to address noise pollution from machines that are as loud
as a busy street.
3) It does not include a labeling system that would give consumers
user-friendly information about emissions to help them make more
informed choices between machines.

These standards can be much stronger.  Four-stroke technology is
widely available today in off-road vehicles.  In fact, two of the four
major snowmobile manufacturers are already making and promoting
four-stroke machines.  Nevertheless, the snowmobile industry pressured
the EPA to issue a weak proposal and has made it clear it will fight
even the very modest pollution controls under consideration.

TAKE ACTION
Your comments can make a difference.  Please send a letter to the EPA
before December 19, 2001, from
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=867 or urge the
agency directly to:

- Substantially strengthen the proposed standards for snowmobiles in
order to quickly and completely phase-out dirty two-stroke
snowmobiles;

- Harmonize proposed standards for dirt bikes with ATVs by requiring
catalytic converters on both machines;

- Use its legal authority to reduce noise pollution from all machines;

- Establish a mandatory, multi-tiered labeling system that gives
consumers easily understandable information about vehicle emissions;
and

- Require particle filters on all diesel boats to protect public
health.     

Send your comments to:
Honorable Christine Todd Whitman
c/o Margaret Borushko
Docket A-2000-01
U.S. EPA
National Vehicle and Fuels Emission Laboratory
2000 Traverwood
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
EMAIL: NRANPRM@epa.gov

***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm

***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm

***************************************************************
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https://secure-net.com/tws/join.asp

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WildAlert is an email action alert system brought to you by The
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in the field and in Washington.  WildAlert messages include updates
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Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect America's
wilderness and to develop a nation-wide network of wild lands through
public education, scientific analysis and advocacy.  Our goal is to
ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water,
wildlife, beauty and opportunities for recreation and renewal that
pristine forests, rivers, deserts and mountains provide. To take
action on behalf of wildlands today, visit our website at
http://www.wilderness.org

To: All Activists
Fr: Lisa Dix, American Lands Campaign
Date: November 27, 2001

Urgent Calls Needed to Senators: Senate Farm Bill Likely to go to Senate
Floor This Week

The Farm bill is likely to be debated on the Senate floor this week.  
The bill contains two extremely controversial provisions, stewardship
contracting and forest biomass subsidies that will significantly impact
National Forest and BLM lands for many years to come. Time is running
out to weigh in on these issues before they become permanently
authorized until 2006.  Please take some time and call today.  These
issues are important for forest advocates because the authorities and
incentives under these programs:

· Accelerate "thinning" and/or logging under the National Fire Plan with
no environmental safeguards (no limits on tree size, age or areas in
which thinning and/or logging could occur).
  
· Increase logging on National Forests and BLM lands regardless of how
much money is appropriated yearly for the timber sale program because
"goods for services" stewardship contracting allows the agencies to give
trees away to industry and to contractors in the name of 'restoration'
and 'fuels reduction.

· Subsidize a forest biomass industry that encourages unsustainable
logging to feed the biomass plants on BLM and National Forest Lands.

· Mock the very principles of forest restoration by providing major
incentives to log the biggest and most valuable trees on public land to
pay for more fuels reduction and restoration projects, causing the need
for more restoration; thereby creating an endless cycle of logging for
"restoration" and "fuels reduction."

Background  
Like the House Farm bill, the Senate bill would permanently authorize
stewardship contracting and $50 million in grants under the National
Fire Plan for the subsidization of a forest biomass industry fed from
National Forest and BLM trees until 2006.  The Senate bill is different
than the House bill in the sense that it links both the stewardship
contracting authorities and forest biomass subsidies to the National
Fire Plan.  According to language in the Senate bill, these programs are
justified because, "the accumulation of heavy forest fuels loads
continues to increase as a result of disease, insect infestations, and
drought, further increasing the risk of fire each year (Title VIII,
Section 808, line 10-13)."  And because, "the hazardous fuels removed
from forest land represent an abundant renewable resource, as well as a
significant supply of biomass for biomass-to-energy facilities (Title
VIII, Section 808, lines 22-25)."  
Both stewardship contracting and the forest biomass subsidies are very
important to understand as a package.  Many of the stewardship
contracting authorities allow the agencies to give away trees for free,
allow contractors to craft their own 'restoration' and 'fuels reduction'
projects without agency oversight and allow the agencies to keep the
receipts for any money made on the projects. Although language in the
Senate bill places a "preference" for projects to be conducted in the
wildland-urban interface, the bill fails to define the term, and does
not make projects in the wildland-urban interface, to protect
communities, mandatory. Further there are no limits on the size or age
of trees to be provided as biomass fuel or in what areas the biomass
fuel could be collected.  Without meaningful restrictions on biofuel
origin or tree diameter, the forest biomass grant program could
subsidize logging in roadless, old growth, riparian, other sensitive
areas and in threatened and/or endangered species habitat.

Once all these projects have started under the stewardship contracting
authorities, any material coming off public lands will be given, as a
subsidy, to whoever receives a forest biomass grant.  The biomass plant
will receive free trees from the public lands, receive a subsidy to pay
for the transportation of the trees, and possibly receive subsidies to
continue the long-term existence of the plant, regardless if all fuels
reduction/restoration work is completed.  While, the Senate bill mostly
limits grants to biomass to energy facilities that have "an annual
production of 5 megawatts or less" very large plants (over 5 megawatts)
will still be eligible for  $1.5 million per year in grants.  The timber
and biomass industries are actively working to remove the $1.5 million
cap and make grants available to large energy producers as well as those
under 5 megawatts.  The industries have also fought very hard against
adding any language in the bill that would make an economic feasibility
study of this new forest biomass industry or ecological monitoring of
fuels reduction activities, mandatory.  

Stewardship Contracting
Authorities under stewardship contracting, such as goods for services is
very similar to the purchaser road credit program, where the Forest
Service gave trees to logging companies in exchange for building logging
roads.  The purchaser road credit program was eventually terminated
because it led to massive subsidies, rampant abuse, environmental
degradation, and a loss of Congressional and public ability to oversee
the Forest Service, not to mention the construction of over 300,000
miles of new, ecologically damaging, roads across the National Forest
system.  Stewardship contracting simply reinstates this program and
expands it beyond roads to include just about any forest management
activity.

Currently, the Forest Service is allowed to enter into 84 total
stewardship contracts but only on a pilot basis, with a heavy emphasis
on monitoring to determine whether or not this program works.  However,
only a little over 20 projects (out of the total 84) have begun, only
25% of the projects are being monitored, and there has been no report to
Congress to determine how stewardship contracting has worked.  Yet,
Members of the Senate such as Senator Crapo (R-ID), Senator Burns
(R-MT), Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), insist that the agencies need
this permanent authority, especially the "goods for services"
stewardship contracting authority, to help expedite fuels reduction work
on public lands.  That's why stewardship contracting authorities are
tied to developing this biomass industry.  As long as any area on public
lands has a "fire risk" then the agencies will be able to contract out
the work using these contracting authorities, with no accountability, to
thin and log in any area regardless of the size and age of trees, to
reduce that fire risk.       

Please call your Senator today at 202-224-3121 and ask them to make the
following changes to the Senate Farm bill Title VIII, Section 808:

1. The biomass subsidy and stewardship contracting authorities must
remain a pilot program, where studies must be completed to determine the
economic feasibility and environmental impact of the programs, before
making them permanent.  All projects must be monitored/ studied to
determine the ecological impact of the program before any new projects
are authorized.  

2. Add environmental safeguards to the bill making it mandatory that all
projects must be done in the wildlands-urban interface.  Prohibit all
projects from roadless areas, wilderness areas, areas of high ecological
integrity, riparian areas, threatened and endangered species habitat,
and old growth ecosystems.  Prohibit projects from being able to
construct or reconstruct roads.  Prohibit commercial timber sales from
mixing with fuels reduction projects.

3. Eliminate the subsidy to biomass plants and the "goods for services,"
"receipt retention," and the "designation by description" contracting
authorities.  

Thank you for all your efforts!

For more information contact Lisa Dix at 202-547-9267 or
mailto:ldix@americanlands.org

Monarch butterflies, Costa Rica's golden toad, and polar bears are
just a few examples of the many species affected by our country's
seemingly insatiable energy demands.  How?  Global warming--caused
largely by the carbon dioxide emitted during energy use--is a primary
culprit.  Recent WWF research shows that the accelerating rates of
warming we can expect in the coming decades are likely to put large
numbers of species at risk.  Climate change may lead to the
disappearance or transformation of extensive areas of important
wildlife habitat.  Sadly, many species will be unable to move fast
enough to survive.

Add to this the loss of habitat and the pollution that accompanies the
development of new energy sources--for example, the degradation that
would be caused by drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge.

Now there's an opportunity to save wildlife by shifting our national
energy policy toward cleaner and less destructive forms of energy.  
Sen. Jeffords (D-Vt.) has introduced legislation calling for
increasing the production of nonpolluting renewable energy such as
wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, by setting a goal for
alternative energy production, known as a renewable portfolio standard
(RPS).   

PLEASE FOLLOW THE SIMPLE STEPS BELOW TO SEND A FREE MESSAGE URGING
YOUR SENATORS TO COSPONSOR THE RENEWABLE ENERGY BILL.  

Please act now; the Senate may debate national energy policy soon.  
For background information, see the very end of this message.

**********************TAKE ACTION NOW!****************

To send the message below, as is, to your senators, hit "reply" to
this email and then "send."  We will fill in the names and addresses
and automatically send the messages for you.

However, we urge you to greatly increase your impact by adding your
own thoughts to your message.  Personalizing your message only takes a
minute; see below for details.

ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND INCREASE YOUR IMPACT  

Log in to your Personal Action
Center-- http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/login.asp --with your
email address (alerts@earthhopenetwork.net) and your password.  (If you have
forgotten your password, follow the instructions on the log-in page to
have a new password emailed to you.)

Once you are in your Personal Action Center, click on "Renewable
Energy Saves Wildlife" and follow the instructions for adding your own
thoughts to your messages.  

THANKS!

As we at WWF counted our blessings last week, chief among them was the
dedication and loyalty of Conservation Action Network activists.  You
have consistently responded--in record numbers--to our calls for
action and have achieved impressive results.  Please share your
enthusiasm with others.  Urge your friends and family to join the
Conservation Action Network by visiting
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/

*********************LETTER TEXT******************

Dear (Your senators' names will be inserted here):

If you have not already done so, I urge you to cosponsor S.1333, the
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Investment Act of 2001.  
Increasing our nation's production of clean, nonpolluting renewable
energy--such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass--is essential for
leaving our children a living planet.  

S.1333 requires that a minimum percentage of electricity--starting at
2.5 percent in 2002 and leveling out at 20 percent in 2020--come from
renewable energy sources.  It also provides renewable energy
developers with the economic support they need to become competitive
with other dirtier and heavily subsidized forms of energy, such as
coal, oil, and nuclear.  These policies will save consumers money,
protect our environment, and over time reduce risks to national
security.  They will also complement similar steps that some states
are already taking.

A twenty-first-century energy plan must focus on the transition to a
sustainable energy future and the reduction of carbon dioxide
pollution that causes global warming.  We need an energy strategy that
is truly long term and that does not destroy our irreplaceable natural
heritage--such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--by emphasizing
fossil fuel extraction.  Please do all you can to support renewable
energy.

Sincerely,

Your name and address
will be inserted here

***********************END OF LETTER TEXT*********************

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The increase of global temperatures seen in the late twentieth century
was unprecedented in the last 1,000 years and represents a rapidly
worsening threat to the world's wildlife and natural habitat.  A
doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has the potential to
eventually destroy at least a third of the world's existing
terrestrial habitats, with no certainty that they will be replaced by
equally diverse or productive ecosystems, or that similar ecosystems
will establish themselves elsewhere.  Unfortunately, some projections
for global greenhouse gas emissions suggest that carbon dioxide will
not only double from pre-industrial levels during the twenty-first
century but may in fact triple if action is not taken to rein in the
inefficient use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil for energy
production.

With the Senate poised to debate national energy policy, now is the
time to speak out for cleaner, renewable forms of energy.  Sen.
Jeffords's bill does just that.  It requires that a minimum percentage
of electricity--starting at 2.5 percent in 2002 and leveling out at 20
percent in 2020--come from renewable energy sources.  It also provides
renewable energy developers with the economic support they need to
become competitive with other dirtier and heavily subsidized forms of
energy, such as coal, oil, and nuclear.

Increasing our use of renewable resources will also reduce the
pressure to open up new areas, such as the world class Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, to fossil fuel production.  Oil drilling would
transform this ecological treasure into a vast oil field with roads,
pipelines, sewage plants, drilling pads, and housing for thousands of
workers.

Please act now.

Note that the message to your senators is written so that it is
appropriate to send even if one or both of your senators have already
cosponsored the bill.  If they have already cosponsored, your message
will let them know that their constituent supports their decision.  If
you are curious to know if your senators are cosponsors, you can visit
a legislative information Web site sponsored by the Library of
Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/ and use the bill number (S.1333) to
search for information on the bill's status and cosponsors.
______________________________________________________________________
Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action Network to
actionquestions@takeaction.worldwildlife.org
______________________________________________________________________
The Conservation Action Network is sponsored by World Wildlife Fund-
US.  Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF is dedicated to
protecting the world's wildlife and the rich biological diversity
that we all need to survive.  The leading privately supported
international conservation organization in the world, WWF has
sponsored more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries and has more than
1 million members in the United States.  WWF calls on everyone --
government, industry, and individuals -- to take responsibility by
taking action to save our living planet.

World Wildlife Fund
1250 Twenty-fourth Street, NW
Washington, DC  20037
http://www.worldwildlife.org
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org

Leaders of the U.S. House are stalling action on the
Foreign Operations Appropriation bill to block a $12.5
million funding increase for the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA). . Please take a moment to send a letter
to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Majority
Whip Tom DeLay asking that they support the funding
increase for UNFPA.

You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/conference_unfpa/ee3bx2a78x6t5

Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/conference_unfpa/forward/ee3bx2a78x6t5

We encourage you to take action by December 3, 2001

House Leaders Blocking Overseas Family Planning Aid

----------------------

Leaders of the U.S. House are stalling action on the
Foreign Operations Appropriation bill to block a $12.5
million funding increase for the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA). The increase will bring total funding
for UNFPA to $37.5 million, still below the $50 million
it received in 1995.

The bill is now in a conference committee where the
Senate negotiators are insisting on a funding increase
for the agency as part of a deal in which they will
drop the provision repealing the Global Gag Rule. Senators
reluctantly agreed to drop that provision when it became
clear that the president would veto the bill if it
were included.

UNFPA is the world's largest multi-lateral agency working
to expand access to voluntary family planning and reproductive
health services to women living in poor countries.
It is leading a massive effort to get reproductive
health supplies to women who have fled Afghanistan.
Even the Bush administration has spoken out about the
needs of women in that part of the world now, with
Laura Bush saying "the fight against terrorism is also
a fight for the rights and dignity of women."

Unfortunately, the House leadership is now blocking
funding for UNFPA, an agency doing more to improve
the lives and health of women in Afghanistan and other
countries. Please take a moment to send a letter to
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Majority Whip
Tom DeLay asking that they support the funding increase
for UNFPA.

Thank you.

----------------------

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/conference_unfpa/ee3bx2a78x6t5  

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish. Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and address
to your letter. Our system automatically does this
for you.  

We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Speaker Dennis Hastert
Representative Tom DeLay


-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------

I am disappointed that you are delaying approval of
the Foreign Operations Appropriation bill in order
to block a funding increase for the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA). Your actions are especially
surprising given the crucial role that UNFPA is playing
in addressing the needs of women in Afghanistan.

As you know, the health needs of women in that country
are severe. Maternal mortality rates are among the
highest in the world. Women can expect to live to only
44, and simply becoming pregnant is a major threat.
UNFPA is leading a global effort to improve these conditions
by providing reproductive health supplies and working
to ensure access to them.  

During her historic radio address, First Lady Laura
Bush, speaking for the White House, said "the fight
against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and
dignity and women." UNFPA is a leader in that fight
and deserves your support. I hope you will use your
influence to ensure that the funding increase proposed
by the conference committee is adopted.

Thank you for your consideration.

-------END OF LETTER-------------------------

Sincerely yours,

NO REFUGE: High risk for national wildlife sanctuaries

ENVIRONMENTAL TRIUMPH: Court rejects lawsuit against national monuments

THREAT TO ARCTIC REFUGE: ‘The Sacking of Science at Interior'

HARRY POTTER'S OWL: Movie driving up demand for Snowy Owls as pets

SAVING LYNX: Rare wildcat needs protection in northern U.S.

ON THE BRINK: Prospects dim for endangered caribou

HOLIDAY GIFT SPECIALS: Great gifts for friends and family

1. NO REFUGE: High risk for national wildlife sanctuaries In these times, Americans need places of refuge. But nearly 100 years after Theodore Roosevelt established the national wildlife refuge system, these land and water habitat sanctuaries are badly in need of help. Even as their popularity grows, many of the 538 refuges don't have enough staff or money to rescue endangered species or restore damaged habitats. That's why Defenders of Wildlife, as part of a coalition, is calling for increased funding for the 93 million-acre refuge system. The coalition's report, Shortchanging America's Wildlife, calls on Congress and the Bush administration to more than double spending from $320 million to $700 million. "National wildlife refuges have never been more at risk," the report says. "Severe funding and staffing shortfalls have led to declining refuge habitats and wildlife populations, aging facilities and infrastructure and the cancellation of popular wildlife-oriented public use programs." The group releasing the report, the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement, represents 20 organizations, including Defenders. Click here: http://www.defenders.org/habitat/new/funding.html to read the report. At a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen said, "From protecting America's highest concentration of unique plants and animals, to restoring a population of 16,000 trumpeter swans from just 73 birds at the brink of extinction, to providing crucial stepping stones to other migratory birds, the first 100 years of the national wildlife refuge system have been a triumph. But without adequate funding, the promise of the refuge system over the coming century will be seriously compromised." Click here: http://www.defenders.org/releases/pr2001/pr111501.html to read his full statement. To learn more about threats to the refuge system and to watch a slide show of pollution from oil drilling in Louisiana's national wildlife sanctuaries, visit http://www.defenders.org/habitat. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL TRIUMPH: Court rejects lawsuit against national monuments In a major victory for the environment, a federal judge sided with a coalition of conservation groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, and dismissed a lawsuit challenging the establishment of national monuments to protect our remaining natural treasures. Judge Paul Friedman's ruling upholds the creation of six national monuments in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, for instance, is a spectacular wild land in southwestern Oregon. With lofty fir forests, steep canyons and lush wetlands, it provides undisturbed habitat for a rare assemblage of animals and plants. It's home to cougars and one of the highest diversities of butterfly species in the country. The Mountain States Legal Foundation, the anti-environmental law firm that once employed Interior Secretary Gale Norton, filed the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the 1906 Antiquities Act, which was used to create the monuments. "Judge Friedman's ruling confirms what environmentalists suspected all along, namely that the Mountain States Legal Foundation lawsuit borders on the frivolous and that its intent all along has been to create political leverage for poor management of the historic monument designations," said William Snape, Defenders' vice president for law and litigation. 3. THREAT TO ARCTIC REFUGE: ‘The Sacking of Science at Interior' With Big Oil and its allies in Congress cranking up the pressure for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a respected former government official is warning senators not to trust Interior Secretary Gale Norton on this issue. Jamie Rappaport Clark, former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wrote in the Los Angeles Times that Norton has undermined her credibility by ignoring evidence from her own staff that drilling would harm wildlife in the refuge. Under the headline, "The Sacking of Science at Interior," Clark wrote: "As they consider the fate of the Arctic refuge, senators would do well to question any advice provided by Norton. Given her penchant for misstatement and for misrepresenting her responsibility, the evidence shows that the secretary's pro-drilling arguments must not be accepted on faith." Click here to read Clark's column: http://www.latimes.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=la%2D000093972nov25 WHAT YOU CAN DO:  Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski is once again attempting to force the Senate to consider legislation opening the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling, even though Senate Majority Leader Daschle has promised that the Senate will consider comprehensive energy legislation in January or February. This time Senator Murkowski is threatening to offer an Arctic drilling amendment to the national farm bill, which is on the Senate floor this week. To spread the word about the danger to America's greatest wildlife sanctuary, share this issue of DENlines with friends. And go to http://www.denaction.org (Alert 121) to urge your senators to save the Arctic refuge for future generations. 4. HARRY POTTER'S OWL: Movie driving up demand for Snowy Owls as pets Bird experts fear the popularity of the Harry Potter movie will drive demand sky high for pet snowy owls, and they're warning parents not fill this item on their children's Holiday wish lists. It's illegal in the United States to keep owls as pets. Owls are so difficult to keep as pets that eventually they usually are released into the outdoors where they most likely will starve to death. "To keep a snowy owl correctly, you need the biggest aviary you could ever build," Jenny Thurston of the British World Owl Trust told National Geographic. Snowy owls also feed primarily on lemmings. If you give them the wrong food, they will die. "Where do you buy lemmings?" Thurston asked. "You can't." Defenders of Wildlife hopes Hedwig's popularity will help snowy owls, not hurt them, by raising awareness of the threat posed by the proposal now before Congress to drill in the Arctic refuge. To learn more, visit http://www.saveowls.org. Also, for a tax-deductible contribution of $25 or more, you can help pay for programs to protect the Arctic refuge by "adopting" a snowy owl – and we'll thank you by sending a plush owl toy – a more practical holiday gift than the real thing. Go to http://www.defenders.org/adopt/snowyowl. 5. SAVING LYNX: Rare wildcat needs protection in northern U.S. The lynx once roamed throughout the northern Lower 48 states. Hunted and trapped WHAT YOU CAN DO: Go to http://www.denaction.org (Alert 120) to send a fax to the Forest Service urging improvements in the lynx conservation plan for the northern Rockies. Thanks for helping to protect this rare wildcat, and please let your friends know about this important issue. 6. ON THE BRINK: Prospects dim for endangered caribou Defenders of Wildlife is petitioning the Interior Department to protect habitat critical to the survival of the last remaining herd of caribou in the Lower 48 states. At least six of the last 34 endangered woodland caribou in Washington's Selkirk Mountains have been found dead this year alone, according to the Associated Press. Yet the timber industry is lobbying to relax restrictions on logging of the old-growth forests where the caribou live. "We are slowly and surely getting in a precarious position," said John Almack, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist. Caribou aren't the only wildlife in trouble in the Selkirks. There are so few grizzly bears remaining that biologists are calling them "the walking dead." 7. HOLIDAY GIFT SPECIALS: Great Gifts for Friends and Family With the holidays fast approaching, you're no doubt looking for that perfect gift for a loved one. Here are a number of gifts through which you'll also be helping generate funds to save America's imperiled wildlife and habitat. As a bonus, you won't have to go to a crowded mall to take advantage of these gifts. You won't even have to leave your house! CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DENLINES DENlines is a bi-weekly publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues, particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to denlines@defenders.org and put the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Defenders of Wildlife 1101 14th Street, N.W. Suite 1400 Washington, DC 20005 Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2001

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

November 28, 2001
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action alerts--

1. ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION: Tell your senators to add sound
environmental policy to this year's farm bill

2. OFF-ROAD VEHICLE EMISSIONS: Urge the EPA to clean up dirty off-road
vehicle engines

3. PUBLIC LAND PRESERVATION: Speak out to stop the giveaway of
pristine Alaskan rainforest

4. CORPORATE POLLUTERS: Tell your senators not to let industry keep
pollution violations secret from the public

--Updates on Previous alerts--

1. ARSENIC IN DRINKING WATER

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for
how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action alerts
=============

1. ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
Tell your senators to add sound environmental policy to this year's
farm bill

The Senate farm bill (S. 1731), which could come up for a floor vote
as early as November 30th, contains several troubling provisions. It
would make new funds available for factory farms to subsidize massive
animal waste lagoons that are prone to break, spill, and leak,
contaminating water bodies and drinking water supplies. The bill would
also create incentives for destructive logging in our national
forests. And conservation funding in the bill needs to be increased.

Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Reid (D-NV) recently introduced the
Conservation Assistance and Regional Equity (CARE) Act amendment,
which would increase funding for annual conservation programs.
Amendments are expected to be offered soon to restrict factory farm
pollution and eliminate logging incentives.

== What to do ==
Contact your senators *today* and urge them to support the CARE Act
amendment and any amendments that would limit federal subsidies to
factory farms and eliminate incentives to log our national forests.

== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your senators directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. If you prefer to call your
senators, the Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

2. OFF-ROAD VEHICLE EMISSIONS
Urge the EPA to clean up dirty off-road vehicle engines

The EPA has proposed cutting, for the first time ever, pollution from
some of the dirtiest vehicles and engines in the nation:  snowmobiles,
dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, diesel marine recreational engines
and a wide variety of other "non-road" engines such as forklifts,
electric generators, airport vehicles and certain pieces of farm,
industrial and construction equipment.

Riding a snowmobile for seven hours produces the same amount of
pollution as driving a new car for 100,000 miles. That's because
snowmobiles (and many other engines covered by the EPA's proposal) run
on outdated, dirty two-stroke engines, which the auto industry stopped
using years ago. Not only do these engines emit huge quantities of
smog-forming gases and asthma attack-inducing soot, but the average
two-stroke engine drops more than a quarter of its fuel unburned into
the air and water. Plus, pollution from these machines creates haze
that cuts visibility in national parks, wilderness areas and other
public lands.

The technology to clean up these engines already exists and is being
used in other vehicles. Regulating these engines would cut their
carbon monoxide emissions by more than 50 percent, and would slash
smog-forming emissions by nearly 80 percent. Plus, the EPA estimates
that the improved fuel efficiency of these new technologies would save
consumers more than $400 million per year.

But the EPA's proposal does not yet go far enough to adequately
protect our health and the environment. Specifically, the proposal
needs to be strengthened to phase out two-stroke engines and cut soot
emissions. The EPA is accepting public comments on its proposed
regulations through December 19th.

== What to do ==
Contact the EPA before the December 19th comment deadline and urge the
agency to strengthen its proposed off-road vehicle and engine
regulations so they will truly protect the public's health and the
environment.

== Contact information ==
You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use the contact information
and sample letter below to send your own message, and please include
your own reasons why cleaning up dirty engine emissions is important
to you.

Margaret Borushko
U.S. EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI  48105
Fax:  734-214-4816
Email:  nranprm@epa.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject: Docket No. A-2000-01 (Off-Road Vehicles and Engines)

Dear Ms. Borushko,

I urge the EPA to strengthen its proposed regulations to address air
pollution from snowmobiles, dirtbikes, all-terrain vehicles, diesel
marine recreational engines and many other non-road engines. The EPA's
current proposal does not go far enough to protect public health.

Most of the engines covered by this proposal are currently
unregulated, and are responsible for huge local and regional air
pollution. For example, riding a snowmobile for seven hours produces
as much pollution as driving a new car for 100,000 miles.

I urge the EPA to amend the proposal to accomplish the following:

** Set emission caps that would phase-out old, dirty two-stroke
engines in favor of cleaner, more efficient and quieter four-stroke
engines;

** Add an emission standard to cut particulate matter emissions, which
have been linked with increased asthma attacks, cancer and premature
death, from these engines;

** Establish a national labeling program that would inform consumers
about vehicles and engines that are cleaner; and

** Set noise pollution standards for these engines to protect the
health of the people who use them and the surrounding wildlife and
environment.  

Please ensure the final rule incorporates the above to adequately
protect the public's health and the environment.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

3. PUBLIC LAND PRESERVATION
Speak out to stop the giveaway of pristine Alaskan rainforest

Point Retreat, located at the tip of Admiralty Island in southeast
Alaska's Tongass rainforest, is home to a historic lighthouse which is
about to be donated for use as a maritime museum. While the Coast
Guard, which currently owns the property, wants to transfer a total of
ten acres to the private association that will manage the museum,
Alaska's senators have written legislation (H.R. 2299) that would give
the association a total of 1,505 acres of land currently managed by
the Forest Service as part of the Tongass rainforest -- with no
strings attached.  

Besides transferring ownership of some of the Tongass rainforest to a
private entity, the bill would also set a dangerous precedent for
giving away other precious lands in the public domain. Instead, this
land, which is home to coastal grizzly bears, bald eagles and salmon
streams, should remain under federal protection.

The House and Senate Subcommittees on Transportation Appropriations
are now conferencing to determine the final outcome of H.R. 2299;
their decision is expected within a week. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
is chair of the Senate subcommittee, and wields considerable influence
as to what the final bill will include.

== What to do ==
Contact Senator Murray *today* and urge her to stop this land
transfer.

== Contact information ==
You can send a fax to Senator Murray directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use the contact information
and sample letter below to send your own message, and please include
your own reasons why keeping the wildlands of Admiralty Island in the
public domain is important to you.

Senator Patty Murray, Chair
Subcommittee on Transportation Appropriations
133 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone:  202-224-7281
Fax:  202-228-0249
Email:  senator_murray@murray.senate.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject:  Stop H.R. 2299's Tongass rainforest giveaway

Dear Senator Murray,

As you consider H.R. 2299 in conference committee, I urge you to stop
the transfer of land in the Tongass rainforest to a private
organization. Only the land needed to maintain the historic lighthouse
site at Point Retreat on Admiralty Island should be transferred.

The pristine wildlands of Admiralty Island, like the rest of Alaska's
Tongass rainforest, are world renowned for their large population of
coastal grizzly bears, bald eagles, and salmon streams. Indeed, most
of the island is designated a national monument.

Our most valuable public lands should not be given away to private
entities. Again, please do all you can to stop this land transfer.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

4. CORPORATE POLLUTERS
Tell your senators not to let industry keep pollution violations
secret from the public

Senator Bennett (R-UT) and Senator Kyl (R-AZ) have introduced
legislation -- the "Critical Infrastructure Information Act" (S. 1456)
-- supposedly to help fight "cyber-terrorism" attacks through computer
systems. The legislation will be offered as an amendment to the
bi-partisan bio-terrorism bill that is expected to come up for a vote
soon.

S. 1456 is drafted so broadly that it would extend secrecy protections
to all kinds of information now available to the public, including
information regarding environmental violations. The legislation would
have a devastating effect on law enforcement and the regulatory
process by:

** barring the federal government from disclosing information
regarding pollution violations or accidents without obtaining written
consent from the company responsible for the incident;

** giving manufacturing industries unprecedented immunity from the
legal consequences of violating the nation's environmental, tax,
labor, consumer protection, fair trade, and health and safety laws;
and

** sweeping aside record-keeping and disclosure requirements under
federal laws.

== What to do ==
Contact your senators today and urge them to oppose S. 1456.

== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your senators directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. If you prefer to call your
senators, the Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

==========================
Updates on Previous alerts
==========================

1. ARSENIC IN DRINKING WATER
We asked you on several occasions during the past eight months to urge
the EPA to reverse its plan to suspend and weaken the new
arsenic-in-drinking-water standard announced by the former Clinton
administration in January 2001. Faced with overwhelming pressure from
the public and Congress, plus a recent National Academy of Sciences
report that found that arsenic's cancer and other health risks are
even greater than previously assumed, the EPA announced on October 31
that it will keep the Clinton standard of 10 parts per billion,
effective in 2006. THANK YOU to the many thousands of you who
contacted the EPA and helped secure this important victory for public
health.

==================================================
About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
==================================================

NRDC distributes three bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all
of them or to join our activist networks, go to:
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp.

If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or
update your email address or other information, go to:
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor (or see the unsubscribe
information below).

EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and calls out urgent environmental
issues requiring immediate action. To unsubscribe from Earth Action,
send an email message to earthaction@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the
subject line.

LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in session and
tracks environmental bills moving through the federal legislature. To
unsubscribe from Legislative Watch, send an email message to
legwatch@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the subject line.

The CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT is distributed monthly to
members of NRDC's California Activist Network and provides action
tools to Californians and others concerned with protecting the state's
natural resources and the health of its citizens. To unsubscribe, send
an email message to wildcalifornia@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the
subject line.

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to
protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and
healthy environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earth Action email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

===========

Greenpeace Activist News Vol. 1, No. 11
29 November 2001

In this issue, a cyberdiscussion from Bhopal, India, the Mexican corn company Maseca fails to abandon its genetically polluted corn, the 16 Star Wars activists and 2 journalists prepare for a January trial, the Global Whale Action Team takes off, boosting renewable energy, and saving the world's forests.


JOIN A BHOPAL DISCUSSION

From 30 November to 2 December, Hemant Babu will be hosting a discussion on Dow Chemical and corporate responsibility from Bhopal, India. 3 December will be the 17th anniversary of the worst industrial accident in history, the Union Carbide poison gas release that killed 20 thousand people. The factory was abandoned and is still poisoning the local ground water even after Union Carbide was merged with Dow Chemical.

Hemant is a Greenpeace toxics campaigner based in India. He will be hosting the discussion direct from Bhopal. To participate, click on:

http://act.greenpeace.org/1007061842

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MASECA RENEGES

You may remember Maseca from an earlier alert. The Mexican transnational corporation is the most important producer of corn flour for tortillas. More than 1500 Greenpeace cyberactivists faxed Maseca's CEO to protest against the company's double standards - while Maseca has pledged not to use GE corn in the flour it produces for products sold in the US, in Mexico it continues to import US GE corn for Mexican consumption. Not only is the GE corn that Maseca imports a risk for the health of Mexican people - because it might cause allergies or make certain pathogens resistant to antibiotics - it is also a threat to Mexican corn diversity (more than 300 varieties and wild relatives).

After pressure from our cyberactivists, Maseca agreed for the first time to meet with Greenpeace staff and at the meeting said that it would not use GE corn and would provide us with proof that this corn was no longer being used. As a good will measure, Maseca asked us to stop the cyberaction and we agreed.

Unfortunately, Maseca failed to provide us with the proof it promised. As a result, we have set up a new cyberalert at:

http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=maseca&s=blue2

Please send a letter today.

You can also write Mexico's environment minister at:

http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=mexmaizefin&s=blue2s

and ask him to immediately ban GE corn imports.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STAR WARS TRIAL SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY

16 Greenpeace activists and two journalists are facing sentences of up to six years after their arrests following a Star Wars test at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. They have been allowed to return home but must return for a trial now scheduled for early January.

Please support the Star Wars 18 by sending an e-mail message to your US embassy from:

http://act.greenpeace.org/aas/e?a=StarWars_em&s=blue2

You can also join the more than 1200 people who have downloaded a Star Wars action kit from:

http://act.greenpeace.org/col/get?i=210&sk=std&la=en

and participate in the Star Wars action group discussion at:

http://act.greenpeace.org/1005588149

For more information visit our Stop Star Wars site at:

http://www.stopstarwars.org


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GLOBAL WHALES ACTION TEAM TAKES OFF

The Japanese whaling fleet is heading for the Southern ocean. Please join the rapidly growing Global Whales Action Team to receive regular updates on the campaign and what you can do to stop Japan from reviving commercial whaling. You can register at:

http://act.greenpeace.org/mms/m?r=4&st=0&sk=eye&la=en

You can also fax the Japanese prime minister from:

http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=sjw&s=blue2s

and join in a discussion about this campaign at:

http://act.greenpeace.org/1004552686

For more information, visit our whales site at:

http://whales.greenpeace.org


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHOOSE POSITIVE ENERGY

Greenpeace and The Body Shop have joined forces to challenge world governments to provide access to renewable energy for all, and in particular the two billion people who live without any power, within ten years. To visit the site and get involved in the campaign, visit:

http://www.choose-positive-energy.org

Remember to visit the take action section, where you can send e-cards, sign a petition and find other ways to support the campaign.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SAVE OR DELETE?

Throughout the world, the ancient forests are in crisis. Many of the plants and animals that live in these forests face extinction. And many of the peoples and cultures who depend on forests for their way of life are also under threat.

But the news is not all bad. If world governments choose now to SAVE the ancient forests, there is a last chance to protect these forests and the life they support. In April 2002, the members of the United Nations - 189 world Governments - will meet in The Hague, The Netherlands to agree on a ten-year plan for the ancient forests.

Please take a moment today to send a letter to your head of government pushing for a strong agreement at this key international conference, from:

http://act.greenpeace.org/aas/e?a=cbd1&s=blue2s

For more information, visit our ancient forests site at:

http://greenpeace.org/~forests/index.html

VISIT THE CYBERCENTRE

Please don't forget to visit the Greenpeace Cyberactivist Community at:
http://act.greenpeace.org

Crunch Time in Senate: You Still Can Take Action to
Help Farmers Help the Environment!

***************************  
Action Network from Environmental Defense.  
Finding the ways that work.  
***************************  

Later this week, the Senate will finally vote on the
Farm Bill, which still needs significant improvements
to protect the environment. Action Network members
have already delivered over 50,000 messages to Congress
supporting more funding for conservation programs.
It's not too late for you to take action on this important
issue. Just click below to send your own senators a
personalized message asking them to help farmers help
the environment:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/farm_reform_senate4/wk8bxn4z78xbii

BACKGROUND:
Currently, the Farm Bill would devote just 17.5% of
overall farm spending to conservation, compared to
30% in the 1996 Farm Bill as originally passed. But
a bill introduced by Senators Leahy of Vermont and
Reid of Nevada would boost conservation programs to
25% of overall farm spending, ensuring greater regional
equity in farm programs. Their bill would provide $5
billion a year to preserve farm, ranch, and forest
lands, improve water quality, protect food and drinking
water supplies, restore habitat for wildlife, and more.


URGENT ACTION NEEDED:
Take action today! Send a free, personalized message
urging your senators to co-sponsor the Conservation
Assistance and Regional Equity Act (CARE). Help reward
farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners when
they help meet our environmental challenges. Click
below:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/farm_reform_senate4/wk8bxn4z78xbii

To see an overview of the CARE bill, visit http://www.environmentaldefense.org/programs/Ecosystems/AgriReform/LeahyAlert.html

For more information about Environmental Defense's
efforts to reform agricultural practices, visit: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/programs/Ecosystems/AgriReform/

Questions? Contact Suzy Friedman, Agriculture Policy
Analyst and Organizer, at sfriedman@environmentaldefense.org

--------------------------------------------------

Visit the web address below and spread the word about
Action Network!

http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=EDF_Action_Network&r=771-AS11uu-N

Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"

Please send a fax or email to the president of Bolivia in support of the
constitutional rights of community leader Oscar Olivera.  Bolivia's
Coalition in Defense of Water and Life provides a sample letter (below).
Here's the request for international support from the Coalition:

Dear Friends,

Our friend, brother and comrade, Oscar Olivera is in trouble. Oscar, as you
know, was one of the leaders that led a movement to successfully reverse
water privatization here in Bolivia. Today he was arrested on charges of,
among other things, "sedition, conspiracy, instigating public disorder, and
criminal association." Oscar's crime? Leading protests against water
privatization.

In arresting Oscar rights of association and protest clearly established in
the Bolivian constitution were violated, as were his right to due process.
These absurd charges were originally filed earlier this year, in a move
clearly aimed at dividing peaceful opponents of the government, and
discouraging the exercise of the right to association and protest.

Oscar was released from physical detention this afternoon, but the charges
have not been dropped. He must report every 72 hours to authorities, and can
be detained anew at any time.

This kind of harassment is intolerable, and a clear violation of the most
basic civil and political rights of association and expression. We need you
to act today. Please send a simple, direct message to those in power here,
demanding that such abuses must stop.

Below please find a sample fax, and addresses. Please send a copy to the
President Quiroga of Bolivia, with a copy to the US Embassy in La Paz.
Please also send a copy to us.

Thank you in advance for your solidarity.

Marcela Olivera
-------------------
SAMPLE LETTER:

Lic. Jorge Quiroga Ramirez
President of Bolivia

We are deeply troubled to hear of the arrest of Oscar Olivera,
the president of the Cochabamba Federation of Factory Workers and a
spokesperson for the Coalition in Defense of Water and Life, on charges of
"sedition".

Oscar is well known around the world as a courageous labor leader,
environmentalist and human rights activist. News of his detention has spread
fast. We are fully aware of the spurious nature of the charges filed against
him. His arrest sends
an alarming message to human rights workers around the world: that in
Bolivia fighting for basic human rights is an offense chargeable with
"sedition".

We call upon you to end such arbitrary arrests, and drop the charges against
him and other leaders of the Coordinadora, Samuel Soria and Omar Fernandez,
and
personally commit yourself to seeing that such violations of democratic
rights and due process are not committed in the future.

-------------------

Please, send the letters to:

Lic. Jorge Quiroga Ramirez
Presidencia de la Republica
Fax: (591-2) 220-4213
Email: mary@presidencia.gov.bo

Sr. Manuel Rocha
Embajador de Estados Unidos en Bolivia
Fax. (591-2) 243-3710

With a copy to:

Federación de Trabajadores Fabriles de Cochabamba
Fax (591-4) 450-3530
Email: fabrilco@supernet.com

********************************
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Global Response
PO Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306
Tel. 303-444-0306
Fax. 303-449-9794
Website: www.globalresponse.org

Mission:  Global Response empowers people of all ages, cultures, and
nationalities to protect the environment by creating partnerships for
effective citizen action.  At the request of indigenous peoples and
grassroots organizations, Global Response organizes international
letter-writing campaigns to help communities prevent environmental
destruction.  Global Response involves young people as well as adults in
these campaigns, to develop in them the values and skills for global citizen
cooperation and earth stewardship

WWF, ON THE GROUND AND ONLINE - IN PICTURES
                    http://www.panda.org

Dear Endangered Species list subscribers,

Rising to 2,500 metres (8,000 feet) high, the Annamite Mountains in
south-east Asia have never been fully explored:
  - bird species that were thought to be extinct have been
    rediscovered there.
  - some of the species living there have never been photographed.

We have put together a special gallery of photos of the region's exotic
inhabitants (the ones who have not stayed camera-shy!) including
Hornbills, Lan Hai Chai slipper orchids, Black langurs and Giant muntjacs.
Explore the Annamites at:
   http://panda.org/asiapacific/annamite.htm


CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW ARRIVALS
The Annamites are also home to one of the rarest mammals in the world, the
Javan rhino. Recently, a WWF project in Indonesia got pictures showing
that four Javan rhinos were born in Ujung Kulon National Park - this is
great news for a species whose long-term survival remains uncertain. Read
about it at:
  http://panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2529


MASS KILLING OF ELEPHANTS
In Assam, India, 31 elephants were poisoned to death in just 70 days. As
the news broke, WWF launched a campaign demanding that civil, military and
forest authorities do something about the tragedy. Passport members leapt
into action, and WWF-India met with the Chief Minister of Assam. We are
pleased to report that they have now agreed a series of measures to find
the culprits who are poisoning the elephants.

Read the full story on WWF's Panda Passport
http://passport.panda.org/campaign/index.cfm?new_campaign=41
and find out more about Asian elephants at
http://www.panda.org/species/eleph_asian/

Thanks for supporting WWF,
With best wishes,

  Holly Ellson
  Panda.org Email News

- - - - - - - - - - -
Any questions?
Please use the enquiry facility on our website at http://questions.panda.org/
- - - - - - - - - - -

V1.23
November 26th - December 2nd

Time for another edition of Greenpeace's CLEAN ENERGY NOW!
Campaign weekly update - POSITIVE ENERGY!!!!

*** GREENPEACE HALTS OIL TANKER OFF THE COAST OF SYDNEY ***

On Monday November 26, 2001, Greenpeace Australia took
action against an oil shipment from the controversial
Stuart Oil Shale Project near Gladstone, Queensland.
Activists locked onto the port and starboard sides
of the oil tanker Bow de Jin off Sydney's Port Botany,
to prevent it from docking. The Stuart project is an
attempt by Australian companies, Southern Pacific Petroleum
and Central Pacific Minerals (SPP/CPM), to extract oil
from shale rock. Greenpeace has been campaigning against
the development of a shale oil industry in Australia
since 1998 because of its greenhouse gas emissions and
the need to phase out fossil fuels to stop dangerous
climate change.

For more information, go to: http://www.greenpeace.org.au/media/press_details.php?site_id=8&news_id=477

*** MEXICO'S SECRETARY OF ENERGY ANNOUNCES LARGE
INVESTMENT IN RENEWABLES!!!***

In English: Mexico's Secretary of Energy recently
announced a proposal to install 2,000mw of wind power by
the end of the new presidents term in office. The federal
and state governments are working cooperatively with the
private sector to develop the wind energy potential in
Mexico. One of the projects under consideration consists
of three 20mw plants, an investment of  $88 million
dollars! By 2009, the Secretary of Energy also hopes to
develop the solar potential in the country to the same
magnitude as wind. Currently there is 13mw of solar power
installed, which means a little more than seven
gigawatts-hour of electrical generation. Mexico is
gearing up to be a leader in the clean energy revolution!

In Spanish: Asimismo, añadió la Sener, se están impulsando
proyectos de energía eólica con los que se espera que al
concluir el presente sexenio se cuente con una capacidad
instalada de dos mil megawatts.
Estos proyectos se desarrollan con la particpación de
los gobiernos federal y estatal, el sector privado y
algunas instituciones financieras. Uno de esos proyectos
significa una inversión por 88 millones de dólares para la
construcción de tres plantas con una capacidad de 20
megawatts (mw) cada una. La Sener estimó que para el 2009
la generación eléctrica a partir de energía solar podría
duplicarse. Señaló que la capacidad actual instalada es
del orden de 13 mw, lo que significa un poco más de siete
gigawatts-hora de generación eléctrica.


For more information about Mexico and Clean Energy,
contact luis@escarraniano.zzn.com or
call 415-255-9221 ext 321.

***OK, NOW FOR SOME BAD NEWS TO STIR YOU TO ACTION***

Over the past few months, the Clean Energy Now campaign has
been bringing you success story after success story: the
yes vote for solar, the CPA going clean energy, colleges
and universities buying green power. But the threat of
global warming is not ceasing! A new NAFTA study estimates
a major increase in CO2 emissions from electricity sector.
According to a study released by North American Commission
for Environmental Cooperation, the Montreal-based agency,
which administers the environmental side agreement to NAFTA,
utilities, investors, and energy planners in the member
nations of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(Canada, Mexico, and the US) have plans to build some 2,000
new electricity generating facilities, most of them powered
by fossil fuels! The alarming new study, Estimating
Future Air Pollution from New Electric Power Generation,
is scheduled to be presented at a CEC symposium Nov. 29-30
in San Diego.

To read the study, go to:
http://www.cec.org/pubs_docs/documents/index.cfm?varlan=english&ID=543

*****ALERT! BUSH ENERGY PLAN REACHES THE SENATE****
The Bush Energy Plan, as it was passed by the House is
dangerously close to being voted on by the Senate.
The entire House bill (HR 4) has been added as an
amendment to a railroad bill that will be voted on
Monday Dec. 3 by the Senate. HR 4 focuses on fossil fuels
like oil and coal, continues funding for nuclear power and
gives $38 billion in taxpayer dollars to these polluting
industries. The bill also includes drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge and other pristine natural areas