home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

To: Northeast Activists
From: John Demos, American Landa Alliance
November 3, 2003

WE WENT DOWN IN FLAMES BUT THE NORTHEAST (mostly) WAS BRIGHT SPOT

Thanks To All For Your Efforts. It Ain’t Over Yet.

Although we got spanked in the final vote on the Healthy Forest vote in the Senate, 9 of the 14 NO votes were from Senators from our region. Without the tragic fires in California, things might have been different.

A list of Senators voting NO is at the bottom of the ALERT that follows this message. Please give them a thank-you call.

A few interesting points:

A BIG SURPRISE - Senator Gregg (R-NH) seems to have followed Senator Specter’s lead in voting our way on a couple of amendments.

BIG DISAPPOINTMENTS - Snowe and Collins of Maine were not with us on any of the votes. However they stuck out their necks by supporting a climate change bill that went down to narrow defeat earlier.

Chafee was also not with us on any votes. I have no information as to why that was the case.

A COUPLE BAD BACKROOM DEALS – Corzine (D-NJ) apparently cut a deal with the bill backers to have his Highlands Bill added on to the HFI bill in the final “Managers Vote”.  This deal led Corzine and Lautenberg to abandon us in the final vote.

Also Collins seems to have done the same thing with her Sprawl amendment.

I will be surprised if either amendment survives the upcoming Conference Committee.  They may have made these bargains for nothing.

MISSING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES - Kerry and Lieberman were both no-shows on some or all the votes.

FAT PAVORATI HASN’T SUNG YET

The bill will now go to a Senate/House Conference Committee to iron out the differences. Senators Feinstein (D-CA) and Wyden(D-OR), who got us in this mess with their “compromise”, again pledged to abandon support unless the Senate version is retained in committee.  Bush gave them very weak assurances of his support for this position, and members of the House have vied to restore the original language.

We do not know who is going to be on the Confererence Committee or when it will take place.  I will keep you informed of developments.

AGAIN THANKS TO ALL WHO PESTERED THEIR SENATORS!


ALERT:

Senate Passes Damaging Wildfire Bill HR 1904

On Thursday the Senate voted 80-14 to pass a the Senate version of HR 1904, the Bush Administrations’ misguided “Healthy Forest Initiative.”  Regrettably this bill crafted by Senators Cochran, Feinstein and Wyden, will do virtually nothing to protect homeowners from wildfire. With its focus on federal lands, this bill will not guarantee protection of communities at risk that are largely located on non-federal lands.  Nor will it protect old growth, maintain our independent judiciary and uphold this country’s successful and time-tested environmental laws.

The California fires significantly changed the dynamics in the Senate, increasing the urgency to address wildfire legislation.  While the vote did not turn out as we had hoped, everyone made a huge difference.  It was because of you that 5 Senators were willing to stand up on the Senate floor and challenge this flawed legislation and 14 Senators vote against HR 1904 on final passage.  These Senators did not yield to pressure to “act” without making sure that new laws would truly address the needs of communities at-risk, would not open up forests to aggressive “thinning” proposals, subvert environmental laws and meaningful public participation to further the Bush Administration’s pro-timber corporation agenda.

These Senators challenged the completely false premise that “analysis paralysis” exists including citing yet another GAO report released this week that demonstrated that legitimate appeals and litigation do not hold up hazardous fuel thinning projects, that the old growth protections are hollow due to the enormous loophole that allows logging for a myriad of reasons.  That 50% funding to federal lands for the WUI would not have guaranteed any increased protection to homes in California.  And that no other industry is granted the special treatment that this bill will give to the timber industry when being challenged in federal court.

Each Senator offered sound solutions to improve this bill – including an amendment that would have required timber companies to clean up logging slash – scientifically shown to increase fire risk and the spread of insects.  Yet, the Senate rejected these common sense measures.  

By bringing these amendments to the floor for debate, the facts – which have been largely ignored – and the deep flaws in this legislation were aired and are now in the legislative record.  Their actions truly exhibit the kind of leadership that is sorely needed to protect our public forests.

None of this would have happened with out all of your efforts over the past many months. Every call, fax, call-in day, fax-in day, road show, editorial board visit and letters to the editor made a difference.  We have come a very long way from the early days of the wildfire debates.  Two years ago, the Wildlands Urban Interface was an unknown concept, and the administration’s agenda to target old fire resistant trees needed to be exposed.

On behalf of American Lands I want to extend an enormous thank you for your commitment to protecting forests, willingness to speak out against damaging policies, unflagging energy, boundless creativity and just plain tenacity.  It is an honor to work with all of you.

From here the bill goes to theconference committee where the Senate and House bills will be reconciled.  The Senate has not received the commitment of the House to accept the Senate version of the bill.  The rather weakly worded statement from the Administration said they supported both the House and Senate versions and did not support increasing funds for hazardous fuelswork.  It is too soon to tell what will happen. Rep. Richard Pombo, (R-CA) chairman of the Resources Committee that crafted the House-passed bill, said "we still have work to do" in crafting a final bill, suggesting that the battle was far from over.

The following Senators deserve huge thanks for their efforts.  Please do take the time to thank them personally as well as publicly.  In addition to personal calls or letters that you and your members make, letters-to-the-editor and op-eds are a great way to publicly show your support for these Senators. The list of Senators and contact information follows, as well as a recap of the amendments that were offered.

The amendments, which did not pass, sought to:

1. Delete the bill's provisions restricting administrative and court challenges to fuels reduction projects.  The amendment brought by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) failed on a 62-33 vote. Please call and thank Senator Leahy at 202.224.4242

2. Require that 70 percent of the fuels reduction project money be spent close to communities. The amendment brought by Senator Barbara Boxer failed on a 61-34 vote. Please call and thank Senator Boxer at 202.224.3553

3. Close gapping loopholes that threaten old growth logging.  The amendment brought by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) failed on a 62-32 vote.  Please call and thank Senator Murray at 202.224.2621

4. Strike the bill's provisions exempting fuels reduction projects from the environmental analysis and public comment provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (PL 91-190). The amendment brought by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) failed on a 57-34 vote. Please call and thank Senator Maria Cantwell at 202.224.3441

5. Include a 5-year sunset amendment that would require the legislation to be reviewed in 5 years to determine if it is working.  The amendment offered by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) failed on a 61-31 vote.  Please call and thank Senator Harkin at 202.224.3254

6. End the Forest Service's "bad habit” of taking funds designated for forest-thinning and other preventative actions in order to pay firefighting costs. The amendment offered by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and made b$100 million per year available to help reduce the fire danger and restore burned lands on state, county and tribal lands.  The amendment failed 60-36. Please call and thank Senator Bingaman at 202.224.4103

7. Require that "slash" -- the branches and other woody debris left over after logging – which dramatically increases fire risk be cleaned up by timber companies in a timely manner. The amendment brought by Senator Bingaman (D-NM) failed on a 58-36 vote. Please call and thank Senator Bingaman at 202.224.4103

The following amendments were passed: Senator Boxer’s amendments on firefighter health and air Quality as well as another amendment offered by Senator Bingaman requiring additional collaborative monitoring of the projects that are undertaken pursuant to this bill. This should be very useful if this legislation is enacted and plays out on the ground.


Please also call the 14 courageous Senators who voted no on HR 1904.  

1. Bayh (D-IN) 202.224.5623
2. Biden (D-DE) 202.224.5042
3. Clinton (D-NY) 202.224.4451
4. Carper (D-DE) 202.224.2441
5. Dodd (D-CT) 202.224.2832
6. Durbin (D-IL) 202.224.2152
7. Cantwell (D-WA) 202.224.3441
8. Rockefeller (D-WV) 202.224.6472
9. Jeffords (D-VT) 202.224.5141
10. Harkin (D-IA) 202.224.3254
11. Kennedy (D-MA) 202.224.
12. Leahy (D-VY) 202.224.4242
13. Reed (D-RI) 202.224.4642
14.Schumer (D-NY) 202.224.6542

Ocean activists in Alaska need your help to protect the North
Pacific seas! Right now, the government is developing a
long-range plan for the management of groundfish fisheries off
Alaska's coast that will determine the fate of the northern
oceans for the next twenty years. Act now! Send this message to
the National Marine Fisheries Service in support of sustainable
fisheries management before the public comment period ends on
Novemeber 6th.

You can take action on this alert either via email (please see
directions below) or via the web at:
http://ga0.org/campaign/aknoaa/w5niwb2y7kx8nd

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
http://ga0.org/campaign/aknoaa/forward/w5niwb2y7kx8nd

We encourage you to take action by November 6, 2003

Help Protect Alaska's Marine Ecosystem!

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://ga0.org/campaign/aknoaa/w5niwb2y7kx8nd

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
NOAA Fisheries Alaska

----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am writing to ask you to select the management plan for North
Pacific fisheries laid out in the Oceans Alternative. The
approaches outlined in this alternative incorporate ecological
principles into fisheries management in a way that will ensure
that all elements of the marine ecosystem are given due
consideration.

The time has passed when fishery decisions can be made without
diligent regard to impacts from those fisheries on all
inhabitants of the marine environment. Key components of the
Oceans Alternative, including increased protection for marine
habitat and adoption of additional protections for marine
mammals, constitute a forward-looking management approach that
will help guarantee the overall health of this precious marine
ecosystem for generations to come.

----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----

In this issue, US President George W. Bush's latest attempt to suppress free speech, Iceland pledgers pass ten thousand, genetically engineered wheat, a Welsh wind update, games and jobs.

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BUSH AND THE PORT OF MIAMI

Greenpeace wants to bring its ship, the Esperanza, to the Port of Miami for supplies and to bring people from the Miami area on board to discuss our efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.

But the Port of Miami has refused us entry because US President George W. Bush's Justice Department is prosecuting Greenpeace for an action against illegal mahogany imports last year. The New York Times has reported that this prosecution is "unusual and questionable". We intend to be exonerated.

The Esperanza is temporarily anchored miles off the coast of Florida. Here's an account of the Esperanza's arrival in the region from one of our folks on the ground.

" Even before the Esperanza had dropped anchor, there was:

    - A US Coast Guard vessel with approx 20 officials on board, Customs and Immigration.
    
    - One US Coast Guard Jet
    
    - One marine Safety helicopter which stayed on the scene circling
    
    - Two TV helicopters documenting the situation    

... We have been denied permission to carry press or visitors in our inflatables to and from shore.

The Port of Miami and Mayor's office is being inundated by calls from people objecting to the decision to refuse us entry. So much so, they are NOT taking calls and only faxes..."

To read the full account see:

http://act.greenpeace.org//1066893677/1067341641

Don't let the Port of Miami keep Greenpeace out and silence our voices. Contact the authorities in Miami and tell them that they should allow the Esperanza to dock in Miami!

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/view.fpl/10048/action_id/196.html

You can read more about the current situation and the Bush administration's attempts to shut us down here:

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/view.fpl/8154/article/877.html

You can join the very active discussion about this issue here:

http://act.greenpeace.org/1066893677

If you run a website or know someone who does, we would appreciate it if you could post this banner:

http://www.greenpeace.org/banners/index?item_id=331999

and link it to our story and action hub here:

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/view.fpl/16961.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ICELAND PLEDGERS PASS TEN THOUSAND

Thanks to everyone who has taken the Iceland Pledge so far, vowing to visit Iceland if the government stops its whaling program.  We've just passed 10,000 pledgers, representing a total value of US $2-15 million in travel income for Iceland.  Given that Iceland's whaling programme was only worth US $3-4 million per year in its heyday, this is tremendous vindication of our argument that it is in Iceland's own interest not to hunt whales.

The Prime Minister of Iceland is quoted by Reuters this week as saying "I have to admit that some people in the tourism organisations in Iceland are worried about the future..."  If you haven't done so already, tell the Iceland tourist industry you'd like to make a trip there, if the government would stop hunting whales:

http://act.greenpeace.org/col/get?i=959&sk=std3&la=en

or send this e-card to your friends:

http://act.greenpeace.org/ecs/s2?i=960&sk=std&la=en

So far 17 thousand people from 142 countries and territories have written to Icelandic embassies to object to Icelandic whaling. Please join them here:

http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=915&s=whl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HELP STOP GENETICALLY ENGINEERED WHEAT

Monsanto and other big biotech companies are tinkering with a mainstay of Canadian farming and a staple food for many people around the world - wheat. Monsanto, in collaboration with the government of Canada, is developing genetically engineered (GE) wheat that is designed to resist its "Roundup Ready" herbicide when applied to a farmer's field to kill weeds. The company plans to bring it to market by 2005 or so. Other biotechnology companies are developing different genetically engineered wheat varieties.

There has been intense opposition to GE wheat in Canada and amongst many of Canada's major wheat purchasers. Greenpeace is petitioning the Canadian government to halt this program and is eager to get international signatories to show the breadth of opposition to genetically manipulated food.  So far the petition has about 6500 signatories from over 55 countries.

If possible, please sign this petition before 5 November (although later signatures are also welcome):

http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/action/wheat/

You can read more about this issue here:

http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/campaign/gmo/depth/wheat/index.php

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANKS TO WELSH WINDFARM SUPPORTERS

Thousands of letters and e-postcards have been sent from at least 94 countries to support Welsh wind development. Thanks to everyone who participated. The public inquiry on the proposed Scarweather Sands windfarm in Swansea Bay begins on 4 November. See:

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?CFID=259689&CFTOKEN=50065635&ucidparam=20031027123648&MenuPoint=D-B

for more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLAY GREENPEACE GAMES

Campaigning for a green and peaceful planet can be entertaining too. We've set up a page full of fun and sometimes funny games.

Try your hand at nuclear solitaire, finding ancient forest animals and leading US President George W. Bush around by the nose (really! - click on the link and see!):

http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/extra/?item_id=323695&language_id=en

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GREENPEACE IS HIRING

Please check out our international job page here:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/jobs/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WANT TO DO MORE?

1). Join Greenpeace! Make a secure online donation at:

https://www.greenpeace.com/forms/gpicontr.html

2). Visit the Greenpeace Cyberactivist Community at:

http://act.greenpeace.org

3). Help us spread the word. Forward this message to as many friends, family and colleagues as possible.

River Advocates:

Tell EPA to reduce stream damage from mountaintop mining! Take action today at: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=27370&l=7950

Mountaintop mining is a form of strip mining where coal companies literally blast hundreds of feet off the tops of mountain peaks to reach thin seams of coal, and then push millions of tons of the resulting rubble into surrounding valleys and streams.  This practice has destroyed more than 700 miles of streams in the Appalachian region since 1985.  

On May 29, 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a long overdue Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that was supposed to find ways to dramatically reduce the environmental harm from mountaintop mining.  While acknowledging the significant harm caused by this practice, EPA did not examine a single alternative that will reduce the damage.  Instead, they did just the opposite - looking only at so-called "permit streamlining" provisions that will weaken existing environmental protections.  

The Appalachian river activists who have worked so hard and long to stop mountaintop removal mining need your help.  Please tell EPA not to weaken environmental protections for the devastating practice of mountaintop mining!  

Comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement before the clock runs out on January 6th!  Take action today at: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=27370&l=7950

Sincerely,
American Rivers

Action features important steps YOU can quickly
take to help make the world greener. We have a special alert
about our marine wildlife, as well as activist tips for you.

1. Today's Action: Ocean Animals Need Your Help
http://www.care2.com/go/z/8533/1035
Our ocean ecosystems are in a severe collapse. Yet, one U.S. Senator is
threatening them with further attacks that could potentially kill off pristine
coral forests and increase fishing in endangered Steller sea lion habitat.
Already, these sea lions face a food shortage.  Now, they could starve.

Senator Ted Stevens is attempting to attach riders to the Appropriations
Bill that will enrich a few powerful fishing corporations and destroy
thousands of square miles of important undersea habitat.

In addition to threatening animals and habitats long known to be suffering
from ocean degradation, his rider seeks to open sea lion refuges to commercial
fishing and likely further harm endangered Steller sea lions in Alaska. It would
also remove protection for essential fish habitat and recently discovered
deep sea corals in the North Pacific. Finally, the rider would set specific rules
for the pollock and rockfish fisheries that would make it more difficult to
reduce bycatch.

This rider is a terrible policy.  Tell your senator to oppose Stevens'
rider and protect our oceans by signing this petition:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/8533/1035

2. Activist Tips:
Like seafood but don't know what is safe to eat? Try using Monterey Bay Aquarium's
Seafood Watch card to be sure you eat fish that can sustain their
populations under current fishing practices. Check out the card here:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/8534

3. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
- Mahatma Gandhi

Thanks for your help,
Gwen Tyler
Care2.com

Oil and gas industry lobbyists are trying to get Congress to
give them an exemption from Clean Water Act provisions that
limit water pollution from construction sites. They have managed
to slip a provision in the House version on the Energy Bill
(H.R. 6) that would give them this special interest loophole. As
members of the Energy Bill conference committee continue to meet
this week to work out the final version of H.R. 6, Rep. Bob
Filner (CA) and other House members will offer a "motion to
instruct" the conferees to reject this special interest
give-away for the oil and gas companies. The vote on the Filner
"motion to instruct" could occur as soon as tomorrow, Thursday
November 6th, so please Take Action today to stop the oil and
gas industry's attempt to evade the law!

You can take action on this alert either via email (please see
directions below) or via the web at:
http://ga0.org/campaign/oilandgas/w5niwb2l7kinwe

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
http://ga0.org/campaign/oilandgas/forward/w5niwb2l7kinwe

We encourage you to take action by November 6, 2003

Oppose Proposed Oil and Gas Exemptions from the Clean Water Act

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://ga0.org/campaign/oilandgas/w5niwb2l7kinwe

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
US House

----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

Please oppose the attempt by the oil and gas industry to get
Congress to give them an exemption from Clean Water Act limits
on water pollution from construction sites. I urge you to
support Rep. Filner's motion to instruct conferees debating the
comprehensive energy bill, H.R. 6, to protect our nation's
waters and the effectiveness of the Clean Water Act.

The Clean Water Act requires industries to limit pollution from
contaminated rain and snow running off of construction sites.
Often, this simply involves the use of best management
practices. When oil and gas companies create culverts and
ditches that discharge pollution into our nation's waters, they
must take steps to reduce this pollution, just like other
businesses have to do. But oil and gas industry lobbyists are
trying to evade the law by slipping an exemption into the energy
bill.

Construction at oil and gas sites causes the release of sediment
into rivers and streams, killing fish and other aquatic life.
Stormwater runoff can also contain toxics, such as benzene,
toluene, and heavy metals that threaten water quality and even
the safety of drinking water supplies. If granted, the oil and
gas loophole will not only increase water pollution, but will
also create a dangerous special interest loophole that other
industries will try to expand in the future to exempt themselves
from the Clean Water Act.

Representative Filner's "motion to instruct" will ask conferees
to reject this special interest exemption from the Clean Water
Act for the oil and gas industry. I urge you to support this
motion.

----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----

Sincerely,

Dear Friend of Wildlife,

A new Bush administration policy would open the door
to the slaughter of hundreds of endangered species.  
Asian elephants could be forced into American zoos and
circuses.  Tigers could be skinned by trophy hunters.

This unconscionable plan would allow the commercial imports
of endangered elephants, tigers, and even animal body parts,
for profit or pleasure.  All a hunter would have to do is
claim that there will somehow be a “conservation benefit”
from the killings.  The Bush plan would place as many as
500 species in the cross hairs.

Help stop the slaughter before it’s too late.

Send an e-mail to Gale Norton’s Fish and Wildlife Service
and your congressional representatives and tell them you
oppose this outrageous policy.  They must hear from you by
November 10.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:

If you have access to the web, simply click on the link below which
will take you to the DEN Action Center web site:

Greenpeace's Positive Energy
November 3 - November 7, 2003
v. 3.37

Here's your weekly Positive Energy - the Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! newsletter.

Inside this edition:
-CSU Hayward Begins Installation on World's Largest University Solar System
-Get Involved! Make Sure Gale Norton Doesn’t Blow Off Wind
–Save Greenpeace from Ashcroft!

+++++ CSU Hayward Begins Installation on World's Largest University Solar System

California State University Hayward has begun installation on the largest solar electric system of any university in the world. The 1.05-megawatt solar electric system will provide approximately 30 percent of the campus’s peak electricity demands. With the solar system measuring 75,600 square feet in size, it will produce about 1,450,000 kilowatt hours annually and will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by nearly 8,700 tons over the next 25 years. This reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is equal to removing 1,700 cars from California’s highways. One more example of how college campuses are leading the way on clean energy. Way to go CSU, Hayward!

To read the entire article, visit:
http://www.csuhayward.edu/alumni_friends/public_affairs/news/2003/solarconstruction.html

+++++ Get Involved! Make Sure Gale Norton Doesn't Blow Off Wind

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton seeks your input on wind energy development on U.S. public lands. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has scheduled 10 public scoping meetings in five western states to gain input on the development of wind energy. The meetings encourage the public to come and participate in the development of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).  This is used in turn to evaluate issues associated with increased development of wind energy and to consider those issues in land-use plans throughout the western region. This is a chance to make your voice heard and support the use of clean wind energy.

The public scoping meetings are scheduled for the locations and dates indicated below:

November 12: Cheyenne, Wyoming
Holiday Inn
204 West Fox Farm Road
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (all times local)
For more information: (307) 638-4466

November 18: Las Vegas Nevada
Crowne Plaza
4255 South Paradise Rd.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (all times local)
For more information: (702) 369-4400

November 20: Boise, Idaho
Boise Center on the Grove
850 W. Front St.
Boise, Idaho 83702
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (all times local)
For more information: (208) 336-8900

+++++ Save Greenpeace from Ashcroft!

Greenpeace is under attack by John Ashcroft’s Justice Department. Earlier this year the entire Greenpeace organization was indicted in a federal court in Miami Florida for a non-violent direct action against illegally imported Brazilian mahogany. Greenpeace is now gearing up to go to trial and defend freedom of speech, nonviolent direct action and civil liberties. The charges against Greenpeace cite an obscure 19th century law prohibiting the unauthorized boarding of a ship. Greenpeace contends that this prosecution - the first indictment of its kind in U.S. history - is politically motivated because the environmental group has effectively opposed Bush administration policies.

To take action and help Greenpeace defend its rights, and the rights of everybody to peacefully protest: Contact President Bush and John Ashcroft and tell them to prosecute illegal loggers, not Greenpeace!  Go to:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/view.fpl/10048/action_id/195.html

For more information on the indictment, trial and other facts,  please visit:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/view.fpl/16961.html

+++++

The "Positive Energy" newsletter and our web site, http://www.cleanenergynow.org, will give you good news about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice and renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy crisis.   

Help Greenpeace spread the word!  Forward this e-mail on to other caring individuals.



The "Positive Energy" newsletter and our web site,
http://www.cleanenergynow.org, will give you good news
about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice, and
renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy crisis.  

A Biweekly Update from Defenders of Wildlife: Working to Save Wildlife and Wild Lands Alaska Game Board Approves Aerial Killing of Wolves Bush Administration May Allow 20 Percent of Wetlands to Be Destroyed Everglades Plan Fails to Ensure Protection A Perfect Holiday Gift! Defense Legislation Bodes Ill for Marine Mammals and Endangered Species Legislation Introduced to Protect Yellowstone Bison 1.Alaska Game Board Approves Aerial Killing of Wolves Despite the fact that Alaskans have twice voted to ban the practice of aerial killing of wolves, the Alaska Board of Game, appointed by Governor Frank Murkowski, last week approved permits that will allow people to shoot wolves from aircraft. Under the plan, hunters and trappers can shoot wolves either directly from planes or helicopters, or after chasing the animals to the point of exhaustion and then landing the aircraft to kill them on the ground. The areas approved for aerial wolf control include almost two thousand square miles in interior Alaska where all the wolves in that area will be eliminated. Learn more and sign a petition stating your opposition to this plan. 2. Bush Administration May Allow 20 Percent of Wetlands to Be Destroyed A Bush administration draft of regulations, leaked by a senior government official to the Los Angeles Times (free subscription required), could lead to the destruction of 20 million acres of wetlands, which equals 20 percent of all wetlands outside of Alaska. If finalized, the rule would exempt these wetlands and streams, found throughout the U.S., from Clean Water Act protections. In California and the arid Southwest alone, 80-90 percent of streams with crucial wildlife habitat would be unprotected because they flow seasonally. In addition, withdrawal of federal protection from wetlands and streams could undercut efforts to protect the water supplies on which millions of Americans depend. A large number of groups, including hunting, fishing, and conservation organizations have spoken out against this disastrous plan. Go to Defenders' action center and scroll to alert #251 to take action on this issue. 3.Everglades Plan Fails to Ensure Protection A broad coalition of conservation organizations, including Defenders, has said that recently released Bush administration plans fail to ensure restoration of the Everglades. According to a statement released by the groups, the mandate that Congress gave when it passed legislation to save the Everglades was "translated into a vague set of procedural regulations that do little more than make Everglades restoration one of many possible outcomes of the 30-year restoration process." Read a news story on the new plans. 4. A Perfect Holiday Gift! Help safeguard wildlife for future generations by adopting an imperiled animal for that special someone on your holiday gift list. Magnificent wolves, polar bears, and other wildlife face great peril. Gale Norton has removed essential wolf protections under the Endangered Species Act. Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski has authorized the barbaric practice of aerial gunning of wolves. Big Oil wants to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--which would harm polar bears, snowy owls and other arctic wildlife. The timber industry wants to log in our national forests, which would devastate the habitats of millions of forest animals. Defenders of Wildlife gift adoptions are a wonderful way to help protect imperiled wildlife while passing on the legacy of conservation to friends and family. Adopt a wolf, polar bear, sea otter, panther, whale, black bear, dolphin, or snowy owl today. We'll send your gift recipient a plush animal toy and a personalized certificate of adoption suitable for framing. The holidays will soon be here, so don't delay. Go to our wildlife adoption center today . 5. Defense Legislation Bodes Ill for Marine Mammals and Endangered Species The U.S. Senate is set to pass a $401 billion defense spending bill that will gut protections for marine mammals and other wildlife. The defense legislation would amend the Endangered Species Act to allow the Secretary of the Interior to exempt Defense Department sites from habitat protections for species and amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow marine mammals to be needlessly harassed, injured or killed. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon asked for the exemptions even though independent governmental studies show that environmental protection laws do not harm national security or military readiness. View a copy of the General Accounting Office's report. 6.Legislation Introduced to Protect Yellowstone Bison To broaden the "home on the range" for Yellowstone bison, Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-New York) and Charles Bass (R-New Hampshire) introduced a bill that calls for a moratorium on the hazing, capturing, and killing of the bison on all federal public lands adjacent to the northwest corner of the park until a list of conditions are met. View the list of conditions and learn more about the legislation. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DENLINES DENlines is a biweekly update 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. Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2003

From: Matt Howes, National Internet Organizer, ACLU
To: ACLU Action Network Members
Date: November 13, 2003

Congress is very close to giving government law enforcement agents even broader powers to force businesses to turn over sensitive private information about their customers without any judicial review.

Part of a little-noticed provision that is pending before a conference committee, the expanded powers would allow the government to access your travel records, car purchases, stock trades or other purchases and stop you from finding out that these records have been searched. The government could undertake these searches for loosely defined "national security" purposes even if it has no reasonable suspicion that you were involved in a crime.

Take action! Congress needs to ensure that there is proper judicial oversight over government investigations!  

Click here for more information and to send a free fax to your Members of Congress:  

http://www.aclu.org/NationalSecurity/NationalSecurity.cfm?ID=14370&c=111

*****************************************************
For more information on other issues and the latest news, please visit our website at http://www.aclu.org

Help Strengthen the ACLU's Voice in Congress... Click below to become a card-carrying Member or donate today!
http://www.aclu.org/contribute/contribute.cfm?ORGID=AA02

If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to subscribe to the ACLU Action Network Updates, click http://www.aclu.org/team/member.cfm

To find out what more you can do to protect your civil liberties, please visit http://www.aclu.org/action

News Release
November 14, 2003
www.etcgroup.org

Terminator Technology Debate
Hijacked in Montreal

Terminator - or genetic seed sterilization - has been on the agenda of the United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for five years.  If the Gene Giants and governments get their way, the CBD will be conducting studies on Terminator for years to come - long after suicide seeds are commercialized and show up in farmers' fields.


At the ninth meeting of the CBD's scientific advisory body (SBSTTA 9)(1) held November 10-14 in Montreal, four governments - Canada, New Zealand, Argentina and Brazil - were allowed to highjack debate and stall action on Terminator by insisting that the CBD postpone consideration of an expert technical report on the impacts of genetic seed sterilization, arguing that the report lacks scientific rigor.(2)  While the report will be forwarded to next February's Conference of the Parties (COP7) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it will go with a recommendation that COP7 forego action and re-direct the report to the next meeting of the scientific body (SBSTTA10) - in late 2004 or 2005 - with the aim of providing advice to COP8 in 2006!

"It's an appalling tactic to delay action against Terminator seeds," said Yoke Ling Chee of the Malaysia-based Third World Network.  "The Gene Giants know that CBD has already accepted a weak and partial moratorium on GURTs [the CBD refers to Terminator as GURTs - genetic use restriction technology] and this is an underhanded maneuver to prevent debate from moving forward at COP7."

The move to discredit the Expert Group's report is especially disingenuous because the explicit mandate of the Group was not to conduct a scientific assessment of Terminator - which was done several years ago - but to examine the impacts of Terminator on smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples and local communities. Accordingly, the Expert Group included representation from indigenous peoples' and farmers' organizations, as well as civil society, scientists, industry and governments.

"SBSTTA9's decision is wrong and dangerous," said Alejandro Argumedo of the Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Network.  "Giving four governments the right to derail a report on the impact of Terminator on indigenous peoples and local communities is like saying that the voices of these communities are not important, and that the social and economic impacts of Terminator can be dismissed," said Argumedo.

Seed Industry Coup at SBSTTA9: The presence of Monsanto and Delta & Pine Land at SBSTTA9 may very well have something to do with the surprise objection by four governments to the Expert Group's report on Terminator.  A Monsanto employee attended SBSTTA9 as the representative of the Biotechnology Industry Organization and Delta & Pine Land's Vice-President for Technology Transfer represented the International Seed Federation.  Earlier this year, these industry representatives co-authored a paper defending GURTS and extolling the theoretical virtues of Terminator for small farmers and indigenous peoples.(3)  Both Monsanto and Delta & Pine Land have vested interests in Terminator technology.  (Delta and Pine Land jointly holds three patents on genetic seed sterilization with the US government.  Although in 1999 Monsanto's then-CEO publicly pledged not to develop Terminator seeds, there is growing evidence - including the championing of Terminator by one of its employees - that the Gene Giant is changing its tune.)

Sterile Harvest Coming Soon:  
"While CBD is chasing paper and conducting endless studies, multinational Gene Giants are winning new patents and planning to field test sterile seed technology soon.  If delays such as the one we just saw in Montreal continue, we'll have sterile harvests in farmers' fields within a year or two.  If CBD fails to take decisive action to prevent commercialization of Terminator seeds, it will be a profound betrayal of its mandate to protect biodiversity," said Hope Shand of ETC Group.

The governments gathering in Kuala Lumpur at COP7 need to muster the political will to put an end to delays and to take decisive action to stop Terminator.


For further information, contact:
Hope Shand, ETC Group (USA) hope@etcgroup.org  tel: 919 9605223
Pat Mooney, ETC Group (Canada) etc@etcgroup.org  tel: 204 4535259

The Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration, formerly RAFI, is an international civil society organization headquartered in Canada. The ETC group is dedicated to the advancement of cultural and ecological diversity and human rights. www.etcgroup.org. The ETC group is also a member of the Community Biodiversity Development and Conservation Programme (CBDC). The CBDC is a collaborative experimental initiative involving civil society organizations and public research institutions in 14 countries. The CBDC is dedicated to the exploration of community-directed programmes to strengthen the conservation and enhancement of agricultural biodiversity. The CBDC website is www.cbdcprogram.org


Endnotes:
(1) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice.  For more information on the meeting, see http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=SBSTTA-09
(2) The "Report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group Meeting on the Potential Impacts of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies on Smallholder Farmers, Indigenous and Local Communities and Farmers' Rights, is available on the Internet: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/sbstta/sbstta-09/information/sbstta-09-inf-06-en.pdf
(3) The full text of the paper is available here:http://www.etcgroup.org/documents/collins_kreugerISF.pdf

Action features important steps YOU can quickly take
to help make the world greener. Check out our alerts below.

************************
1. Pledge Not To Cruise Until Royal Caribbean Cleans Up Their Act!

Don't you think that companies who profit from our oceans should
keep them clean, or at the VERY least, not pollute them?

Royal Caribbean cruise ships dump untreated gray water from showers,
sinks, floor drains and beauty salons into the ocean. This sewage
can contain fecal waste and toxic chemicals, and the pollution is
preventable. Affordable technology exists to correct the problem
yet all but 3 Royal Caribbean ships lack the proper technology.

Help us pressure Royal Caribbean to act responsibly. Pledge not to
take a cruise until the company agrees to upgrade its entire fleet
with advanced wastewater treatment technology and submits to
independent, third-party monitoring and testing to protect our
oceans.
Sign the pledge here: http://www.care2.com/go/z/8838

************************
2. Make Workplaces and Public Spaces Smoke-Free

If someone were polluting the air in your local park with arsenic,
lead, and DDT, would you be outraged? What if you also knew that
this pollution killed at least 40,000 adults and children every
year?

Well, every time you breathe in secondhand cigarette smoke, you breathe
a toxic soup of more than 4,000 chemical compounds, 69 of which are
known or probable human carcinogens, including arsenic, lead, and DDT.

Protect your right to clean air, by making workplaces and public spaces
smoke-free: http://www.care2.com/go/z/8836/1043

We adults make our own choices about our lives, including whether or
not to smoke. But second-hand smoke robs people of that choice, with
devastating health consequences -3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000
heart disease deaths per year. And our children are especially
vulnerable ­ secondhand smoke exposure results in more than 10,000
cases of low birthweight babies and more than 2,000 infant deaths
from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) each year.

Research has shown that there is no negative impact on restaurant
sales or employment from such laws. And, such laws are a tremendous
help to the 7 in 10 smokers who want to quit.

Sign this petition to make America's workplaces and indoor public spaces
smoke-free and healthy for all!
Sign here: http://www.care2.com/go/z/8836/1043


************************
3. ACTIVIST TIPS
Holiday giving that's good for the soul
As the holiday season approaches and we start making our lists, consider
a new approach to gift giving - donate to charities in your loved ones'
names instead of buying gifts. You'll help those who truly need it, and
both you and your loved ones will feel the true holiday spirit of peace,
love, and generosity.

************************
4. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
"When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision,
then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."
- Audre Lorde, poet and activist, 1934-1992.

Thanks for your help,
Rose Liston
Care2.com

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

After the publication of the recommendations of the World Commission on
Dams (see www.dams.org/), the World Bank seemed to be pulling back from
Big Dam projects, based on economic, environmental and human rights
concerns. So it is disturbing to see the Bank stubbornly promoting
construction of a $530 million dam at Uganda's Bujagali Falls, even
after European development banks and the US Overseas Private Investment
Corporation dropped out of the project.  Ugandan environmental and rural
development organizations are asking for international support in their
efforts to stop this dam and redirect the Bank's attention toward
developing renewable energy options that would make electricity more
affordable and accessible to the majority of Uganda's citizens.

Please read this action alert and send a letter to the president of the
World Bank today. What happens in Uganda may set the course for World
Bank energy policy. Will it be back to megaprojects that benefit
corporations at the expense of the poor, or onward toward renewable
energy and sustainable, community-based development?

Thank you for your help in this campaign. --Paula Palmer  

************************************************************
GLOBAL RESPONSE ACTION ALERT #7/03
Stop World Bank Funding for Bujagali Dam / Uganda   
Nov-Dec 2003
*************************************************************

       “Big is beautiful again:  in spite of their abysmal track record,
Big Dams are back in
style at the World Bank.” – Peter Bosshard, Policy Director,
International Rivers Network

       “The real issue in Uganda is not electricity but poverty.” – Save
Bujagali Crusade


The World Bank should know better. Its own reports show that
after 50 years its top-down development schemes – aimed at alleviating
poverty – have left the people of Africa poorer. In Uganda, a lush land
that lies between the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of
Congo and the dry plains of Kenya and Tanzania, the average annual
income is barely $300, and 95 percent of the population lacks
electricity.

So the World Bank and the Ugandan government come up with the
outdated solution of building a big dam. They claim the project will
double electrical output, stimulate industrial development and bring
electricity to Uganda’s poor.  Never mind that the Bank’s own study
shows that only 7 percent of Uganda’s population would be able to afford
electricity from the high-cost ($530 million) Bujagali project.  In
addition, the dam would destroy Uganda’s “national treasure,” the
beautiful Bujagali Falls at the source of the Nile. Whitewater rafting
on the spectacular series of cascading rapids just 8 km from Lake
Victoria generates $60 million a year in tourist revenues, with great
potential for growth if the falls remain wild.

There are so many environmental and economic problems with the
Bujagali Dam that the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation and
development banks in Germany, France, Sweden and England have all
dropped out. Corporate sponsor AES Corp abandoned the project in August,
citing financial woes (AES had been the target of a Global
Response/International Rivers Network email campaign). But the World
Bank Group, which approved $215 million for Bujagali in loans and
guarantees, is still looking for a new corporate partner to build the
dam.

In Uganda, a coalition of organizations called the Save Bujagali
Crusade and the National Association of Professional Environmentalists
are urging government and Bank officials to put the Bujagali
Professional Environmentalists are urging
of Professional Environmentalists are urging government and Bank
officials to put the Bujagali project on hold in order to study
alternatives. To bring the benefits of electricity to the rural poor,
the coalition favors development of Uganda’s geothermal, solar and
micro-hydro resources, as well as better management of the national grid
which currently leaks over a quarter of energy produced.  An alternate
hydro-electric project site at Karuma is also preferred because its
location would favor the underdeveloped northern region, and
environmental and social impacts would be minimized.

Uganda is blessed with geothermal potential estimated at 450
megawatts – twice as much power as the Bujagali dam is expected to
generate. Whereas power from the dam would surge into the grid all at
once (providing more electricity than Uganda would be able to utilize),
geothermal power can be brought online incrementally, as demand
increases. Clean, renewable and economical, geothermal can provide power
in rural areas where it is too costly to extend the national grid.
Neighboring Kenya already produces 67 MW from geothermal resources and
expects to produce 576 MW by 2019.

A 1996 study by the World Bank and the United Nations
Development Program also found “favorable conditions” for solar
development in Uganda. Again, Kenya provides a model: more rural Kenyan
households get power from solar than from the grid.

The World Bank’s stubborn promotion of the Bujagali dam prevents
serious consideration of efficiency and renewable energy alternatives
that could fuel rural development and help the poor.

*************************
HOW WE CAN HELP:
*************************
Support the Save Bujagali Crusade by urging the World Bank to finance a
full assessment of energy alternatives for Uganda.  See letter-writing
tips below.

***************************************************
SPECIAL FOCUS:  GEOTHERMAL BASICS
***************************************************
What is geothermal energy?

Geothermal heat originates at the earth’s core, where temperatures may
reach over 9,000 degrees F.  Melted rock, or magma, from the core moves
continuously up toward the crust, where it heats nearby rock and
rainwater that has seeped into the earth.  Some of this hot geothermal
water travels back up through cracks and reaches the earth’s surface as
hot springs or geysers, but most of it stays trapped underground.

How is geothermal energy tapped?

Wells are drilled into geothermal reservoirs to bring the hot water to
the surface. Geologists, geochemists and engineers test to locate
underground areas that contain geothermal water, to learn where to drill
wells.  The wells bring the hot water and/or steam to the surface, where
it is used to spin turbines and produces electricity. The used
geothermal water is then returned down an injection well into the
reservoir to be reheated, to maintain pressure and to sustain the
reservoir.

What are the advantages of geothermal-generated electricity?

* Clean: Geothermal power plants do not burn fuels, or result in dams,
mines, open pits, waste heaps or oil spills. Because they are so clean,
they can be built in the middle of agricultural land.  

* Conserves land: Geothermal requires less land per megawatt than almost
any other type of power plant.  

* Reliable: Since they are built atop their fuel source, geothermal
plants are resistant to interruptions of power generation due to
weather, natural disasters or political rifts.  

* Flexible: Geothermal power plants can have modular designs, with
additional units installed in increments as needed to fit growing demand
for electricity.  

* Economically stable:  Geothermal “fuel” – like the sun and the wind –
is always where the power plant is, so the economic benefits remain in
the region.  

(Thanks to the Geothermal Education Office, http://geothermal.marin.org,
for this information.  For more on geothermal power, see:
www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/teach_geoelec.html and
www.nps.gov/yell/press/images/thermalf/index.htm)


**************************
REQUESTED ACTION
***************************

Please send a polite letter to the president of the World Bank Group.
If possible, send a copy of your letter to the CEO of Eskom Enterprises,
the corporation that is most likely to partner with the World Bank in
the Bujagali dam project.

• Express your concern that the World Bank’s Bujugali Dam project
will destroy Bujagali Falls, a natural wonder, and the growing tourism
industry that it supports. The dam will also provide electricity at such
high cost that most Ugandans will not be able to afford it.

• Urge the World Bank to undertake a complete assessment of energy
options for Uganda (as recommended by the World Commission on Dams),
including improved efficiency, geothermal, micro-hydro, solar, bagasse
and the proposed Karuma dam as an alternative to the Bujagali site.

• Insist on full citizen and NGO participation in the next phase
of decision making for Bujagali and other proposed dams, and
transparency in all energy contracts.

• Urge the World Bank to work with African governments to develop
a comprehensive management plan for the Nile River before any new dams
are commissioned.

*************
ADDRESS:
*************
James. D. Wolfensohn, President
The World Bank
1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433 U.S.A.

FAX:  + 202 522-3031
EMAIL:  igoldin@worldbank.org

********************************************************
PLEASE SEND A COPY OF YOUR LETTER TO:
********************************************************

Enos Banda, CEO
Eskom Enterprises
P.O. Box 1091
Johannesburg 2000, South Africa

FAX:  +27 (0)11 800-4338
EMAIL: enos.banda@eskom.co.za

*******************
IMPACT SCALE    
*******************   
****  Personal letter sent by regular mail
***   Personal fax
**     Personal email
*      Mass-produced messages


This Global Response Action was issued at the request of and with
information provided by the National Association of Professional
Environmentalists (Uganda) and International Rivers Network.  For more
information, see www.uganda.co.ug/bujagali/;
www.irn.org/programs/bujagali/ ;  www.ifc.org/bujagali/;
www.irn.org/programs/safrica/index.asp?id=030601.eskomfactsheet.html

GOT KIDS? See the Kids, Teens and Teachers sections at
www.globalresponse.org

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER! OVER THE LAST 12 YEARS, WE HAVE CELEBRATED
VICTORIES IN 44% OF OUR LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGNS!

TO ORDER HARDCOPIES of this Action Alert, please write to:
action@globalresponse.org.  Action alerts are also available for teens
(Eco-Club Actions) and children, grades 3-8 (Young Environmentalist's
Actions). Free Teacher's Packet and 5-minute video.

TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION to support Global Response, see
www.globalresponse.org.  We need and appreciate your support!

SHOP ONLINE?  Use the igive.com website for free access to 460 favorite
stores, and Global Response gets a donation!  Sign up now at
http://www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?causeid=11141  and Global Response
gets an extra $5.

********************************
Paula Palmer, Program Director
Global Response
P.O. Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306
USA
TEL: 303-444-0306
FAX: 303-449-9794
Email: paula@globalresponse.org
Website: http://www.globalresponse.org

At the request of indigenous peoples and grassroots organizations,
Global Response organizes international letter-writing campaigns to help
communities prevent environmental destruction. Young people and adults
in 92 countries participate in these very effective campaigns.

To request Global Response Action alerts by mail or email, or to make a
tax-deductible donation, please visit http://www.globalresponse.org

Dear NRDC BioGems Defender,

As you may already know, our campaign to protect marine mammals against deadly
sonar and other man-made threats suffered a terrible setback last week in the
United States Congress.

Under the cynical pretext of protecting national security, the Bush
administration strong-armed the Senate Armed Services Committee into approving
the most far-reaching rollback of marine mammal protection in the last 30
years. It exempts the U.S. military from obeying core provisions of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Because these unprecedented exemptions are part of a "must-pass" defense bill,
they were quickly approved by both the House and Senate, and President Bush is
sure to sign the bill into law.

Before I tell you what this setback will mean for marine mammals, I want you to
know one thing: we fought our hearts out to defeat these disastrous provisions.
Our legislative staff worked day and night to get Congress the facts and win
over critical swing votes. Two weeks ago, thousands of NRDC activists in the
key states of Virginia, Michigan, Arizona and Maine joined the fray by flooding
their senators' offices with pro-marine mammal phone calls.

Thanks to their selfless efforts, we came awfully close to pulling off a last-
minute victory. In the end, however, we just could not overcome a White House
that was shamelessly -- and erroneously -- claiming military necessity in the
midst of wartime.

What do these new exemptions mean in the real world? It will now be far easier
for the U.S. military to harass and kill whales, dolphins and other marine
mammals with high-intensity sonar and underwater explosives. The armed forces
will no longer be limited to harming or killing a "small number" of animals.

In another ominous change, the new law allows the military to entirely exempt
itself from all environmental review under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In
the past, NRDC has used that process to block destructive activities like the
detonation of tons of explosives in sensitive marine areas.

Finally, the military will now be allowed to destroy the habitat of endangered
birds and mammals that live on 25 million acres of land under the Pentagon's
jurisdiction.

The Bush administration claims that these drastic steps are necessary because
environmental laws are compromising combat readiness for the war on terror.
Baloney! Even the EPA's own administrator testified last spring that she
couldn't name a single training mission anywhere in the country that had been
delayed or canceled because of environmental restrictions.

Make no mistake, this White House has cynically exploited the war in Iraq as a
convenient opportunity to try to give the Pentagon what it has always sought: a
free pass to trample our environment and carte blanche to harass marine mammals
in the course of testing its weapons and sonar.

It is a telling measure of this administration's hatred of the environment that
the bill was even more destructive to marine mammals than what the Pentagon
itself had asked for!

The only piece of good news I can share is this: the new exemptions are
unlikely to affect the courtroom victory we won in August when a federal judge
barred the U.S. Navy from deploying its deadly LFA sonar system across 75
percent of the world's oceans. That's because the Bush administration violated
so many different laws in approving that particular system that even an
exemption from the Marine Mammal Protection Act won't get the Navy off the
hook.

I am not going to soft-pedal last week's defeat. It is a tragic day indeed when
the White House oversees the evisceration of landmark laws -- passed by a
bipartisan majority in Congress -- that have helped save so many of our
planet's embattled populations of whales and dolphins.

But I would urge you to outrage and action, not despair. Let's put this setback
in perspective. Getting the military to stop injuring and killing marine
mammals is a monumental task, one that could take decades. We have already made
great strides in court, and the tides of change and public opinion are on our
side. More than 80 percent of Americans don't think the Pentagon should be
above environmental laws. If we harness that people power, we will one day
prevail.

In the months ahead, NRDC will be fighting in Congress to overturn these
disastrous new exemptions. We will partner with European groups to mount a
worldwide campaign of political pressure against dangerous, high-powered sonar
systems. We will pursue every opportunity to block lethal sonar systems in the
courts. And if the Bush administration does attempt to overturn our victory
against LFA sonar, we will go back to court and fight tooth and nail to defend
it.

Defending marine mammals on so many different fronts will require an
extraordinary amount of funding. If you would like to help further this NRDC
campaign against deadly sonar, please consider making an online contribution.
It will be put to work immediately and be deeply appreciated. Just go to
https://www.savebiogems.org/donate/lfa1103.asp

In the meantime, for the sake of whales and other marine mammals around the
globe, we're counting on you to stay the course with us. We need your idealism,
your energy and your activism. Thank you for all you've done.

Sincerely,

John H. Adams
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

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

News Release
20 November 2003
www.etcgroup.org

Take Action!


Massive International Protest on GM Contamination of Mexican Maize

Go here to send message of protest: http://www.etcgroup.org/action3.asp

An open letter to Mexican government authorities and intergovernmental bodies was sent today, signed by 302 organizations from 56 countries, demanding actions to stop contamination of farmers’ maize with DNA from genetically modified (GM) maize, and to prevent any further contamination in the world’s centers of crop diversity and origin.

See the letter and signatories here:http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=417.

"People all over the world are showing solidarity with the campesinos and indigenous people of Mexico," said Ana de Ita from CECCAM, "GM contamination is a potential threat to their land and livelihoods, but also to the heart of the Mexican culture and food systems. It must be stopped."

The open letter asks the Mexican government to maintain the moratorium against the planting of transgenic maize in Mexico, stop the importation of transgenic or non-segregated maize — likely the main source of contamination in Mexico— and conduct urgent studies to determine the extent of the contamination. They also call upon the Mexican Congress to reject the biosafety bill now under consideration because it is "deeply flawed."

"The issue goes far beyond Mexico because all centers of crop diversity could be endangered," said Silvia Ribeiro of ETC Group. "The international community’s lack of action is apalling. The only beneficiaries are the multinational Gene Giants, who are hoping that governments will surrender to GM contamination. But surrender is not on our agenda."

Organizations from five continents around the world are also asking the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to adopt these issues on their agendas and take actions to ensure the application of the precautionary principle to prevent further GM contamination of farmers’ varieties. They also urge intergovernmental bodies to call for a global moratorium on the release of GMOs in crop centers
of origin and diversity, and to insure that the biotechnology industry will not be allowed to make patent infrigement claims against  farmers who are victims of GM contamination.

Take Action!
Readers are invited to join the international protest by demanding action. Go here to send messages directly to the Mexican government and to international bodies:
http://www.etcgroup.org/action3.asp

For more information:

Hope Shand, ETC Group, hope@etcgroup.org, +1-919-960 5223
Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group, silvia@etcgroup.org
Ana de Ita, CECCAM, Centro de Estudios para el Cambio en el Campo Mexicano, ceccam@laneta.apc.org

As I write this, Greenpeace staff and volunteers are taking action to protect Ancient Forests on both sides of the globe: travelling into the heart of the Amazon to work with local communities, and occupying some of the tallest hardwood trees in the world in Tasmania. We need your help in both campaigns.

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INTO THE AMAZON

"Early this morning the large RIB [rigid hulled inflatable boat] left the ship to meet up with the river boat working with the small local communities along the Guajara River. To have this ice breaking ship in the Amazon with all its equipment may seem a little strange, but for the people here it means they know that we as Greenpeace, as individuals, our members and supporters care about their plight. That we will do our best to bring their suffering out into the wide open world."

Emily
On board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise

Around 40 percent of the world's remaining tropical rainforest is found in the Amazon basin, a place of enormous ecological importance in sustaining global water and climate systems. Despite decades of intense focus in the spotlight of international environmental concern, today the Amazon is under siege more than ever from the loggers, farmers, and politicians who view it as a modern Eldorado to be plundered for profit.

Together with the traditional Amazon inhabitants, Greenpeace is working to create extractive reserves - places protected from industrial logging where the people can continue to live in and off the forest sustainably.

This is something we can do, but not without your help. Please visit one of these sites, where you will find ways to be part of this great effort. Spend a few minutes to send a letter, make a donation, simply learn more about the Amazon or sign on as a Forest Guardian.

*Forest Guardians*

http://guardians.greenpeace.org

Our newest and most innovative cyberactivism site. This is where you can get further involved in the campaign - send letters and e-cards, take on a volunteer role, get your own personal treehouse, and learn from, meet and take action with other people like you.

Visit

http://guardians.greenpeace.org/posting/1069082974

for an introduction to the many features of this activist centre. To really get involved, you'll need to login using your cybercentre account and password.

*Amazon Crime Files*

http://forests.greenpeace.org

Updates from our staff now in the Amazon and more information about the campaign.

*Kids for Forests*

http://www.greenpeace.org/kidsforforests

Just for kids, because these are their forests also.

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ABOVE THE STYX VALLEY

The Styx Valley in Tasmania has the largest hardwood trees in the world. Many are taller than a 25-storey building, over 400 years old and up to five metres wide at the base. Among the wildlife species you'll find in these trees are... Greenpeace activists. Three men and two women from Japan, Canada, Australia, and Germany are currently 65 meters high in the branches, in a solar-powered, high-tech tree-sit to save the Tasmanian forest from being turned into woodchips.

These forests are being logged using practices banned in the rest of Australia and seen only in developing countries. Old growth forests are clear-felled and fire-bombed from the air with petrochemicals. Grazing animals are then poisoned with carrots laced with 1080 poison. And the end product of all this destruction is nothing more than woodchips, the bulk of which are bought by Japan.

The activists have occupied their tree since November 12th, and are filing frequent updates at their weblog:

http://weblog.greenpeace.org/tasmania

They invite you to join them in action by writing to the Japanese buyers of Tasmanian wood chips:

http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/cyberaction/tasmania/form_en_html

You can send messages of support to the folks in the trees by visiting the weblog and clicking on the "Contact the activists" link. (Read the postings first -- they've already answered the question about where you find a loo 65 metres off the ground in the Tasmanian forest).

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WANT TO DO MORE?

1). Join Greenpeace! Make a secure online donation at:

https://www.greenpeace.com/forms/gpicontr.html

2). Visit the Greenpeace Cyberactivist Community at:

http://act.greenpeace.org

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