|
|
Action Deadline: February 14, 2002
Key habitat within a globally
outstanding ecoregion is under attack.
Located in northern California and known as the Horseshoe
Wildlife
Area, it is critically important habitat for
black-tailed deer and is
key habitat for bears,
cougars, and bobcats. In the winter, deer from
throughout the region travel to Horseshoe to find food and
band
together. The deer play an important
role in the web of life by
serving as prey for large
carnivores. The area also contains some of
the best oak woodland habitat in public ownership in the
ecoregion.
The Horseshoe area
faces many threats. Roads and residential
development are encroaching on habitat on private lands in
the area,
and the public lands suffer from unauthorized
livestock grazing and
off-road vehicle
use. And, although a 1993 management plan for the
area called for balancing the rate at which public land was
sold and
more acquired, sales have dramatically
outpaced acquisitions. Now,
some local
officials are pushing for the sale of even more public land.
Fortunately, there is an important
opportunity for the public to press
for more
protection. The federal Bureau of Land Management is
accepting comments until February 14 on alternatives for
managing the
area's resources.
WWF Conservation Action Network
activists helped create the
Cascade-Siskiyou National
Monument, which is adjacent to the Horseshoe
Wildlife
Area. Ultimately, WWF and our local allies would like to see
the Horseshoe area become part of the
monument. Please act now to
ensure that the
Horseshoe Wildlife Area will be protected and eligible
for future inclusion in the monument.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE SIMPLE STEPS
BELOW TO SEND A FREE MESSAGE URGING THE
BUREAU OF LAND
MANAGEMENT TO STRENGTHEN PROTECTION FOR THE AREA, NOT
WEAKEN IT.
**********************TAKE ACTION NOW!****************
To send the message below, as is,
to the local field manager of the
Bureau of Land
Management, hit "reply" to this email and then "send."
We will automatically send the message 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 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 "Save Deer,
Cougars, Bears, and
Bobcats" and follow the instructions for adding
your
own thoughts to your message.
*********************LETTER TEXT******************
Charles M. Schultz
Field Manager
Bureau of Land Management
Redding Field Office
355 Hemsted
Drive
Redding, CA 96002
RE: HORSESHOE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
PLAN AMENDMENT
Dear Field
Manager Schultz:
I write to
urge you to strengthen protection for the Horseshoe
Wildlife Area. I suggest the Bureau of Land
Management take the
following actions, in accord with
the recommendations of the World
Wildlife Fund:
Support preferred alternative 2
identified in the environmental
assessment, with the
following changes
* expand the area of concern to well east of
Jenny Creek
* retain all public lands
* impose no conditions
on the types of land that can be acquired from
willing
sellers
* allow no
motorized vehicles on present and acquired public lands
* disallow mining on
all public lands in the area
These steps are necessary to protect critically important
wildlife
habitat, particularly winter habitat for
black-tailed deer in the
region, and to restore
riparian areas. The Horseshoe Wildlife Area
has very high ecological value and is within the globally
outstanding
Klamath-Siskiyou
ecoregion. Ultimately, I believe, it should be
included as part of the adjacent Cascade-Siskiyou National
Monument.
Please do all you
can to protect this important national treasure.
Sincerely,
Your name and address
will be
inserted here
***********************END OF LETTER
TEXT*********************
P.S. If you haven't already done so, please
visit the Conservation
Action Network Web site at
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/action.asp?step=2&item=635
to send
a free message urging the Department of the
Interior to release the
draft management plan for the
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The
delay in releasing the plan is holding up protection
measures for the
monument.
______________________________________________________________________
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
Precedence: list
Reply-to:
listreply@wdc.greenpeace.org
X-Bulkmail: 2.05
February 4 - 10, 2002
The groundhog may have seen his
shadow, but the sun keeps
shining in California. Time
for this week's Greenpeace
Clean Energy Now! Campaign's
good news update -
"POSITIVE ENERGY!"
+++ THANK
THE LA COMMUNITY COLLEGES FOR GOING GREEN +++
Three Board of Trustees members working on the Los Angeles
Community College's Proposition A building projects,
approved a resolution that all new buildings will meet
"certified" or "silver" LEED standards. At the moment,
there are only 10 such buildings in the US. In
addition,
if the Community Colleges follow through with
their plan
to build at least three new buildings on
each of the nine,
they will nearly triple the amount of
LEED buildings. Urge
them to continue blazing trails
toward a clean and
secure future!
Take action, send a thank you
email to the Trustees and
urge them to go solar on Feb.
20th!
Just go to:
http://www.cleanenergynow.org/listmanager/takeaction.pl?action_id=111
+++ OREGON COLLEGE MAY BE THE FIRST TO GO
KYOTO COMPLIANT +++
On February 1, 2002, undergraduate students of Lewis &
Clark College overwhelmingly approved a proposal to
increase the annual student fees by $10 per student per
year to fight global warming. Before the proposal can be
implemented, the Lewis & Clark College Board of
Trustees
must approve it at their meeting later this
February.
According to an inventory of the
college's emissions of
greenhouse gases (GHGs)
performed this past summer as a
student/faculty
research project, the fee increase will
raise enough
money to allow the college to meet the
specifications
of the international agreement to reduce
its GHG
emissions to 7% below 1990 levels.
For more information, contact:
Students Engaged in Eco-Defense (SEED) at 503.768.7157.
+++
SDG&E'S LAME EXCUSES DON'T FLY WITH THE ORA +++
This week, the Office of Ratepayer Advocates boldly came
out against San Diego Gas & Electric's
Valley-Rainbow
Interconnect Project and recommended
that the California
Public Utilities Commission deny
the companies application.
SDG&E, a wholly owned
subsidiary of the dirty gas company
Sempra, has been
desperately trying to justify the
construction of the
Valley-Rainbow Interconnect Project for
months. First,
they claimed that the new lines were needed
to keep the
lights on in San Diego during last summer's
"energy
crisis," and then they said the lines were need to
transport power from LA to San Diego to ensure stability.
Now, they are admitting the Valley-Rainbow lines are
necessary to import dirty power from Mexico.
SDG&E's parent
company, Sempra, wants to build
gas-fired power stations
and LNG plants on the border,
which would never be
permitted in California, and to
export the dirty energy to
Southern California. The
Valley-Rainbow project would only
increase our
profligate energy consumption, which creates
local air
pollution for both American and Mexican citizens
and
adds massively to global warming.
Take Action, and demand power plant impact studies
on the border projects:
http://www.cleanenergynow.org/bin/takeaction.fpl?action_id=93
+++ TAKE THE GREEN RIBBON PLEDGE +++
Join the 5,068 people who have
taken the
pledge to conserve energy for a secure
future!
There are hundreds of things you can do
every day to reduce energy consumption.
And cutting down energy use is the single
most important thing you can do to secure
our future from the negative effects of
unreliable, unstable and environmentally
damaging energy sources.
The "Positive Energy" newsletter and our website,
www.cleanenergynow.org, will give you good news on ways
to achieve clean air, climate justice and renewable
energy solutions to our ongoing energy
crisis.
To: All Activists
From: Steve
Holmer
Date: February 8, 2002
Subject: President's Budget
Threatens National Forests
The
Bush Administration has released its budget blueprint for FY 2003
which proposes to increase logging and to create a new
"Charter Forest"
system by turning over an entire
National Forest (or two) over to a
locally controlled
trust, similar to a Resource Advisory Committee
(RAC),
to manage the land instead of the Forest Service "to reduce
management bottlenecks and costs."
"The objective of the proposal is
to reduce our unit cost in doing the
things we do
across the board," said Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark
Rey. Few details are available about the Charter
Forest program at this
time, but it is being promoted
by advocates who support privatizing
and/or placing a
money-making mandate on the public lands.
The proposal appears to be a modified version of the Forest
Options
Group proposal and legislation introduced in
the last Congress (S. 1274)
by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID)
and his former staffer Mark Rey to turn over
National
Forests to the states. Please see the Forest Options Group
proposal at http://www.ti.org/2cfinal.html for more information
about
Charter Forests.
Legislation is needed before any
lands can be turned over but this could
come in the
form of a rider on the Interior Appropriations bill. We will
be working to stop this dangerous proposal.
Timber
Sale Budget Increases Again
The Administration is proposing spending $278.6 million for
timber sales
on the National Forests. This
is a huge increase from the $233 million
budgeted for
logging only three years ago. The agency is also hoping to
sell 2 billion board feet of timber this year a substantial
increase
from the 1.4 billion expected to be sold this
year.
The timber
program will continue to be augmented by off-budget funds
such as the Salvage fund ($79.8 million) and KV Fund which
are fueled by
timber receipts as well as hazardous
fuels and restoration funding that
is being used for
commercial logging instead of brush removal in the
wildlands interface zone or for true ecological
restoration. In
addition, it is necessary to
count the $.5 million for salvage, $1
million for the
timber sale pipeline (preparing future sales), $38
million for road engineering support and $5.8 million in
direct logging
road construction.
Other timber subsidies include an
additional $5 million for biobased
products and
bioenergy research. The Forest Stewardship Program is
increased $16 million, of which $10 million is for a
small-diameter and
underutilized wood biomass
cooperating fund and $6 million is to be
allocated
competitively in priority locations identified by States
within national priority areas identified by the
FS. The budget does
not include funding for
the Economic Action Program or the Pacific
Northwest
Assistance Program.
On a potentially positive note, the budget includes a new
$12 million
emerging pest and pathogen
fund. The fund would be used to respond to
new introductions of non-native or invasive pests or
pathogens.
Another $235 Million for Hazardous Fuels Reduction
The budget includes approximately
$1.5 billion in funding for the
National Fire Plan, a
decrease of about $185 million below the 2002
level. The reduction from 2002 is a result of
reducing one-time
emergency funding that was enacted to
meet short-term needs.
The 2003 budget maintains funding for priority activities
to increase
efforts to fight wildfires, reduce the risk
of fire, and assist
communities
including: $235 million for hazardous fuels reduction
(allows for the treatment of 1.7 million total acres); $627
million for
preparedness; and $443 million for
suppression activities which provides
funding at the
10-year average. It is important to remember that as
recent as 1990, the hazardous fuels budget was only $80
million. The
huge increase in this budget has resulted
in a shift in agency
priorities towards expensive
mechanical fuel reduction treatments.
The budget also includes $20 million for a pilot Fire Plain
Easement
Program. Under the proposed
program, State officials, in consultation
with the
Secretary, would identify areas within and adjacent to NFS
lands where potential fire suppression expenditures may
exceed the
estimated value of the private
land. Within identified areas, States or
the
Secretary may use grant funds to acquire on a "willing seller" basis
perpetual easements to permit the implementation of fire
suppression
strategies, including allowing fires to
burn without suppression
activities.
This program has a potential
benefit by allowing for more consistent
management and
a facilitating a let burn policy in back country areas by
removing "interface" conflicts. However, it
could also become a new $20
million subsidy to
industrial landowners who would receive an easement
from the government which would then take responsibility
for thinning
these private forests. We'll
need to monitor this program to see how
the money is
actually spent.
Making Progress on Fire Policy Issues
In a serious of surprising
acknowledgments about issues our community
has raised
about the fire program the Administration's budget mentions
the need to reduce costs for fire suppression, the need to
focus on the
urban/wildlands interface and the need for
improved fire planning. The
budget states:
"Costs for suppression have
also risen as the other chart shows. In
2001, the
Forest Service spent $1,300 per acre in suppressing fires on
573,000 acres of forests, an increase in cost per acre of
almost 300
percent over 2000. In comparison, wildfire
suppression costs for the
Department of the
Interior (DOI) averaged about $235 per acre, although
much of DOI's lands are grasslands, which burn less
intensely than
forests. In some western areas, the
government pays more in suppressing
fires than the fair
market value of the structures threatened by those
fires. It would literally be cheaper to let the fires burn
and pay 100
percent of the rebuilding cost."
"The Forest Service is looking at
a variety of ways to control the costs
of fire
suppression. For example, the Forest Service will work with
state and local governments to identify areas to pilot test
"fire plain
easements" as a way to protect lives while
ensuring that taxpayer funds
are used wisely."
"Another way to protect
communities and lower fire-fighting costs is to
reduce
the amount of brush and small trees, especially in areas adjacent
to human populations. The President's Budget funds the
Forest Service
Hazardous Fuels Treatments program at
$229 million, with over 70 percent
of funds directed to
the wildland-urban interface. This will result in
the
completion of buffers at eight percent of eligible vulnerable
communities by the end of 2003."
"This budget also emphasizes
improvements in fire management planning,
and will
incorporate the results of several ongoing program reviews, so
that better decisions can be made regarding when and how to
fight fires,
and fire program performance and cost
effectiveness."
This is a good
sign that the agency is feeling pressure from Congress on
all of these issues. This year, as the Interior
Appropriations bill
that funds the Forest Service moves
forward, we will continue pressuring
the agency on
these issues as well as reducing home flammability by
making grants to homeowners, better defining the urban
wildlands
interface zone and prioritizing communities
at risk.
Legislative Proposals in the President's
Budget
This
year's budget includes a number of legislative proposals that may
be included in the Interior Appropriations bill, or that
may move
through the regular committees.
Permanent Authority for Recreation Fees
Proposed legislation would make
permanent the current demonstration
program and would
authorize the Forest Service to retain and use
recreation fees collected under the program. We
expect hearings in both
the House and Senate to discuss
this effort to make the fee
demonstration program
permanent.
Fair Market Value
for Ski Fees
Proposed
legislation would establish a new fee schedule for ski resorts
on National Forest System lands. The amendment would adjust
the
percentage of gross revenue that determines fees to
the government.
Increased
Timber Sale Competition
Proposed legislation would increase competition for
commercial timber
sales. The legislation
would require timber sales, with certain limited
exceptions, to be sold using the sealed bidding
method. The legislation
would also alter the
requirement for harvesting timber, allowing
recreation or conservation groups to participate in
auctions of timber
harvest rights. If only we could
afford to buy them all!
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American
Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org
EarthNet News
... a project of the
Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
February 8, 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In this week's EarthNet, find
out about the Bush administration's
plans to foul the
air and read some of our readers'
skepticism about the
hydrogen economy. Plus, be sure
to read about the
coolest new thing -- http://www.StudentActionNetwork.org .
And how'd you like to work for us?
Check out the Jobs
section.
--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet
Editor
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**
We are proud to announce the
launch of the wildest,
most innovative student site on
the web. Trust us,
you've never seen anything like it
-- http://www.StudentActionNetwork.org .
Utilizing the latest in online
media technology, the
new web site is designed to
engage a larger audience
in the critical work of
Student Action Network partner
organizations like
EarthNet. The site features animated
"Virtual
Newscasters" to keep people up to speed on
critical
environmental and social justice issues. And
let me
tell you this thing's built to please -- fast,
slick
and engaging. Check it out: http://www.StudentActionNetwork.org .
Please note: This site is so
innovative it works best
on fast connections and
up-to-date computers. For those
with old stuff, please
be patient. And you can always
view our actions at the
text only version.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Shadow Congress: Hold Your
Breath
2. Quote of the Week
3.
Glimmer of Hope: Faith in EJ
4. Mercy, Mercy Me:
Dropping the Olympic Ball
5. Letters from
You
6. Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
7. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SHADOW CONGRESS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
HOLD YOUR BREATH
Under heavy-duty pressure from
industry lobbyists,
the Bush Administration is
preparing to weaken our
clean air protections by
letting the country's biggest
polluting facilities --
including outdated power plants
and oil refineries --
escape rules that require them
to install modern
pollution controls. Weakening our
clean air laws would
allow millions of tons of nasty
stuff -- like soot,
smog, and toxic pollution -- to
be spewed into our air
and threaten our health.
The
Administration is moving forward with an extensive
package of regulatory changes to the Clean Air Act's
"New Source Review" (NSR) program. The whole point
of the NSR program is to make sure old electric power
plants -- which were "grandfathered" in under the Clean
Air Act -- live up to today's pollution standards.
Under NSR, they are required to install high-tech pollution
controls when they update their facilities. Dirty power
companies and oil refineries have been working for
years to weaken this rule. And the Bush administration's
proposals will do just that by providing electric
utilities
with a host of new loopholes to help them
avoid living
up to modern pollution standards.
This isn't just about grimy clouds
floating over big
cities. We're talking about a major
public health crisis
that threatens all of us. The
pollution from these
plants has been connected to
rising asthma attacks,
premature deaths, and even brain
damage. Unfortunately,
lobbyists for the coal, oil and
electric power industries
don't seem to care. They are
working overtime to get
the administration to weaken
the Clean Air Act and
allow these industries to pump
out more dangerous emissions.
If the polluters succeed,
it could mean millions of
tons of added pollution and
literally thousands of
premature deaths.
There is hope. Nothing has been
decided and the EPA
still has the opportunity to
maintain the strongest
possible "new source review"
regulations. If you want
to breathe easier, help
persuade the administration
to keep our air clean. Use
the EarthNet Action Center
to send an urgent letter
now.
TAKE ACTION NOW (text
only):
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/7dqAAaF1jc-N/CLEAN_AIR
TAKE ACTION via STUDENT ACTION
NETWORK:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/71qAAaF1jc-M/SAN_CLEAN_AIR
FOR MORE INFO:
**Clean the Air Report
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/77qAAaF1jc-2/REPORT
** Power Plant Lookup
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/m1qAAaF1jc-4/POWERPLANTS
**Washington Post Article
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/mdqAAaF1jc-r/WA_POST
----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Just living is not
enough...One must have sunshine,
freedom, and a little
flower.
-- Hans Christian Anderson
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FAITH IN EJ
In a potentially significant
breakthrough for the environmental
justice movement,
New Jersey has become the first state
to propose
environmental-equity regulations for companies
looking
to move into minority or low-income communities.
The
rules -- which were drafted by the state Department
of
Environmental Protection -- would feed companies'
plans
into a big computer model. If the modeling predicted
an
environmental justice problem, the move could only
proceed if the DEP concluded that the company had made
a "good faith effort" to include community members
in the planning process. Some are worried about the
effect on economic development, and some environmental
justice advocates are concerned that the rules would
not go far enough toward actually preventing polluters
from setting up shop in poor or minority communities.
Still, there's no doubt about it -- this is an exciting
development with a lot of potential.
FOR MORE INFO:
**Philadelphia Inquirer, 07 Feb 2002
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/jpqAAaF1jc-X/PHILLY
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MERCY, MERCY ME
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DROPPING THE OLYMPIC BALL
On your marks, get set, go! The
Salt Lake City 2002
Winter Olympics are underway, as
the environment is
being pushed way under.
Environmentalists believe that
nature was taken
advantage of and there's permanent
damage to the greens
of the Rocky Mountains. Even though
the Salt Lake City
Olympic Committee set out to have
zero waste, zero
emissions, and plant 18 million trees,
they're not
going to come close to saving the area
from their
impact. After the 17 days are over, there
will be
thousands less trees and at least 3,000 tons
of waste
to get rid of. Tom Price, the chair of Olympic
Environmental Advisory Committee, says the SLOC falls
short on most accounts. The forests have been cleared
for ski runs and to accommodate the 70,000 spectators
each day. Tom says the SLOC "Not just dropped it [the
ball], but kicked it out the window, then burned and
buried it." Environmentalists think the Olympic organizers
had a golden opportunity to make the games the most
environmentally friendly international event ever,
and they missed it!
FOR MORE INFO:
**MSNBC
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/jdqAAaF1jc-c/MSNBC
**NY Times, 02 Feb 2002
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/j7qAAaF1jc-B/NYTIMES
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LETTERS FROM YOU
----------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: We received
many letters expressing
skepticism about last week's
Glimmer of Hope on the
Hydrogen Economy. The following
is representative of
these folk's sentiments. We should
all take these points
to heart as we look to a less
oily future.
Hi,
I'm a physicist at Stanford and
wanted to comment about
the Hydrogen Economy stuff. One
basic principal in
physics is that energy is conserved.
The energy in
fossil fuels was put there by the sun
(solar energy).
The "fuel cell" will need energy put
into them before
they work - this amounts to producing
the hydrogen
fuel and this takes energy. This means we
need a source
of energy, say fossil fuels or, if we can
get our ass
in gear, solar or other renewable energy.
However,
another principal of physics is that every
time you
convert from one form of energy to another,
you lose
some.
The bottom line: Solar or other sources of renewable
energy are great and our efforts should be pointed
in that direction, along with conservation. These hydrogen
technologies are complete crap as they are misdirecting
our focus. An example of this is Bush's plan to have
US automakers producing cars in the future which run
on these cells while at the same time drop any CAFE
standards which would have reduced our dependence on
oil. HYDROGEN WILL NOT REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON OIL!!!!!!
Only increased use of alternative energies and
decreased
use of energy in general.
Best regards,
David
----------------------------------------------------------------------
JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
These are a sampling of the
over 200 environmental
and activist jobs and
internships listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp
Job Title: Environmental Media
Fellowship
Organization: Center for Environmental
Citizenship
Location: Seattle, WA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/u7qAAaF1jc-3/EN
Job Title: Rocky Mountain Field
Organizer
Organization: Center for Environmental
Citizenship
Location: Denver, CO
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/j1qAAaF1jc-d/CEC
Job Title: Field Team Members
Organization: Maine Conservation Corps
Location: Statewide, ME
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/upqAAaF1jc-e/3937
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lots more events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp
WHAT: Economic Fairness Speak out
WHERE: Boston, MA
WHEN:
2/22/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/u1qAAaF1jc-s/1012
WHAT: National Student Animal
Rights Conference
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN: 2/15/02 - 2/17/02
FOR MORE
INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/udqAAaF1jc-x/987
WHAT: Public Lands Action Summit
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN:
3/1/02 - 3/5/02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/7pqAAaF1jc-w/1007
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVIST PHONE BOOK
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Capitol Switchboard:
202.224.3121
White House Comment Line:
202.456.1111
White
House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington,
DC
20500
Senate Address: US Senate,
Washington, DC 20510
House Address: US
House of Representatives, Washington,
DC
20515
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Write your own short articles
for submission to EarthNet.
We are particularly
interested in articles about student
activism on your
campus.
For general comments:
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
Submit Jobs/Internships/Volunteer
listings at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/add.asp
Submit Events at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/add.asp
--------------------------------------------------
Visit the web address below and
tell your friends about
this awesome EarthNet News
issue!
http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=san&r=8pqAAaF1jq-p
If you received this
message from a friend, you can
sign up for Student
Action Network at:
http://actionnetwork.org/san/join.html?r=8pqAAaF1jq-pE
We need your help. Currently, the Bush
Administration is attempting to
overhaul the Clean Air
Act and, most shockingly, they want to do so without
allowing for any public comment.
Please let the Administration know
that you support both clean air and
public
participation in government. Just click on the "Compose Fax"
button, or, if you can't see the button, visit
http://www.environet.org/grassroots to send a FREE FAX
to the White House
and EPA demanding that the public be
heard before any changes are made to
the Clean Air Act
that could lead to huge increases in air pollution.
The current proposal would allow the Administration to
adopt regulations
originally proposed in 1996 that
would significantly weaken the Clean Air
Act by
allowing power plants, refineries and other industrial plants to
significantly increase air pollution. The EPA is
not planning to allow for
any public comment on those
changes, claiming that public comments received
years
ago are adequate. However much has changed in these industries since
the regulations were originally proposed, and our
understanding of how air
pollution damages public
health has increased. In addition, the regulations
EPA
is preparing to adopt go far beyond the 1996 proposal in the amount of
new pollution they would allow. Please, click
below on the "Compose Fax"
button or, if you can't see
the button, visit
http://www.environet.org/grassroots to send a free fax
to the White House
and EPA telling them you want full
public hearings before any new changes
to the Clean Air
Act are adopted.
As always,
thank you for your assistance and commitment to a clean and
healthy environment.
Best Wishes,
Andrew Katkin,
Web Manager and
e-Outreach Coordinator
The National Environmental
Trust
Finally! We have a real chance to stop corporate polluters
from making
million-dollar "soft-money" campaign
contributions!
The Sierra Club
recently improved our on line Action Network, but in order
to be a part of this revamped system you need to create a
brand new
account. Go to the address below and click
"create my account." Once you
have taken this easy
step, YOU can help the Sierra Club get thousands of
additional messages through to elected officials.
The U.S. House of Representatives
is scheduled to vote on the Shays-Meehan
Campaign
Finance Reform Bill (H.R. 2360) on Wednesday, February 13th. If
passed (without amendments or substitutions!) this bill
would be a huge
first step toward cleaner elections and
a cleaner environment.
Click
here and send a message to your Member of Congress instantly on line.
http://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=60&rf=-60202
Your voice, telling your
Representative that you support the Shays-Meehan
Campaign Finance Reform Bill, without amendments or
substitutions, is very
important. The behind-the-scenes
maneuvering to stop the bill is intense.
The Sierra
Club is working as hard as we can to make sure that voices of
support for this vital campaign finance reform are even
more intense.
Please send a
message to your Member of Congress today! Just click here:
http://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=60&rf=-60202
Thanks for your support
and participation.
Sincerely,
Ryan Silva
Activist Outreach Coordinator
In this Post :
1. TAKE ACTION! Stop Bush's Oil War in Colombia!
2. Amazon Watch op-ed "Bush Reveals the Crude Nature of US
Colombia
Policy"
3. CBS Marketwatch.com "Occidental to get US assistance?"
Feb 6 2002
4. AP story "U.S. Officials Unveil Colombia
Plans" Feb 6, 2002
for background info on the U'wa people and their struggle
see :
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/beyond_oil/oxy/
www.amazonwatch.org
www.uwacolombia.org
* * * * *
#1 TAKE
ACTION! Stop Bush's Oil War in Colombia
Bush's Pipeline Protection Proposal is Corporate Welfare
for Oxy
This week marked a new
phase of the US war in Colombia. No more double
speak, no more euphemisms, just good old fashion
oil-igarchy straight
talk. Why do we give
military aid to one of Latin America's most brutal
militaries? According to George Bush's new
budget proposal $98 million
is going to be used to
protect US oil companies interests in Colombia,
specifically Occidental Petroleum's Canon Limon
pipeline.
Since they formed the US Colombia Business
Partnership in 1996 US
energy corporations
like Occidental Petroleum, Texas Oil and Enron have
been lobbying for US military aid to
Colombia. In the last three years
they have
succeeded in hijacking US foreign policy and winning passage
of $1.3 billion in US military aid as part of "Plan
Colombia". The
American people
were told that this aid package was part of the "War on
Drugs" and the stated policy was that the US would not get
involved in
"counter-insurgency". But
starting on September 12th we didn't hear so
much about
the War on Drugs in Colombia we started hearing a lot more
about the "War on Terrorism" and the need to protect US oil
pipelines
from terror attacks.
Now Bush's new proposal has
affirmed what the U'wa and other indigenous,
human
rights and environmental groups have been saying about U.S. policy
in Colombia all along - US policy in Colombia is being
written by oil
companies. America is
allowing our addiction to fossil fuels to drag us
into
Colombia's civil war. U.S. military aid will be used to violate
human rights, deepen the conflict and support the expansion
of
environmentally destructive oil
projects. Oil companies like Oxy will
benefit but a steep price will be paid by communites and
fragile
ecosystems in Colombia.
Oil and violence go hand in hand
in Colombia. 1 in 4 soldiers in the
Colombian military is protecting oil
instillations. US oil companies
like
Occidental pay $1 war tax per barrel produced and new oil
development becomes a magent for the violence of Colombia's
4 decade
long civil war. The U'wa have
repeatedly mobilized to resist oil
development and to
speak out against US military aid. Now with Bush
making military support for Oxy's operations part of the
War on
Terrorism we must break the silence about the
oil war and stop any more
US military aid to
Colombia. Here's 2 simple actions you can take to
support the people of Colombia in their efforts to bring
peace and
justice to their country.
CALL OR WRITE YOUR SENATORS,
REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY
AND URGE NO
MORE $$$ FOR VIOLENCE IN COLOMBIA!
The White House:
(202) 456 1414 Capital Switchboard: 202-224-3121.
To
find your Senators and Representatives, go to www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov
WRITE LETTERS TO YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER AND SAY NO TAXPAYER
DOLLARS FOR
OIL VIOLENCE IN COLOMBIA!
Use Amazon Watch's op-ed below as an example of how to
educate the
public about the Bush administration's real
agenda in Colombia.
For a thorough breakdown and analysis of US military aid to
Colombia, go
to www.ciponline.org/colombia
* * * * *
#2
AMAZON
WATCH
February 7, 2002
OPINION EDITORIAL
Atossa Soltani, Executive
Director, Amazon Watch
Bush
Reveals the Crude Nature of US Colombia Policy by Proposing
Military Protection for OXY
Plan
Will Only Fuel Civil Strife in Colombia
President Bush's proposed $98 million for protection of
Occidental
Petroleum 's (OXY) pipeline reveals the
hidden agenda behind the Bush
Administration's Colombia
policy-namely subsidizing and securing US
corporations'
access to Colombia's oil reserves.
Amazon Watch opposes President Bush' plan to subsidize
security costs
for a socially irresponsible corporation
bent on operating in a war
zone. This strategy is a
sure recipe for increased abuses against
indigenous and
local communities that may have legitimate concerns about
OXY's operations.
Disturbingly, OXY was one of the only US oil companies who
last year
refused to sign the Clinton Administration's
Voluntary Principals on
Security and Human Rights, a
code of conduct aimed at preventing human
rights abuses
by private security and police forces hired to protect
company installations.
In recent years, the company has repeatedly called the
military to the
Siriri concession to break up peaceful
blockades by the U'wa people who
have been resisting
drilling on their sacred territory. Two indigenous
children died during one such attack and others were
injured.
In June 2001, a
Colombian judicial inquiry exposed active collaboration
between AirScan, OXY's private security firm guarding the
pipeline, and
the Colombian military. Eighteen
civilians, mostly children, were killed
when AirScan
helped an air attack on the village of Santo Domingo by
providing information gathered during security work for
OXY. The plane's
infrared equipment was used to
pinpoint ground targets.
OXY's
Colombia operation is not solely a victim of guerrilla sabotage
but a principal contributor to the cycle of violence in the
region. Oil
production is funding all sides of the
conflict. It has been widely
reported that the FARC
have long taxed a percentage of the pipeline's
revenues
destined for the province of Arauca. The rise in the ELN's
power in Colombia can also be directly traced to the mid
1980s when
millions of dollars in payoffs by OXY's
contractors to the group--then a
fledgling band of
rebels--- helped ensure the Caño Limon pipeline met
its
construction schedule. Revealing the ethically questionable lengths
to which OXY goes to operate in Colombia, a company
official testified
before a Congressional subcommittee
in 2000 that employees are
"regularly shaken down" by
both the FARC and ELN guerrilla groups and
are
"required to pay a 'war tax' to both or they will not be able to
work." While the guerrillas have caused millions in damages
to the
pipeline, right wing paramilitaries have
siphoned at least $5 million by
illegally tapping the
pipeline.
OXY's war zone
operation is not politically viable. The pipeline has
been a magnet for violence because the Colombian state oil
company,
Ecopetrol, is the major beneficiary. The
pipeline's revenues are the
primary source of funding
for the Colombian military. Furthermore, since
the
early 1990's, the Colombian military has charged a per barrel tax to
fund its campaign against the guerrillas. Already one in
four soldiers
are assigned to protecting oil
installations.
As long as
there is civil strife, there will be pipeline bombings.
Security experts say the 500-mile above ground pipeline
running through
remote countryside cannot be
effectively secured.
Throughout its sixteen-year history, the pipeline has been
bombed over
1000 times, spilling more than 2.5 million
barrels of crude amounting to
more than 10 times the
size of Exxon Valdez into the environment and
rivers. These spills have not been adequately
cleaned up and have
despoiled fragile environments.
Having depleted its current
reserves, OXY is now faced with declining
oil
production unless it soon finds new oil reserves. The country's
largest oil reserve is beneath the land the U'wa people
call their
sacred territory. Will US
military aid be used to impose oil drilling
on the
U'wa?
The Bush administration
admits that the pipeline protection program is a
change
in strategy from fighting a drug war to fighting insurgents. It
appears the Administration is driven more by a desire to
protect US oil
investments than to find solutions to
the four-decade long conflict. The
US public should
consider whether the Administration's proposal is
influenced by OXY's contributions of nearly half a million
dollars to
the GOP.
The US's involvement in a war against the guerrillas and in
defense of
big oil will not bring peace, democracy or
sustainable development to
Colombia. It will
however, place more innocent communities in the
crossfire and drag the US deeper into an un-winnable war.
Congress
should reject this dangerous brand of
corporate welfare and instead
investigate OXY's role in
fueling violence and human rights abuses in
Colombia.
* * *
* *
#3
Occidental to get US assistance?
Energy Co. could benefit from Bush Colombia aid plan
By William Spain,
CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 5:46 PM ET Feb. 6,
2002
LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) - If
the White House has its way, Occidental
Petroleum's
Colombian oil operations could be getting some spanking new
security courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer.
Included in the fiscal year 2003
budget the Bush administration sent to
Congress on
Monday is just under $100 million to train and arm a special
Colombian army brigade to defend a 490-mile pipeline
connected to an
Occidental-operated field.
The pipeline, called the Cano
Limon, has been a prime target of the
Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia, better known by the Spanish
acronym FARC. Repeated bombings - 170 just last year -
frequently leave
it inoperable, costing Occidental tens
of millions of dollars in lost
revenues.
Colombia's government gets 85
percent of the profits from the project,
with the Los
Angeles-based oil company getting the rest. Occidental
estimates the revenue loss from guerilla activity last year
at $500
million. The Colombian fields comprise about 3
percent of the company's
proven reserves of crude oil.
Wracked by civil war for
nearly 40 years, large parts of Colombia are
under the
effective control of guerilla groups who raise funds through
extortion, kidnapping and narcotics trafficking. Three
years ago the
government ceded a Switzerland-sized
chunk of territory to the FARC as
part of a peace
process that continues to sputter along today.
In the meantime, hundreds of millions in U.S. military aid
have poured
into the South American nation, mostly
earmarked for anti-drug efforts.
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc
Grossman, in Bogota
earlier this week, told Reuters
that protecting the Cano Limon was part
of a commitment
to helping Colombia toward a "terror-free democracy."
On Tuesday, Washington-based Human
Rights Watch and Amnesty
International called on the
United States to cease military aid because
the
Colombian armed forces continue support right-wing paramilitary
groups accused of torture, murder and gross violations of
human rights.
Secretary of
State Colin Powell has until the end of the month to
certify that Colombia has met human rights conditions for
receiving U.S.
security assistance.
Occidental and other members of
the US-Colombia Business partnership
have lobbied hard
- and spent freely - in pursuit of aid to the
Colombian
government over the years.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in the
2000 election
cycle, the company gave hard and soft
money totaling about $551,000,
with almost 60 percent
going to Republican candidates and political
action
committees. Occidental has already anted up $215,000 in the 2002
cycle, with over 80 percent of that set aside for the GOP.
In addition, Texans for Public
Justice lists J. Roger Hirl, CEO of
Occidental's
chemical business, as a George W. Bush "Pioneer" for having
raised $100,000 or more for his presidential bid.
While the bulk of Occidental's
campaign cash has gone to Republicans,
the company has
also had close ties to Democrats. In 1996, company CEO
Ray Irani gave $100,000 to the Democratic National
Committee - two days
after spending a night at the
White House.
On Monday,
Occidental Petroleum posted a 90 percent decline in
fourth-quarter net income, as lower energy prices slapped
down earnings
at its oil and gas segments. The company
posted fourth-quarter net
income of $35 million, or 9
cents a share, way off the $349 million and
94 cents in
the year-ago period and a penny below the consensus estimate
of analysts polled by Thomson Financial/First Call.
Shares in Occidental closed down 2
cents to $25.59.
William Spain
is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in Chicago.
* * * * *
#4
U.S. Officials Unveil Colombia
Plans
The Associated Press
Feb
6 2002 3:57AM
BOGOTA, Colombia
(AP) - The Bush administration announced plans to
help
Colombia protect a strategic oil pipeline that has been a
frequent target of guerrilla attacks, a dramatic departure
from a
policy that had previously limited aid to wiping
out drug crops.
The plan,
outlined Tuesday by a U.S. delegation to Bogota, calls for
$98 million to train and equip a Colombian army brigade to
protect
the 480-mile Cano-Limon oil pipeline, which
ferries oil to the
Caribbean coast for Los
Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum and other
companies.
``We are committed to help
Colombians create a Colombia that is a
peaceful,
prosperous, drug-free and terror-free democracy,'' said
Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman, who led the
delegation.
By arming and
training Colombian soldiers, the United States would be
taking a significant leap into the country's 38-year civil
war, which
pits two rebel groups and an outlawed
right-wing paramilitary against
the government. About
3,500 people die every year in the conflict,
which has
choked the economic potential of this resource-rich South
American country.
Rebel sabotage of U.S. and Colombian oil operations
prevented the
production of more than 24 million
barrels of crude last year,
according to state oil
company Ecopetrol. Colombia is the
10th-biggest
supplier of oil to the United States.
U.S. military aid to Colombia has been limited mostly to
attempts to
destroy cocaine- and heroin-producing
crops, which finance the rebels
and their paramilitary
foes. On Monday, President Bush proposed $731
million
in counter-narcotics aid for the Andean region in his 2003
budget.
But the plan to protect the pipeline could face opposition
in
Congress. The $1.3 billion Plan Colombia package
passed in 2000
limited military aid to fighting drugs.
Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn.,
said lawmakers should
scrutinize any attempt to expand military
assistance.
``This was not what was
debated in Congress when Plan Colombia was
passed. We
are getting deeper into this conflict,'' said Wellstone,
who opposed the previous Colombian aid proposals.
Members of the U.S. delegation
that met with Colombian President
Andres Pastrana on
Tuesday said much of the $98 million would pay for
aircraft, although there are no specifics yet. A State
Department
official said the proposal is ``entirely
consistent with existing
policy.''
The Bush administration may also
argue that the United States needs
to assure a reliable
flow of oil from Colombia, closer to U.S. shores
than
the volatile Middle East, U.S. officials said.
Also Tuesday, Colombia proposed a six-month cease-fire to
the
country's main rebel army, the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of
Colombia, or FARC. There was no immediate
response from the
16,000-strong group, which agreed
last month to set cease-fire terms
by April 7, narrowly
averting a collapse of Colombia's three-year-old
peace
process.
If the FARC agreed to
the cease-fire, government troops and police
would
continue operations against the smaller rebel group, the
National Liberation Army, and the paramilitary United
Self-Defense
Forces of Colombia.
The government also called on the
rebels to release all of their
hostages, suspend
kidnappings and extortion and halt attacks on the
nation's infrastructure - including oil facilities.
In addition to pipeline
protection, the United States is preparing to
assist
Colombia in combatting kidnapping, Grossman said. Most of the
3,000 yearly abductions in Colombia are carried out by
rebels for
ransom.
APO/Colombia-US/
Copyright © 2002
Reuters Limited.
Dear Defender,
This year will be an especially dangerous one for wolves
and we're
counting on your renewed support to protect
them.
Well-connected special
interests are pressuring government officials
to lift
federal protections of wolves under the Endangered Species
Act.
This
would throw wolves to the mercy of state officials determined
to kill them. In Idaho politicians have already voted to
remove
wolves by whatever means necessary – a certain
death sentence.
And Minnesota would pay a bounty of
$150 for each dead wolf.
Hundreds of wolves could die.
Your support in the past
helped us defeat the powerful American
Farm Bureau and
save the lives of the Yellowstone wolves. And you
helped stop the terrible practice of same-day
land-and-shoot
killing of wolves in Alaska.
We've sent you a reminder 2002
renewal notice. Please renew today!
Your renewal will
make a lifesaving difference to protect America's
imperilled wildlife.
We've set up three easy ways you can renew your
tax-deductible
support:
** You can call 1-800-385-9712 and make your contribution
by credit
card -– Visa, MasterCard, American
Express or Discover. Our operators
are available from
7:00 a.m. to midnight eastern time, 7 days a week.
**You can renew online and make your credit card gift
through our
secure system at http://www.defenders.org/renewals/02.html
**You can mail your renewal check
to our renewal processing address:
Defenders of
Wildlife, P.O. Box 1553, Merrifield, Virginia 22116-1553
Again, thank you for your caring
commitment to defend America's
magnificent wildlife for
future generations.
Best
wishes,
Kate Mathews
Vice President for Membership
P.S. Worth magazine has named Defenders of
Wildlife as one of
America's top 100 charities. You can
see your contribution at work
by going to http://www.defenders.org/results/
Dear Friend,
There is nothing patriotic about handing over our natural
heritage to
the oil industry. But that's exactly what
the White House wants to do
in the name of national
security.
I'm
asking you to join me in opposing the senseless destruction of our
environment by going to http://www.savebiogems.org/declaration.asp and
signing the Declaration of Energy Independence. The
declaration calls
on our government to pursue a
sustainable energy future that will
preserve -- not
destroy -- our last, unspoiled wildlands.
We have little time to lose. With the nation's attention
focused
almost exclusively on the war against
terrorism, the Bush
administration has moved quietly
but aggressively in recent months to
open up fragile
wildlands to giant energy corporations. In Utah, they
were in such a hurry to lease millions of acres of our
redrock
canyonlands for oil and gas development that
they skipped the
environmental review that is required
by law. My colleagues here at
NRDC have already gone to
federal court to block this illegal giveaway
of redrock
country.
But that's only the
beginning. The Bush-Cheney energy plan -- hatched
in
closed-door meetings last year with Enron and other energy giants
-- would pave the way for oil and gas companies to despoil
an alarming
number of our last wild places: the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge,
the Greater Yellowstone
ecosystem, Wyoming's Red Desert, and many,
many more.
President Bush says we need
the oil to become more energy independent.
Don't buy
it! Using the tragic events of September 11th as an
opportunity to advance the special interests of the oil
industry will
not enhance America's energy security.
Our nation simply doesn't have
enough oil to drill our
way to self-sufficiency.
If we
really want to declare energy independence, then the only answer
is to dramatically reduce our appetite for oil. For
starters, we could
increase the fuel efficiency of our
cars and light trucks to 40 miles
per gallon. That
would save nearly two million barrels of oil a day by
the year 2012 -- more than all the oil we imported last
year from
Saudi Arabia.
The Declaration of Energy
Independence sets forth plenty of other ways
to slash
our dependence on oil. It proves that fighting terrorism does
NOT require the destruction of our own natural heritage.
Please do your part by
visiting
http://www.savebiogems.org/declaration.asp and signing
the Declaration
of Energy Independence. It will take
you less than a minute.
Then please forward this
message to your family and friends. If
millions of us
sign the declaration, then the White House and Congress
will be unable to ignore its message.
And thank you for helping to save
America's last wild places.
Sincerely yours,
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Senior
Attorney
Natural Resources Defense Council
=====
BioGems: Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
To: All Activists
From: Steve
Holmer
Date: February 11, 2002
Critical Campaign Finance Reform
Vote This Week
The House is
expected to vote this Wednesday on Campaign Finance Reform
legislation that would ban soft money contributions which
have allowed
corporations and other special interests
to bury the political process
in an avalanche of
cash. The Senate has already passed this bill.
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) describes it as
"Armaggedon"
and "life or death for the Republican
Party." This vote is a real
chance to
take money out of politics and level the playing field for
regular citizens.
Please contact your Representative at 202/224-3121, and
urge him/her to
vote in support of the Shays/Meehan
campaign finance reform bill without
substitutions or
amendments. Let them know you think that this is
critically important vote and that you would like to know
how your
Representatives stands on the
issue. Now more than ever with a system
beholden to corporate plunderers like Enron, which spent
millions in
soft money donations in recent years, we
need to get money out of
politics.
Campaign finance reform was dead
in the House as of last fall due to
efforts by the
Republican leadership to prevent the bill from coming to
a vote. The only way around this procedural
roadblock is by gathering
218 signatures on a discharge
petition. When 218 members of the House,
a
majority, sign the petition, the bill in question must be brought up
for a vote. It is extremely rare for a discharge
petition to succeed
which makes this campaign finance
reform vote all the more remarkable.
Twenty of the 218 signers of the discharge petition were
Republicans who
defied their leaders. With
Speaker of the House Hastert promising a
bruising
fight, these officials will be under tremendous pressure to
reverse their support for reform so the outcome of this
vote is anything
but certain.
Another threat is that opponents
of the reform bill want to make changes
to the House
version of the bill so that it will be forced into a
conference committee with the Senate bill. This
would allow opponents
to delay and ultimately kill the
bill in conference.
Please call now and urge your Rep to support the
Shays/Meehan campaign
reform bill without any changes
or amendments. Thanks for your support
on
this critical vote.
Steve
Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org
Care2's alerts newsletter features important steps YOU can
quickly take to help make the world greener, such as
sending
letters to political representatives or doing
something to
green your home. We're pleased to share
with you special
action opportunities from Care2's
nonprofit partners, Heritage
Forests Campaign and
Americans for National Parks.
1. ECO ALERT: NEW THREATS TO OUR NATIONAL FORESTS!
Thanks to pressure from people like you, last year the Bush
Administration promised to uphold one of the most
significant
forest conservation measures in decades.
The Roadless Area
Conservation Rule would protect 58.5
million acres of
undeveloped national forest land from
logging, mining, and
drilling.
We need your help because in
recent months the
Administration, at the behest of
special interests, has broken
its promise by quietly
rolling back core protections for our
national forests.
Urge the Bush Administration to keep its
promise --
register your formal opposition to these
environmental
rollbacks. To take action, click here:
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3319
The Roadless Area Conservation
Rule is the result of the most
extensive public
rulemaking ever, with over 600 public meetings,
and an
unprecedented 2.2 million supportive comments. Congress,
scientists, and faith-based communities from across the
nation
urged the administration to protect almost
one-third of the last
undeveloped national forests from
logging, mining, and most road-
building.
Among the benefits are clean
drinking water for 60 million
Americans; protection of
critical habitat for more than 1,600
threatened
wildlife; and unlimited recreation for hikers,
hunters,
and anglers.
Just days before
Christmas, the Forest Service issued two
dangerous
directives that among other things will:
-- Abolish requirements to conduct environmental and public
reviews before logging, mining, and drilling can begin
in
protected areas.
-- Exclude
more than a dozen of America's most magnificent
national forests from critical protection, including
Alaska's
Tongass National Forest.
-- Eliminate a moratorium on logging, mining, and drilling
in
millions of acres of national forests critical to
wildlife habitat
protection.
Please, let the U.S. Forest
Service and your Congressional
representative know that
you want America's Last Wild Places
protected. To help,
click here:
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3319
2. ECO ALERT: PROTECT AMERICA'S
NATIONAL PARKS!
In 1872, Congress made history by
establishing Yellowstone, the
world's first national
park. Since then, the National Park
System has grown to
include 385 sites and more than 83 million
acres of
land with nearly 300 million visits annually. The
national parks protect diverse ecosystems and awe-inspiring
landscapes, and safeguard our cultural and historical
heritage.
But today, America's
national parks are in jeopardy. Increased
visitation,
pollution, motorized use, and development coupled
with
insufficient funding has strained the Park Service's
ability to protect resources and provide visitors like you
with
the breathtaking experience we all take for
granted. Our
entire National Parks System is in danger,
which will affect
everything from the California
Condors to fish populations in
park coral reefs, from
famous archaeological sites to visiting
school children
who won't receive the educational experience
that we
would like.
To take action, click here:
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3324
The national parks inspire all who
treasure the best of our
nation to stand up as stewards
for their protection. Without
your help, these special
places could be lost forever.
Sign now and encourage President Bush to protect and
preserve
national parks. Make your voice heard… because
there's just too
much to lose.
Click here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3324
3. ACTIVIST TIPS:
-- Plant native plants in your garden. It will require less
maintenance and provide vital habitat for native
animals.
-- Drink shade-grown
coffee instead of conventional. Conventional
coffee is
produced with heavy pesticides and often involves
"slash and burn" agricultural techniques. Shade-grown
coffee
is grown under the rain forest canopy and
provides habitat for
song birds and other wildlife.
4. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:
"…evolution did not intend trees to grow singly. Far more
than
ourselves they are social creatures, and no more
natural as
isolated specimens than man is as a marooned
sailor or hermit."
-- John Fowles
Action Deadline: February 24, 2002
Please help stop proposed oil and
gas exploration in Big Cypress
National Preserve, home
of the highly endangered Florida panther and
the
endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.
Located northwest of Everglades National Park, and with
more than
2,400 square miles of subtropical habitat,
Big Cypress is an essential
component of the unique and
world-class Everglades ecosystem.
The oil and gas exploration would entail explosions over as
many as
230 days and construction of a staging area pad
and road. The process
would disturb
wildlife, including the highly endangered Florida
panther; destroy 44 acres of wetlands; and disrupt surface
water flows
vital to the healthy functioning of the
Everglades ecosystem. A
decades-long, nearly
$8 billion federal and state restoration of the
Everglades ecosystem is underway. Help us speak
out against damaging
part of the ecosystem through
energy exploration, while taxpayers are
funding its
restoration.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE
STEPS BELOW TO URGE THE SUPERINTENDENT OF BIG
CYPRESS
NATIONAL PRESERVE TO REJECT THIS PROPOSAL FOR OIL AND GAS
EXPLORATION.
For more background, see the very end of this alert.
**********************TAKE ACTION
NOW!****************
WWF has
learned that letters are needed for this issue; sending emails
or faxes will not be effective. Therefore, to
take action, copy the
letter below and add your own
thoughts, explaining why this issue is
important to
you. Mail the letter to the address below. The deadline
for receipt of comments is February 24,
2002. Every letter will be
included in the
final decision document.
Thank
you for taking the time to write a letter.
*********************LETTER TEXT******************
John Donahue
Superintendent
Big Cypress
National Preserve
HCR 61, Box 110
Ochopee, FL 34141-9710
Dear Superintendent Donahue:
I urge you to reject the oil and
gas drilling and seismic testing
proposed for Big
Cypress National Preserve. The proposed activities
could cause substantial and irreversible harm to Big
Cypress and its
plants and animals, including
endangered and threatened species. Some
of
the possible effects include habitat fragmentation due to road
construction, disturbance of wildlife reproduction,
degradation of air
quality, destruction of wetlands,
and disruption of natural surface
water and possibly
also ground-water flows.
I am
particularly concerned about the effect of the exploration
activities on the highly endangered Florida
panther. The detonation
of approximately
32,340 pounds of explosives in 14,700 locations
within
the project area will likely have a significant effect on
panthers. These disturbances will be chronic,
with detonations
occurring over as many as 230 days,
and will occur during the panther
breeding season and
the period when most kittens are born.
The explosions also have a high probability of disturbing
nesting
red-cockaded woodpeckers and a high likelihood
of scaring away
potential nesting pairs who might
otherwise use existing nest holes.
I am also concerned that the government's analysis of the
potential
effects of the proposed exploration is
insufficient. A much more
thorough analysis
of the potential effects of oil and gas exploration
in
Big Cypress should be conducted before such a proposal goes
forward.
Sincerely,
Add your name and address
***********************END OF LETTER
TEXT*********************
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Although hunting, cattle grazing, oil exploration, and
off-road
vehicle use are allowed in some areas of Big
Cypress, most of the
region remains high value
wilderness. In particular, Big Cypress is
important habitat for the Florida panther, one of the
nation's most
highly endangered predators, with less
than 100 surviving in the wild.
Habitat loss and
fragmentation are among the most critical threats to
the survival of the panther, and Big Cypress and its
surrounding
public and private lands are a critically
important contiguous expanse
of habitat for the cat.
The preserve also plays an
important role in the flow of water-the
lifeblood of
south Florida. Heavy seasonal rains flood the cypress
stands and prairies before flowing slowly to the south
through
Everglades National Park. The
gradual flow provides a steady mix of
freshwater and
saltwater in the estuaries along the coast of
Everglades National Park. This nutrient-rich mix
supports marine
animals such as pink shrimp, snook, and
snapper, all of which are
important to Florida's
fishing industry. Big Cypress is also a key
component of the watershed that provides vital water for
communities
in southwest Florida.
Please act now to protect Big
Cypress National Preserve.
______________________________________________________________________
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
TO: ACLU Action Network Members
FR: Jared Feuer, Internet Organizer
DT: February 12, 2002
In response to September 11th, many have started talking
about creating a national ID system as a counter-terrorism measure. In fact, the
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is already urging the
federal government to create a national ID system by linking state drivers
licenses and state databases.
Unfortunately, just like the use of Social Security numbers
evolved far beyond its original purpose, a national ID card is likely to lead to
a surveillance society where our movements are monitored and recorded through
the use of "internal passports."
A national ID card would not prevent terrorism, and in
fact, would lure us into a false sense of security by enabling individuals with
an ID -- who may in fact be terrorists -- to avoid heightened security
measures. The creation of a national ID would be a misplaced "quick
fix" that would pose serious threats to our freedom and privacy.
Take Action! You can
read more and send a FREE FAX to your Members of Congress, urging them to oppose
the motor vehicle administrators' proposal from our action alert at:
http://www.aclu.org/action/id107.html
**********
Help Strengthen the ACLU's Voice in Congress...
Click Below to Become a Card-Carrying Member today!
http://www.aclu.org/action/joinaclu.html
WWF, ON THE GROUND AND ONLINE - AROUND THE WORLD
http://www.panda.org
CONTENTS:
1. St Valentine's Day Photogallery
http://wwfcanon.panda.org/publish/gallery16.html
2. Siberian leopard and tiger under threat
http://www.panda.org/species/
3. World Wetlands Week - crocodiles for your
computer
http://www.panda.org/livingwaters/wetland_week.cfm
==================================================
Dear Reader,
Welcome to WWF's Species
Newsletter.
Through this
newsletter, I will keep you up to date on
all the
important events and issues in the world of
species
conservation, and hope that you will help WWF
by taking
action when we need to show the strength of
public
opinion.
Meanwhile, What's New
for species...?
HAPPY ST
VALENTINE'S DAY!
We have brought together a wonderful
collection of
pictures to describe some of the strange
and interesting
mating habits of the animal kingdom -
including sharks,
snails and penguins. See how they do
it at:
http://wwfcanon.panda.org/publish/gallery16.html
==================================================
BIG CATS IN CRISIS
Catastrophic snowfall in Far East Russia is likely to
lead to starvation for huge numbers of Sika deer, Roe deer
and Wild boar as they cannot find enough food to live
on.
These animals are food for the endangered Amur
leopard and
tiger - if the deer and boar die in high
numbers, the
leopards and tigers will face starvation.
WWF-Russia
is taking emergency action.
http://www.panda.org/species/
==================================================
WONDERFUL WETLANDS!
400 million people live close to, or depend on, wetlands
which provide clean water, medicinal plants, fish, and
raw
materials. To celebrate World Wetlands Week, WWF
created
some wetlands wallpapers featuring the
beautiful (!)
Cuban crocodile. Get one for your
computer now at:
http://www.panda.org/livingwaters/wetland_week.cfm
With my
best wishes to you this Valentine's Day,
Holly Ellson
www.panda.org email news
---
Any questions?
Please use the enquiry facility on our website at http://questions.panda.org/
If you are not already a WWF
member, please consider giving your financial support. Go to
www.panda.org/support.cfm
DEN Alert: Speak Out for America's Remaining Wild Forests
Nearly 60 million acres of
unspoiled national forests -- some of
our country's
last remaining wildlife sanctuaries -- are threatened
by bulldozers and chainsaws. Under pressure from special
interests,
the Bush administration is trying to undo
one of the most important
conservation measures in our
nation's history -- the Roadless Area
Conservation
Rule. The administration, through the U.S. Forest
Service, has proposed a series of "directives"
that would seriously
undermine any chance of the
Roadless Rule truly protecting America's
wild forests.
One directive, for example, would create a legal
loophole for logging to occur in old-growth forests.
Adopted after more than 600 public
hearings and a record-breaking
2.2 million public
comments -- virtually all in support -- the
Roadless
Rule protects our last wild forests from mining, drilling
and road-building. These wild lands are home to more than
200
threatened or endangered species, as well as 1,930
sensitive
species. Bald eagles, bears, wolves, moose,
otters, salmon and
migratory song birds -- they all
need wild, pristine land to
flourish.
WHAT YOU
CAN DO:
Speak out against
attempts to undermine strong protections for our
nation's prized forests. Send a free e-mail urging the U.S.
Forest
Service to honor the will of the American people
by protecting
these few remaining untouched forests as
critical habitat for
threatened wildlife and as an
important natural legacy for future
generations. The
deadline for comments is FEBRUARY 19, so please
send
your message TODAY. Together, we can save our national forests!
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:
http://www.denaction.org
If you don't have access to the
Internet, please mail your letter
to U.S. Forest Chief
Dale Bosworth at: USFS - Content Analysis Team,
Attention: Road Policy, P.O. Box 221150, Salt Lake City,
UT, 84122
or via fax at: (801) 517-1021
(Please write in the subject line
-- Attention: USFS
CAT, Attention: Road Policy), and lastly via
e-mail
at: roads_id@fs.fed.us
Sample Letter:
Dear Chief Bosworth:
I strongly support the historic
Roadless Area Conservation Rule to
protect 58.5 million
acres of our national forests. This rule was
adopted
after more than 600 public hearings over three years across
the country. More than 2.2 million people submitted
comments, the
vast majority of which were in support of
strong protections for
our last remaining untouched
forests. Local communities to these
forests have
already voiced their support for protection.
I oppose any attempts to undermine the Roadless Rule
through the
December 14, 2001,
directives. These directives would seriously
undermine the Roadless Rule by eliminating critical
components,
such as requiring a study of environmental
impacts before logging
or building roads in roadless
areas.
I urge you to abide by
the will of the American people and fully
implement the
Roadless Rule as it is written. We expect immediate
protection for our last untouched wildlife sanctuaries.
Sincerely,
___________________________________________________________
To SUBSCRIBE to DENlines,
visit Defenders' website at:
http://www.defenders.org/den or send an e-mail to
DEN@defenders.org and put the word SUBSCRIBE in the
subject line, and your name and address in the text
area.
___________________________________________________________
DENlines is a biweekly
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 and known for its effective leadership on
saving
endangered species such as brown bears and gray
wolves. Defenders
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 480,000
members
and supporters.
Defenders
of Wildlife
1101
14th Street, NW, Suite 1400
Washington,
DC 20005
http://www.defenders.org
http://www.kidsplanet.org
Copyright
(c) 2002 by Defenders of Wildlife
Environmental Defense Action Network News
February 2002
***************************
Action
Network from Environmental Defense
finding
the ways that work
***************************
ACTION NETWORK AT WORK! SUCCESS STORIES AND UPDATES:
Antibiotic Resistance: McDonald's and Other
Fastfood Companies React. Why Not Bayer?
The New York Times reports that McDonald's,
Wendy's, and Popeye's have agreed to stop purchasing poultry products treated
with certain antibiotics. Some poultry producers are also reducing
the use of these antibiotics in the chickens they produce. Overuse of
antibiotics in farm animals increases antibiotic resistance in bacteria,
threatening human health. Bayer Corporation, maker of antibiotics,
has refused to stop selling antibiotics for use in farm animals, despite
pressure from the FDA, Environmental Defense, and nearly 10,000 Action Network
Activists. Take
action!
Victory: Conservation-Oriented Farm Bill Passes
In a huge victory for farmers and the environment, the
Senate passed a historic Farm Bill on February 13th providing funding and
incentives for farmers to preserve their land, protect wildlife, and conserve
water resources. Thanks to help from email activists who have
generated over 100,000 messages to Congress on this critical
issue. NEXT STEPS: Last year, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed a disappointing farm bill. The House and
Senate must now reconcile the differences between these bills, working to ensure
that the Senate's strong conservation initiatives survive. Stay
tuned! For more information, click
here!
Email Activists Score Major Victory. California
Passes Landmark Global Warming Bill
Letters to the
California State Assembly from Environmental Defense Action Network activists
helped win approval of a bill limiting CO2 pollution from motor vehicles sold in
the state. Heat trapping CO2 emissions from the millions of cars and trucks is a
major source of greenhouse gas pollution in California. It's now onto
the State Senate and the Governor. Stay tuned! For more
information, Click here!.
For more updates and success stories, visit your Subscription Management Page.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Fight New Proposed Loopholes in Air Pollution Laws
The U.S. EPA may create new loopholes in the Clean Air Act
allowing utilities, refineries, chemical plants and other large industrial
facilities to release vast amounts of unchecked air pollution. Speak out now to
stop this threat and protect our communities from unhealthy levels of air
pollution. Take action!
Protect Puerto Rico's Threatened Coastline
Nearly all of Puerto Rico's rich tropical coastline is
developed, and new mega-tourist developments threaten to envelope the few
undeveloped coastal areas that remain. However, Environmental Defense is working
with local grassroots groups in Puerto Rico to protect these valuable coastal
resources in the northeast and northwest of the island. We need your
help! Take action: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/caribbean/wk8bxn2p78xxwx
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/trespalmas/wk8bxn2p78xxwx
FEATURES
Enron Affecting Taxpayers and the Environment
"It's not just the employees and stockholders that have
been impacted by Enron," says Environmental Defense social scientist Aaron
Goldzimer. "You and I -- the taxpayers -- have unwittingly been joint
investors in boondoggles that profited Enron but harm the environment and local
peoples. Find out more about how the Enron scandal is affecting the
environment. Click here!
Attention Students! Student Action
Network
Join with Environmental Defense
and the nation's top student-based environmental groups. Take action
on environmental and social justice issues important student activists around
the world. Featuring cool, new animated "Virtual Newscasters,"
Student Action Network combines online activism with fun multimedia sounds and
images. Take action with Student Action
Network. Click
here!
SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT ACTION NETWORK
Over 150,000 people around the world already take action
online with Environmental Defense Action Network. But with big fights
coming up to support clean energy policies, halt global warming, and protect our
oceans, Washington needs you to hear from even more people. Help us
make a bigger impact by inviting your friends and family to take action online.
Click
here.
SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE
Your gift will allow us to continue our fight for clean
energy policies and much more.
In this Post :
1. Feb 19th - 23rd
Week of Action! It's Not to late to Organize!
2. Camisea Fact Sheet with sample letter to Citi
CEO Sandy Weill
3. Guerilla Theater Idea : Citi as
judge Jury and Executioner
4. Swiss activists put
Citibank on Trial
To get a full electronic organizing packet contact
sabrina@ran.org
or call RAN at
415-398-4404/1-800-989-RAIN
for more background info check out www.ran.org
* * * * *
#1 Feb 19th - 23rd
EMERGENCY ACTIONS TO STOP GAS DRILLING IN THE PERUVIAN
AMAZON
AND PROTECT THE CLIMATE FROM GLOBAL WARMING
Citigroup is continuing to fund
destruction around the world. As the #1
funder of oil development Citi is responsible for the
destruction of fragile
ecosystems, the displacement of
indigenous peoples and accelerating the
global climate
crisis. Together as a movement we can force Citi to change
their destructive ways and shift their investments out of
fossil fuels and
forest destruction and towards clean
energy, tree free alternatives and
sustainable
community based development.
Citi is the financial advisor to the infamous Camisea Gas
project in the
Peruvian Amazon. This project
which is set to begin construction in the
coming months
will devastate the Lower Urubamba River Valley. This pristine
area has been cited by the Smithsonian Institute as one of
the most
biological diverse ecosystems on the planet, a
site of unparalleled
ecological significance which must
be protected. The region is also the
ancestral homeland of several virtually uncontacted
indigenous communities
who continue to live in
voluntary isolation. If Gas development is brought
to the area as Citi plans both the native peoples and the
local ecosystems
will be devastated.
The local communities as well as
environmental, indigenous and human rights
groups are
campaigning to stop this project and expose the illegal and
undemocratic methods by which the project is being pushed
through the
permitting process. This
communities are fighting a life or death battle
for the
future of their homelands and they need our help.
TAKE ACTION!
Visit your local Citi branch and raise a
ruckus! Organize a demonstration,
an
educational picket, vigil or guerilla theater action. Educate Citi
customers, alert the media and tell Citi to "Stop
funding Destruction!".
Even if its only you and a few
of your friends you can make a huge impact by
spending
an hour in front of a Citi branch handing out flyers and exposing
Citigroup's deadly business practices.
A template flyer to hand out to
Citi customers or people passing by your
demonstration
will be downloadable off RAN's website it should be up in the
next day or two. You can get it at :
http://www.ran.org/info_center/aa/aa156_camisea.html
Citi has thousands of
branches and offices around the US and offices in over
100 countries around the world. Find your local subsidiary
and ORGANIZE
LOCALLY!
Find your nearest Citi branch at :
http://www.citibank.com/branches/
http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/
http://locator.ssbbranches.com/
http://www.citibank.com/citimortgage/mymortgage/landings/index8.htm?td=noRefer
If you can't make it to a
Citi branch, organize an educational event, phone
zap/fax blast/letter writing table or other solidarity
event. For a more
complete list of things you can do to
stop Citigroup on your campus or in
your community
check out:
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/20c_10campus.html
*
* * * *
#2
CITI-BACKED CAMISEA
GAS PROJECT THREATENS THE PERUVIAN AMAZON
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to a study by the Smithsonian Institution, the
Camisea project
will affect one of the world's most
biologically diverse regions. The study
found that the
region contains more than 540 tree species, 260 species of
birds, 110 species of fish, 156 species of reptiles and
amphibians, 92
species of small mammals, and up to 67
species of medium and large mammals
Researchers found
the region to be in "nearly pristine condition," with
virtually no evidence of significant human impact's
The Lower Urubamba Region is also home to the legally
recognized territory
of two voluntarily isolated and
uncontacted indigenous tribes, the Nahua and
Nahti.
Dozens of Machiguenga communities can be found along rivers in the
region. An initial Environmental Impact Assessment report
found that the
project's socio-cultural impacts could
include loss of food resources,
contamination of
drinking water, loss or damage to archeological sites,
changes to existing economic activity, and the spread of
disease.
The project has
already proven deadly for the Nahua. During preliminary
exploration in the Camisea region in the 1980s, Shell
exposed the Nahua to a
whooping cough and influenza
epidemic that killed off an estimated 50
percent of the
tribe's population. Shell and Mobil, both original partners
in Camisea, later withdrew from the project after investing
more than $250
million. The project has been on hold
since 1998, due in part to strong
opposition from human
rights, environmental, and indigenous groups around
the
world.
The Camisea Gas Field
Project is an effort to build an infrastructure to
recover, process and transport natural gas liquids from the
Camisea gas
field. The field has an estimated 8.7
trillion cubic feet of gas reserves
and 600 million
barrels of oil and liquid gas reserves. Project plans call
for 4 million cubic feet of gas and 20,000 barrels of
liquid petroleum per
day which will be transported by
two trans-Andes gas and liquid pipelines to
processing
plants on the Pacific Coast. The international consortium
responsible for the project has a 40 year concession to
exploit gas and a 30
year concession to extract Camisea
oil. This lengthy duration of this
project is likely to
guarantee ongoing environmental damage to the delicate
ecosystems of Peru. Construction of the gas pipeline will
begin in December
2003. The financial advisor for the
Camisea project is none other than
Citigroup (Citi) --
a notorious backer of destructive oil and gas projects
around the world.
ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION:
·
Rivers and streams are becoming contaminated with drilling waters
containing metals and hydrocarbons, harming aquatic species
and human
communities.
·
Ongoing fuel spillage at nearby operation centers further contaminate the
local environment. Some spills have been recorded to spread
hundreds of
kilometers along rivers, affecting vast
areas of rainforest and aquatic
ecosystems.
· The project is responsible for destroying more rainforest
area than had
been established by initial agreements
with the local community.
· Production companies are
burying plastic-wrapped toxic cuttings in
protected
lands.
· Deforestation, pollution from wells, pipelines
and other transport
threaten animal and plant life
native to the region. Many of these species
are at risk
of extinction.
· Production companies are responsible
for dumping inorganic garbage into
ravines at Camisea.
SOCIAL DESTRUCTION:
· Production companies will build roads into the forest,
allowing access to
outside populations into the
rainforest. Indigenous populations have
consistently
lost territory and access to important natural resources as a
result of road building into rainforest areas. Territorial
control is
necessary to the survival of Amazonian
indigenous populations whose way of
life and well-being
are closely tied to a thriving rainforest.
· Production
companies threaten two of the world's last indigenous peoples
living in voluntary isolation, the Nahua and Nahti.
Production crews have
brought threatening illnesses
which these indigenous populations have no
immunity
against.
· Water pollution caused by these companies
poison the drinking water and
the fish, on which the
indigenous
CITIBANK'S
INVOLVEMENT:
Citibank has been named the financial
advisor, the most influential
position, in the
consortium for the Camisea project. As the financial
advisor, Citigroup has the ability to pull out of this
project and at the
very least, set very strong social
and environmental standards. Citigroup
must take a
stand that this type of destructive development is unacceptable
in the 21st century.
TAKE ACTION:
As the financial advisor for the project, Citigroup has the
important role
of arranging the project’s financing.
With the project’s start date rapidly
approaching, now
is the time to take a stand for the Peruvian Amazon and its
inhabitants. Join the national campaign against Citigroup
and cut up your
Citibank credit cards to immediately
end its involvement in the Camisea
project. Here’s a
sample letter:
Mr. Sandy Weill
Chief Executive Officer
Citigroup Center
153 East 53rd
Street
New York, NY 10043
Dear Mr. Weill,
I am deeply concerned about Citigroup’s involvement in the
Camisea project
in Peru. According to a study by the
Smithsonian Institution, the Camisea
project is located
in one of the world’s most biologically diverse regions.
The region is also home to the legally recognized territory
of two isolated
and uncontacted indigenous tribes, the
Nahua and Nahti. A major gas
development project in
such a culturally and environmentally sensitive area
would have far-reaching and potentially devastating
consequences.
I urge you to
show respect for the environment and indigenous rights and by
withdrawing from the Camisea Project immediately.
Furthermore, I ask that
you help protect the global
environment by replacing all funding for fossil
fuel
projects with funding for sustainable energy. Please let me know what
action you plan to take on these important issues.
Sincerely,
* * * * *
#3 GUERILLA THEATER
IDEAS!
Citi as Judge, Jury and
Executioner.
Citi versus the planet! – tipping the
scales of justice - A courtroom drama.
What you will need:
* a sheet, costume for Lady Justice
* a blindfold
* some small
makeshift scales
* cardboard
*
paint
BIG SCALES MADE FROM:
*
a recycled 2x4
* a fulcrum (a stack of 3 or 4 milk
crates can be used)
* 2 medium sized plastic buckets
* duct tape
GIANT SCALES: how to make giant
scales.
2x4 with a bucket on each end.
Stack 3 or 4 milk crates one on top of the other. To make
a kind of a
fulcrum in the middle.
Lady Justice will try and hold the scales to the fulcrum as
the battle
begins..
Players:
· Lady Justice
· Citigroup
· The Planet
· Citigroup Lawyer
· The Planet’s Lawyer
1. Picture this. It’s beautiful really. The giant scales
are in front of the
Citibank. Lady Justice is in the
middle. Have someone in a suit, with a sign
around
their neck that says “Citigroup” on one side of the scales and “The
Planet” or “environmental justice”, “indigenous rights”
or “inner city
communities” on the other side.
2. Citi group can throw money and
cans of oil into the bucket tipping the
scales against
the Planet or the Nahua of Peru, or Inner city communities.
3. The other side begins to
organize the crowd. A giant credit card is
placed into
the bucket that is cut up and tips the scale the other way.
4. A debate between the two
lawyers making the case that Citigroup is making
a
killing on global warming, indigenous genocide, and predatory lending.
5. The Citigroup lawyer falters
and fumbles.
6. Citigroup is
removed from the scales and the people take over and
Proclaim “Save a Citi customer day”. Speakers make their
point.
7. Justice is in the
hands of the public. Talk about the world we want. A
global economy that is based on principles and where
investment capital is a
tool for ecological restoration
and creating a democratic, just and
ecologically sane
global economy.
8. Citigroup
is removed from the scales and the people take over.
9. Balance is achieved thanks to
the public’s reaction.
Another
idea:
· Get lady justice to
deliver oily water and a bag of shavings to a Citibank
branch. (without the sword of course) .
Or
· Get her to deliver a subpoena for a court order to appear
before a trial
for the planet which will subsequently
be performed in front.
NOTE :
Make sure that your guerilla
theater piece has a clear message and that the
characters are labeled. Be sure to bring some
flyers to hand out to the
audience and a petition to
gather their support. Remember the goal here is
to educate and organize so be polite, creative and respect
the dignity of
everyone, including customers or
employee who don't agree with us.
* * * * *
#4
Last May, 55 Swiss activists were arrested after occupying
a Citibank branch
in Geneva for an entire
day. The activists from People's Action Against
Globalization (APCM)were protesting Citigroup's role as one
of the largest
multinational banks operating in
Colombia and profiting off the bloody 4
decade oil
civil war. The activists demanded to know what type
of basic
social and environmental standards
Citigroup uses to assess its operations
but couldn't
get an answer.
From: OM [mailto:red-red2@span.ch]
Citibank
Trial in Geneva
On January
15th, 14 activists were on trial for the occupation of CitiBank,
Geneva, but for the public (and the media) it was "the
trial of CitiBank"!
The
protestors were among more than 50 activists who had occupied the
headquarters of CitiBank last May, during a demonstration
held to protest
massacres of the afro-Columbian
community in Colombia by paramilitary
groups.
The principal function of the
approximately 15,000
paramilitaries is to destroy
popular organisations and unions and drive
peasant,
indigenous and afro-Columbian communities off lands targeted by
transnationals. In a number of cases it has been proved
that transnationals
such as United Brands, British
Petroleum or Coca-Cola have been directly
involved in
killings (Coca-Cola is on trial now in Florida for the
assassination of its union leaders in Colombia). The
activists said they
had no proof that CitiBank had
financed paramilitaries, but pointed out
that all
transnationals and foreign investors in Colombia necessarily
profit from a situation in which all forms of worker and
peasant
organisation are ruthlessly repressed (a union
person is killed every two
days in Colombia and 10,000
have been declared "military objectives").
CitiBank is
a major investor (largest foreign and quickest growing bank in
the country) which benefits in multiple ways from this
institutionalised
violence.
The protestors refused to leave
the bank unless an executive of the bank
made a
statement concerning the ethics of investment in such a situation,
or at a minimum unless the bank condemned the impunity
enjoyed by the
paramilitaries (the Columbian army acts
in obvious complicity with the
paramilitaries). This
simple question provoked five hours of hesitations
and
consultations between Geneva, New York and London. Finally CitiBank
answered… that they would answer another time! The
protestors were hauled
off to jail for the night and
subsequently sent fines of 400$ to 500$. They
appealed
these in order to have a public political trial.
The courtroom was packed and almost a hundred more people
demonstrated
outside the courthouse and
disproportionate police lines. Apart from the
accused
and their lawyer, three expert witnesses were heard. Ms. Belen
Torres, an exiled leader of ANUC-UR (a national peasant
organisation) and
M. Federico Andreu, of the
International Commission of Jurists, gave
extensive and
moving testimony concerning the regime of terror from which
the transnationals benefit in Colombia. The two Colombians
confirmed the
recurring "coincidences", between the
terror campaigns that have driven
more than 2 million
Colombians off their land and various multinational
projects involving agribusiness (African palm, coffee,
bananas), timber and
biodiversity, big dams (notably
the one for which the Embera leaders have
been
assassinated), the transoceanic canal route and oil and mineral
extraction (in particular Canadian groups such as Corona
Gold Mines,
Conquistador Gold Mines, etc.). Concerning
oil, the case of the struggle of
the Uwa against
Occidental Petroleum is one case among many. Evidence read
to the court also cited CitiGroup, which as a major
stockholder of Chevron
is involved in the oil fields of
Carmen de Bolivar, a region where a
paramilitary group
has been regularly assassinating peasants and popular
leaders. The latest victim was the regional head of the oil
workers union,
the USO… CitiGroup is heavily involved
in destructive oil extraction world
over.
Concerning the terror used against
peasant leaders, Ms. Belen cited the
example of her own
organisation. Ten leaders a year have been assassinated
for the last five years. She herself can no longer return
to her country.
The witness of the International
Commission of Jurists cited literally
terrifying
statistics: on average 10 persons a day have been assassinated
in Colombia since 1986 (in huge majority by the army or the
paramilitary).
This year there have been almost 20 dead
and one "disappeared" by day.
Business as usual, Mr.
CitiBank?
Other evidence
submitted to the court shows that CitiGroup benefits in many
other ways from the institutionalised violence in Columbia:
- CitiBank has been cited by the ICFTU (International
Confederation of Free
Trade Unions) in its report on
violations of trade union rights in Columbia
(photographing and intimidation of union leaders,
intervention of riot cops
to throw union organisers out
of banks…).
- CitiGroup is a
major owner of General Foods, which controls the majority
of the coffee market in Colombia. CitiBank was in fact
instrumental in the
destruction of the international
coffee producers agreement - which
garanteed a minimum
price for coffee - and thereby made huge profits. As a
result, thousands of small farmers were forced to shift to
coca growing to
survive… which of course was not a
problem for CitiBank, since it is also
deep into
laundering drug money (see the Salinas, Juarez cartel, Menem and
other scandals www.narconews.org).
- Today, to impose its interests
in the Andes, the United States steps up
the level of
the violence, with the so called "War on Drugs". And CitiGroup
is a major stockholder of Boeing, General Dynamics and
United Technologies,
that is to say the arms trade!
United Technologies, in particular, makes
the
helicopters used by the Colombian military (and paramilitaries).
Finally, Prof. Christian De Brie,
journalist of the Monde Diplomatique,
provided
expertise concerning the money laundering activities of CitiBank,
citing evidence from the minority report of the U.S. Senate
subcommittee on
money laundering (cases of the Mexican
president's brother, Raul Salinas,
the Nigerian
dictator Abasha, Omar Bongo of Niger, etc.) from which it was
evident that CitiBank did everything it could to hide the
criminal
activities of its clients.
Finally, the motives of the
accused were heard. As one of them said, "Sixty
years
ago, Swiss banks didn't want to know that the nazi gold they were
laundering came from the teeth of Jews and gipsies. Thirty
years ago, they
didn't want to respect the boycott of
South Africa or know what crimes were
committed by
apartheid. Now they are forced to pay compensations. But
wouldn't it be better if they stopped helping the criminals
of today? After
the testimony heard, Mr. Lancin and
CitiBank can no longer pretend to
ignore that they are
profiting from huge crimes against humanity in
Colombia. Logically, they should thank us, withdraw their
complaint and
withdraw their investments in
Colombia. Unless of course, they want to go
down in history as people who didn't care. Who didn't want
to know."
The judgement will
be handed down shortly, but we are already quite happy
with the result anyhow!
CitiGroup-uscule
Action Populaire
contre la Mondialisation (APCM)°
P.S. We also organised some support events in the city.
Some obviously
anonymous sympathisers pasted fake
adverts for CitiBank all
over Geneva. Its such a good
spoof of bank advertising, that its still
posted all
over, ten days later. I guess the publicity people didn't even
notice it was strange.
°APCM is a local Genevan group of the Peoples' Global
Action (PGA) network.
Thanks to pressure from people like you, last year the Bush
Administration
promised to uphold the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule.&nb
