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Environment Action
Alerts for
March 8 - March 15, 2001
from Greenpeace March 8, 2001
Greenpeace Activist News Vol. 1, No. 3
8 March 2001
ACT NOW TO STOP THE US STAR WARS PROGRAM
Send a Star Wars e-card to your
friends and colleagues from:
http://act.greenpeace.org/ecs/c?i=4
This e-card will include a link to
the Star Wars action alert.
The
Rainbow Warrior is approaching the remote Pacific atoll of Kwajalein in the
Marshall Islands where we will confront the US military and oppose a scheduled
Star Wars test. Incoming US President George W. Bush is moving rapidly ahead
with a "Star Wars" program to spend billions of dollars building a system to
shoot down missiles with yet more missiles. If this program continues, it will
violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and may start a new nuclear arms
race.
So far, 1291 people have
sent letters to US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, 1052 people have sent
letters to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and 960 people have sent letters to
Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen.
This is a good start, but not nearly enough to send a strong
message to these leaders. We need your help. If you have not yet sent letters to
all three of these leaders, please do it now, by visiting our Cyberactivist
Centre at
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/983102960
FLOTILLA
CONFRONTS PLUTONIUM SHIPMENT IN TASMAN SEA
On 6 March, a flotilla of seven ships in the Tasman Sea
confronted the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal, vessels carrying a shipment of
weapons-usable plutonium fuel, or MOX (mixed oxide), bound for western Japan.
The flotilla radioed the plutonium vessels in English, French and Japanese. The
plutonium vessels changed course to evade the flotilla. You can read the latest
news at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/~nuclear/transport/mox00/
The shipment started its 30,000 km
voyage in Cherbourg, France on 19 January. Please help us oppose these plutonium
shipments by sending a letter to your local Japanese embassy at
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/ams/e?a=MOX&s=s02
HELP CLEANUP BAYER
The giant German chemical company
Bayer is best known for its Aspirin headache remedy. But double standards in
Germany and Brazil are now giving the company an environmental headache.
Earlier this year, a Greenpeace
investigation showed that Bayer is contaminating the environment in Brazil with
toxic persistent pollutants such as PCBs and heavy metals such as mercury.
Please help us clean up Bayer by
sending a letter to the CEO of Bayer Brazil today from:
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/ams/e?a=bayer_toxics&s=s01
ACTION GROUP EXPERIMENT
CONTINUING
Greenpeace is
starting an experiment in setting up international action groups of
cyberactivists who want to work together on a common campaign or to share
information in a common language or about a common country or region. If you
want to get involved or find out more, you can read the latest update at:
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/983643653/index_html
NEW RAINFOREST REPORTS
RELEASED
A new Greenpeace report
reveals that International Forest Products (Interfor) is a rogue logging company
that chooses to ignore its own concerned global customers and public opinion
while it destroys the remaining pristine valleys in the Great Bear Rainforest.
See:
http://greenpeace.org/~forests/010307.html
Greenpeace needs your help to track
down forest products that have been logged in the Great Bear Rainforest on
Canada's west coast, home to bears, wolves, salmon and eagles. We are asking
people all over the world to track down wood products that have been clearcut
logged from Canada's rainforest by Interfor and West Fraser Timber.
Please visit:
http://www.greenpeace.org/~forests/sleuths/
VISIT THE CYBERCENTRE
Please don't forget to visit the
Greenpeace Cyberactivist Community at:
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s
from Sierra Club March 8, 2001
SC-ACTION Vol. III, #26
DEFENDING
THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
March 7, 2001
Table of
Contents:
1. ALASKA WILDLIFE
REFUGE EDITORIAL by Sara Callaghan
2. KENTUCKY CAFO CAMPAIGN GETS THE MESSAGE OUT , by Aloma
Dew
3. SAVE THE PEAKS, STOP THE
MINE! AN UPDATE ON THE SIERRA CLUB'S EFFORTS TO
SHUT
DOWN THE WHITE VULCAN PUMICE MINE ON THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS, by Andy
Bessler
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. ALASKA WILDLIFE REFUGE EDITORIAL by Sara Callaghan
Sara Callaghan, Sierra Club's
Alaska Representative, wrote the following
editorial
that appeared in Sunday's Tacoma News Tribune.
Alaska oil fuels a debate Drilling on Wildlife Refuge
inspires impassioned
pleas from both sides
03/04/2001
Sara Callaghan Chapell
con: It's only a six-month supply, a drop in the bucket
compared with what
we could easily conserve
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
is an amazing and inspiring place.
Visitors tell of its
stunning vistas, unique wildlife and untouched
landscape. Scientists note the importance of the refuge as
habitat for
hundreds of species and the crucial role it
plays in Alaska's web of life.
The Gwich'in - native Alaskans who live nearby - depend on
the caribou that
give birth in the refuge for food,
clothing and spiritual sustenance. And
the refuge is
also an important part of America's heritage. But despite the
value of the arctic refuge - to people, wildlife and
posterity - President
Bush has announced that he intends
to open the area to oil drilling.
Doing so would be an unconscionable mistake: Just as we
would not flood the
Grand Canyon for hydropower or cap
Old Faithful for steam, we must not
drill for oil in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The first reason is the simplest: There's not very much oil
in the refuge.
Estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey
find that there is only a six-month
supply of
economically recoverable oil. Opening the refuge will have no
effect on oil prices because the supply is too small and
Persian Gulf oil
too cheap.
In fact, because the United States has only 3 percent of the
world's oil
reserves, opening all of our coasts, forests
and wild places to drilling
would barely nudge world oil
prices.
Many proponents of
drilling have pointed to recent price spikes as a reason
to drill. But any oil discovered in the refuge would not be
available for
at least a decade. And getting this oil
down to the lower 48 states will be
no small feat
either. It will require environmentally destructive
pipelines, pumping stations and sprawling industrial
infrastructure.
When Congress
protected the arctic refuge from exploitation, the oil
industry blocked efforts to safeguard a crescent of land
called the coastal
plain. The problem is that this
sliver of coastline is the biological heart
of the
refuge - it's where polar bears have their dens, where massive herds
of caribou come to give birth to their calves and where
migratory birds
from every state flock in the summer.
Drilling for oil will destroy the
unique plants on which
caribou, musk oxen, wolves, polar bears and other
animals depend for survival.
Of course, those who are in favor claim that new
"environmentally friendly"
techniques will reduce the
impact. But in Alaska we've learned that you
cannot
drill for oil without spilling oil. And if nearby Prudhoe Bay is any
indication, drilling for oil in the refuge will surely
destroy it.
Prudhoe Bay oil
fields generate twice as much air pollution as Washington,
D.C., and the area suffers more than 400 spills a year of
oil or
oil-related pollution. In February, a BP Amoco
facility dumped thousands of
gallons of oil into the
environment. In January, 20,000 gallons of drilling
"mud" - a petroleum-based lubricant used for drilling -
spilled from one of
Prudhoe Bay's newest facilities.
The upshot is that there are far
better, easier and cheaper places to drill
for oil - not
to mention a host of ways to make better use of the oil and
gas we already have. Requiring SUVs and light trucks to get
the same
mileage per gallon as cars would save more oil
within 10 years than would
ever be produced from the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Because there is little oil in the arctic refuge, a host of
alternatives to
drilling there and great value in
keeping the refuge unspoiled, we must
preserve this
awe-inspiring and unique place - for our families and for
future generations.
2. KENTUCKY CAFO CAMPAIGN GETS THE
MESSAGE OUT , by Aloma Dew
Last
night the KY CAFO Campaign officially began the new phase of it's
campaign before a crowd of almost 100 in Louisville, thanks
to the hard
work of group chair John Hartman,
cosponsored with The Kentucky Institute
for the
Environment and Sustainable Development. The program was taped by
public radio station WFPL for broadcast on March 26 at 1
p.m.(eastern
time). The panel was composed of
author, poet and farmer Wendell Berry,
Sierra Club
attorney and chair of the CAFO-Clean Water Campaign Hank
Graddy, physician Michelle Moran and
farmer/coalminer/western Kentucky
victim Charles
Bates. It was great! The panelist were able to give a new
dimension and an urban-appeal to the
campaign. The program lasted for
almost two
hours and people seemed interested throughout. I (Aloma Dew)
served as the moderator and enjoyed it completely.
Charles Bates was the real star of
the show. He was there to give a first
hand
account of what CAFOs are like and the effects that CAFOs have had on
his family and others in McLean County. He elaborated on the
fact that
there are 6 chicken houses right next to his
home and to a family cemetery
dating to the 18th century
where Bates and his family had always planned to
be
buried. He says they will probably build a chicken house on top of
his
grave! Bates gave a face to a campaign which does
not always connect with
urban consumers.
Dr. Moran gave a credibility to our
program. As a health care professional
and a
scientist, she brought an important part to the discussion and
answered a lot of questions that folks had.
The Sierra Club should be very proud
of the work of Hank Graddy. He did a
great
job of explaining the national campaign and how we reached this
point, while pulling the remarks of the other panelists
together. Hank
continues to work tirelessly
on the CAFO-clean water issue and made the
Sierra Club
look great last night!
John
Hartman really worked to get this together and provide a good
audience. There was a table with handouts and a lovely wine
and cheese
reception after the forum. This was a great
example of how EPEC, groups and
chapter are working
together in Kentucky.
3. SAVE THE PEAKS, STOP THE MINE! AN UPDATE ON THE SIERRA
CLUB'S EFFORTS TO
SHUT DOWN THE WHITE VULCAN PUMICE MINE
ON THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS, by Andy
Bessler
Summary of our Save the Peaks,
"Restoration will Begin" concert held last
night (March
1, 2001) in Flagstaff: This was the final EPEC event meant to
bring closure to the Save the Peaks Campaign that shut down
the White
Vulcan Pumice Mine on the San Francisco Peaks.
It was a day that I will
remember for the rest of my
life....Full of heart and inspiration that will
hopefully bring activists out on many other issues.
I must put a big thank you out to
the young Navajo interns who put these
events together;
Hunter RedDay and Kelvin Long. While their funding has
ended with this event, I hope that they will continue to
find opportunities
to learn about organizing.....They
are off to a great start. I will be
working on trying to
find funding to keep these guys and other interns
going
and learning about organizing.
On Thursday, March 1st, Kelvin Long organized a press
conference within the
White
Vulcan Mine to help announce the official closure of the mine and the
start of the reclamation process. Forest Service officials
were on hand as
well as a few of the miners.
While the agreement fostered by
former Sec. Babbitt is not perfect (it
allows the
miners to sell stockpiled pumice for up to 10 years), it is
cause for celebration because the miners will take
responsibility for the
restoration process that will
last for the next 5 years.
Kelvin invited Frank Mapatis from Hualapai and Bucky
Preston from Hopi to
symbolically start the restoration
process with prayers and songs. 10
Navajo and Hopi
students from Winslow High School's American Indians
Science and Engineering Society (ASIES) were on hand to
witness this event.
Kelvin wanted young and old to be
on hand to come together across
generations just as
different cultures came together to fight for the
Peaks.
In
between music, Frank Mapatis and Bucky Preston came out and told the
crowd about their trip to Washington DC to convince govt.
officials to shut
down the mine. They sang traditional
songs that brought everyone's hearts
together. The
crowd had such a positive feeling after their songs that I
think they touched all people and hopefully will result in
greater activism
for all people in Northern Arizona.
After Casper played, I got my
chance at the mic and urged folks to get
involved in
protecting Mother Earth. I told them to heed one of my favorite
quotes: "If you don't like the news, go out and make your
own." After
thanking Hunter and Kelvin, Hunter spoke
about the deeper meaning of the
fight to close down the
mine on the Peaks. I don't remember the exact
quote,
but he said something like, "now that shut down the mine on the
peaks, we need to face the mine in me and the mine in you.
That mine
represented greed and intolerance for
people's belief. We need to face
that."
Kelvin mentioned that he felt that
we won one battle in a war that is 500
years old.
Native people, he said, have been fighting to protect their
lands and culture since Anglos first arrived here.
Everyone mentioned the power of
unification and standing together with one
voice to
protect the Peaks. I will never forget the feeling in that room!
I would like to thank all those
within the Sierra club who contributed to
make this a
successful campaign. I only hope that the new work we will be
taking on under the Environmental Justice Program will meet
with the same
success and concrete victories
experienced on the Peaks.
In
closing, I would like to share an email I got this morning. Never
underestimate who you will touch with each LTE, press
clipping, or each
organizing event. I am proud to work
for Sierra Club....I think we are
making a big
difference for Mother Earth......
Andy Bessler
Mr. Bessler,
Hello, I live here in Flagstaff
but am really from Leupp.
In
all honesty, I was not aware of the ongoing issue with the Peaks until
very recently. When out of town on travel and am nearing
home -- I always
visually look forward to seeing the
San Francisco Peaks. Once I see it, I
am calmed by its
magnificent beauty. I wanted to make sure you knew that I
am one person who is very thankful for the free,
alcohol/drug free
entertainment last night and for the
inspiration that has transpired within
me. The
celebration seemed to have a good turnout with a lot of positive
energy. After hearing Burning Skys' beautiful music for the
first time last
night, I find myself thinking that I
have finally found music I've been
searching for. I'm
proud today of what you and the many volunteers and
native people have accomplished. In the future, I hope to
be a more active
participant in these serious issues
that are facing the land we live on.
Again, Thank you
Charlene Thompson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
Sierra Club Vote Watch Website - http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/
White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
George W. Bush's e-mail -
president@whitehouse.gov
Dick
Cheney's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC
20500
US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
from Rainforest Action Network March 8, 2001
APRIL 11TH GLOBAL SHOWDOWN! Day of Action!
THE PEOPLE vs. CITIGROUP
CONFRONTING THE WORLD'S MOST DESTRUCTIVE BANK
A call for creative non-violent action! Whether its civil disobedience, mass credit card cut-ups, teach-ins, shareholder activism, demonstrations, phone zaps, fax blasts, press conferences, guerilla theater, informational pickets or whatever . take action against CITIGROUP on April 11th.
FOR MORE INFO, TO GET AN ORGANIZING PACKET OR TO CONNECT WITH LOCAL ACTIVISTS IN YOUR AREA CONTACT RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK:
NY - Beka Economopoulos beka@ran.org, 917-560-3609/888-840-6416 or
SF - Patrick Reinsborough organize@ran.org, 415-398-4404/800-989-RAIN
- - - - - - - - - -
Citi has over 1200 branches and offices around the US and office in over 100 countries around the world. Find your local subsidiary and ORGANIZE LOCALLY! :
http://www.citibank.com/branches/
http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/
http://www.salomonsmithbarney.com/abt_sb/brnchloc.html
- - - - - - - - - -
Are you sick of corporate globalization and all the environmental destruction, poverty and injustice it is creating? Sick of undemocratic Free Trade agreements like NAFTA, WTO and FTAA being rammed down your throat? Are you ready to stand up to the system of global destruction that put the interests of corporate elites ahead of local communities, workers, farmers, the environment and democratic decision-making? Can you envision a global society based on justice, democracy and ecological sanity? Well then it sounds like you are ready to go for the jugular of the corporate global economy . and take on the world. s most destructive bank - CITIGROUP.
CITIGROUP is America. s largest financial institution made up of Citibank, Citifinancial, Traveler. s insurance and investment house Salomon Smith Barney (now called Citi Asset Management). From rainforest destruction to redlining, prisons to pollution Citi is the world. s most destructive bank.
A few examples of what Citi has been involved in .
CITI is creating a global economy with no rules its up to all of us to unite for an economy where principles come before corporate profits!
Demand that Citi go BEYOND THE BOTTOMLINE to stop investing in the destruction of the environment and communities around the world.
CITI is uniquely vulnerable to grassroots pressure because of their massive consumer presence and efforts to promote the Citi brandname.
They are terrified that the word will get out about their destructive
Practices. So let. s organize people to cut up their Citi credit cards, switch their student loans, cancel their accounts And confront Citi at their local branches! Together we can send a strong message that you won't do business with the world's most destructive bank!
- - - - - - - - - - - -
FOR MORE BACKGROUND INFO CHECK OUT
www.innercitypress.org/citi.html
- - - - - - - - - - - -
We want to hear from you with your questions, ideas, strategies, tactics or local research. To learn more, get involved, or endorse this campaign contact us:
NY - Beka Economopoulos beka@ran.org, 917-560-3609/888-840-6416 or
SF - Patrick Reinsborough organize@ran.org, 415-398-4404/800-989-RAIN
DON. T BE AFRAID TO THINK BIG. OUR TIMES DEMAND IT.
from Environment News Service March 8, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************
BEETLES, HABITAT LOSS FORCE
RELOCATION OF ENDANGERED BIRDS
WINCHESTER, Kentucky, March 8, 2001 (ENS) - In a drastic
move aimed at
protecting a highly endangered species,
federal and state authorities
plan to begin relocating
endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers from
southern pine
beetle infested habitat on the Daniel Boone National
Forest in Kentucky as early as next week. The project will
remove all
remaining red-cockaded woodpeckers in the
state.
For full text and
graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-08-06.html
************************************************************
LAST SEEN 1918, AUSTRALIA'S
CRANBROOK PEA IS BACK
PERTH,
Australia, March 8, 2001 (ENS) - A plant presumed extinct for
more than 80 years has been rediscovered by a Western
Australian farmer.
For full
text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-08-10.html
************************************************************
INQUIRY LAUNCHED INTO LONDON'S
NUCLEAR TRAINS
LONDON, United
Kingdom, March 8, 2001 (ENS) - Nuclear waste transported
by rail through London is to be investigated in an inquiry
aimed at
discovering the level of radiation coming from
trains.
For full text and
graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-08-11.html
************************************************************
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN
LACKS TARGETS, TIMETABLES
BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 8, 2001 (ENS) - Environment
ministers from
across Western Europe today launched a
concerted attack on the lack of
clear policy targets
and timetables for action in the European
Commission's
new proposal for a Sixth environment action Programme
(6EAP).
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-08-02.html
************************************************************
HIGH ALERT CALLED ON
TRAFFICKING IN WILD SPECIES
CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, March 8, 2001 (ENS) - Wildlife
poachers and
smugglers, beware! TRAFFIC has mapped out
a new three year strategy to
protect the most
endangered wildlife and fragile ecosystems from
predatory traders.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-08-01.html
************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: MARCH 8, 2001
$20 Million Pledged to Buy Back
StarLink Seed
Greenpeace
Cofounder Supports Biotech
Fisheries Service Approves Innovative Salmon Plan
PCBs in Spokane River Fish Call
For Caution
American Rivers:
Hydropower Industry Must Pay Its Share
Florida Gathers Seeds to Save Endangered Bromeliads
Puerto Rico Approves First
Caribbean Habitat Conservation Plan
Universal Makes $100,000 Brockovich Donation to UCLA
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-08-09.html
*******************************************************************
SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
*********************************************************
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
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TO NATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Land Rights Group
Supports Griles Interior Nomination
BATTLE GROUND, WA, Mar. 8
-/E-Wire/-- The American Land Rights
Association (ALRA)
today announced its support for President Bush's
nomination of Steve Griles to be Deputy Secretary of the
Department of
the Interior.
/CONTACT: Mike Hardiman
202-251-3473/
/Web site: www.landrights.org/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0111.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
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TO TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Pickens
Fuel Corp., Ed Huestis of Vacaville Receive WestStart Blue Sky
Award
South
Coast Air Quality Management District Recognized With Blue Sky
Innovation Award
Merit Awards for Industry Leadership to Quantum
Technologies, Enova
Systems and the Southern California
Edison Electric Vehicle Fleet
PASADENA, CA, Mar. 8
-/E-Wire/-- Pickens Fuel Corp. and Ed Huestis,
transportation manager for the city of Vacaville, Calif.,
have won
WestStart's 5th Annual Blue Sky Award(TM) for
their marketplace
contributions to advanced, clean
transportation, specifically for their
efforts to get
more alternative fuel and electric vehicles on the road.
/CONTACT: Susan Romeo,
626/744-5600/
/Web site: www.calstart.org/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0110.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
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TO BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Startech
Environmental Unveils First StarCell Hydrogen System At
Shareholders Meeting
WILTON, CT, Mar. 8 -/E-Wire/--
Startech Environmental Corp,
(Nasdaq: STHK), the world
leader in plasma waste remediation and
recycling
technology, unveiled its first commercially-sized StarCell(TM)
system for inspection by its shareholders at the Company's
annual
shareholder meeting yesterday. The system on
display, will produce about
30 cubic feet of hydrogen
per minute. The StarCell unit shown measures 2
feet wide
by 8 feet 6 inches long and is 6 feet 8 inches high.
/CONTACT: Robert L. DeRochie,
VP of Investor Relations of Startech
Environmental Corp,
203-762-2499, starmail@startech.net/
/Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/113537.html
or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 113537/
/Web
site: www.startech.net/
For Full
Text Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0109.html
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TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
New Organization Formed to Protect
Winter Wildlands
Winter Wildlands Alliance Preserves the
Human-Powered Snow Sports
Experience
BOISE,
ID, Mar. 8 -/E-Wire/-- Snow sports enthusiasts today
announced the formation of Winter Wildlands Alliance, a new
national
nonprofit organization that preserves winter
wildlands and a quality
human-powered snow sport
experience on public lands. Formerly known as
the
Backcountry SnowSports Alliance, the Winter Wildlands Alliance
represents non-motorized winter recreationists and
wilderness activists
alike, and brings a national voice
to the need for separate use areas
and monitoring of
motorized regulations on public lands.
/CONTACT: Sally Grimes of
Winter Wildlands Alliance, 208-336-4203,
sally@winterwildlands.org/
/Web site:
www.winterwildlands.org/
For
Full Text Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0108.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Napier Environmental
Technologies Inc.: SARA is Presented to 'All Pro'
VANCOUVER, Canada, Mar. 8
-/E-Wire/-- Napier Environmental
Technologies Inc
(TSE:NIR. - news) is pleased to announce the launch of
its patented Selective Adhesive Release Agent Technology
(SARA) for the
Do-It-Yourself and retail market.
/CONTACT: Don Mosher,
604/801-6664 or Robert Carriere,
604/801-6664/
/Web
site: http://napierenvironmental.com
http://www.biowash.com/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0107.html
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TO BUSINESS TRANSPORTATION AND
ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Cummins
and Westport Form Joint Venture
JV to Develop and Market Alternate Fuel Engines to Meet
Rapidly Growing
Demand
COLUMBUS, IN, and VANCOUVER,
Canada, Mar. 8 -/E-Wire/-- Cummins
Inc. (NYSE:CUM -
news) of Columbus, Indiana and Westport Innovations
Inc.
(TSE:WPT - news) of Vancouver, British Columbia announced today the
formation of a 50/50 joint venture (JV) to develop and
market
low-emissions, high performance natural gas
engines.
/CONTACT: Westport Alan
Bayless, 604/718-2016 Fax: 604/718-2001
E-mail:
abayless@westport.com or Cummins Dorothy Brown Smith,
812/377-7719 Fax: 812/377-3272 E-mail:
Dorothy.B.Smith@cummins.com/
/Web site: http://www.cummins.com
http://www.westport.com/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0106.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
NVID Receives U.S.
Letters Patent
Revolutionary Ionic Silver Antimicrobial
Technology
CLEARWATER, FL, Mar. 8
-/E-Wire/-- NVID International, Inc. (Pink
Sheets:NVID)
today announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has
issued a U.S. Letters Patent on NVID's ionic silver
antimicrobial
technology Axenohl. The U.S. Letters
Patent No. 6,197,814 covers one of
multiple inventive
aspects of NVID's Axenohl antimicrobial technology.
/CONTACT: NVID International,
Inc. and Aqua Bio Technologies, Inc.
can be reached at:
Corporate Office: 28163 U.S. 19 N. Suite 302
Clearwater,
Florida 33761 Contact: David Larson Phone (727) 669-5005 x1,
Fax (727) 669-4701 e-mail dLarson@aquabiotech.com Sales
Office: 5153
Sandy Cove Avenue Sarasota, Florida 34242
Contact: Michael Redden Phone
(941) 312-9100 Fax (941)
312-9300 e-mail aquabiotech@home.com/
/Web site: http://aquabiotech.net/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0105.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
2001 Disaster-Recovery
Sourcebook Now Available
New,
2001 Edition of the Disaster Recovery Yellow Pages(tm)Begins
Shipment - Coincides with yet Another Disastrous Season
NEWTON, MA, Mar. 8 -/E-Wire/--
The updated, "New Century" 2001,
Edition of the Disaster
Recovery Yellow Pages(tm), by The Systems Audit
Group,
Inc. has begun shipping, coincidentally during one of the most
disastrous seasons in recent history.
/CONTACT: Steven Lewis
617-332-3496 DRYP@Javanet.com/
/Web site: http://www.DISASTER-HELP.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0104.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY AND AUTO
EDITORS:
IMPCO Launches Next
Generation B2B Platform for Global Customers
-- Reduced order cycle times and improved customer service
seen as key
-- Internet B2B
focus as company moves globally
CERRITOS, CA, Mar. 8 -/E-Wire/-- IMPCO Technologies, Inc.
(Nasdaq: IMCO)
is the World's leading source of advanced
alternative fuel systems
technology and components for
internal combustion engines today
announced that the
company has launched its new business to business
online
ordering service for the company's global distribution network.
/CONTACT: Investor Relations,
Mr. Dale Rasmussen, 206-575-1594 ext.
0, or Media, Mr.
James S. Mitchell, 562-860-6666 ext. 116, both of IMPCO
Technologies, Inc./
/Web site: http://www.qtww.com
http://www.impco.ws/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0103.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Environ.com and Ecolink
Announce Utility Partner Program Agreement;
Program's Latest Partner Reaches 85 Percent of the Nation's
Utilities
TEMPE, AZ, and Tucker GA, Mar.
8 -/E-Wire/-- Today, Environmental
Support Solutions
(Environ.com) and Ecolink announced an agreement
providing energy efficiency training to Ecolink's utility
clients
through Environ.com's Utility Partner Program.
/CONTACT: Robin Suzelis of
Environ.com, 480-346-5524,
robin_suzelis@environ.com; or
Brandon Pelissero of Ecolink,
800-886-8240,
bpelissero@ecolink.com/
/Web site: http://www.ecolink.com
http://www.environ.com/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0102.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Canfor and DynaMotive
Establish Alliance To Develop Commercial BioOil
Applications for the Forest Industry
VANCOUVER, Canada, Mar. 8
-/E-Wire/-- DynaMotive Technologies
Corporation (OTCBB:
DYMTF) and Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (CFP:TSE)
have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop commercial
applications for BioOil in the forest industry. The
announcement was
made at the official opening of
DynaMotive's new 10 tonne per day BioOil
pilot plant in
Vancouver, BC, Canada.
/CONTACT: DynaMotive
Technologies Corporation: Raymond McAllister,
Director,
Corporate Communications, Tel: 604-267-6000, Fax:
604-267-6005, Email: investor@dynamotive.com, For more
information in
Europe, contact: DynaMotive Europe
Limited, Antony Robson, Managing
Director, Tel:
44-0-20-7518-9380; Fax: 44-0-20-7518-9381, Email:
arobson@dynamotive.com; For US enquiries, contact:
DynaMotive
Corporation, James Acheson, Chief Operating
Officer, Tel: 323-460-4900,
Fax: 323-465-2617, Email:
jacheson@dynamotive.com; Canadian Forest
Products Ltd.:
Lee Coonfer, Manager, Corporate Communications, Tel:
604-661-5225, Fax: 604-661-5219, Email:
lcoonfer@mail.canfor.ca,
Website: www.canfor.com To
request a free copy of this organization's
annual
report, please go to www.newswire.ca and click on reports@cnw./
/Web
site: http://www.dynamotive.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/08Mar0101.html
************************************************************
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE --
1-888-764-NEWS
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from Natural Resources Defense Council March 9, 2001
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
March 9, 2001
Contents:
1) Legislative Watch
2) About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
3) About NRDC/How to Contact Us
The information in this bulletin is
also available on our
website at http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp. The
web version links to the text of bills and congressional web
pages. To take action on these and other environmental
issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action, where you can use our online
activism tools or subscribe to Earth Action, our
biweekly
activist bulletin.
1) LEGISLATIVE WATCH
This is a status report on congressional action on the
environment. To make new or updated sections easy to find,
we've highlighted them with:
= N
O T E ! =
3/8/01
For the last two weeks, Congress has
focused mainly on the
Bush administration's $1.6 billion
tax cut and the
Republican leadership's energy policy
legislation. The
president last week submitted his
proposed budget blueprint
to Congress, and also recently
announced a controversial
nominee to head the government
office that serves as the
gatekeeper for health and
environmental regulations.
...
Budget
= N O T E ! =
As the House and Senate budget committees begin work on
President Bush's proposed budget blueprint,
environmentalists are concerned that the committees may try
to include oil revenues from drilling in the Arctic
National
Wildlife Refuge in their budget projections.
The
appropriations process will go into full swing when
the
president submits his complete budget in early
April,
although the process may be delayed this year
because of
uncertainties surrounding the size of the tax
cut.
= N O T E ! =
The Bush administration's initial proposal cuts the
Environmental Protection Agency budget by more than 6
percent, and the Interior department budget by 3.9 percent,
from last year's funding levels. Global warming,
potentially
the most significant worldwide environmental
challenge, is
not addressed at all in the president's
proposed budget.
While oil and coal programs are slated
for huge increases,
energy efficiency programs have been
cut drastically, while
solar and other renewable energy
funding is tied to expected
revenues from drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. Funding cuts may
also severely jeopardize the
clean-up of contaminated
nuclear waste sites.
...
Clean Air and Energy
= N O T E ! =
On 3/6, the House Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee heard
from several congressional colleagues involved in energy
issues during the second in a series of hearings that
will
help shape a new House energy bill. On 2/28, the
subcommittee considered testimony on natural gas supply
and
distribution.
= N O T E ! =
On 2/28, the House
Science Committee, chaired by Rep.
Boehlert (R-NY), held
a hearing on improving renewable
energy sources and
energy efficiency programs. Rep. Boehlert
has stated his
goal this year is to ensure that renewable
energy and
energy efficiency become cornerstones of national
energy
policy.
= N O T E ! =
On 2/26, Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Republican
leadership's new energy bill (S. 389), which emphasizes
increasing the fossil fuel supply and opening the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. The bill
contains only a few provisions to increase
energy-efficient
buildings and equipment, and fails to
adequately address the
need to decrease demand for
fossil fuels. The bill also
would effectively exempt
coal power plants from clean air
requirements and turn
over federal oil and gas leasing to
the states.
Environmentalists continue to mount strong
opposition to
this bill and any efforts to open the Arctic
National
Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, and Sen.
Kerry
(D-MA) promises to filibuster the bill if it includes
plans to drill in the refuge. The Senate has delayed
consideration of this bill for several weeks.
= N O T E ! =
On 1/30, Sen. Smith (R-NH) and Sen. Feinstein (D-CA)
introduced S. 207, which provides federal tax incentives for
energy efficiency improvements in new and existing
buildings. Implementing these tax incentives would reduce
pollution, promote economic growth and competitiveness,
and
save consumers and businesses tens of billions of
dollars.
The bill would also help ensure electricity
supply at peak
hours, preventing blackouts and
brownouts, and mitigate
increases in electricity prices
when supplies are tight.
On 2/8,
the Senate approved Sen. McCain's (R-AZ) pipeline
safety
bill (S. 235) by a vote of 98-0 despite the fact that
it
fails to provide adequate environmental protections.
Although a few changes were made to strengthen the bill,
including a requirement sponsored by Sens. Corzine (D-NJ),
Torricelli (D-NJ), Cantwell (D-WA) and Murray (D-WA)
that
requires pipeline inspections at five-year
intervals, the
Senate bill fails to include any of the
key protections
environmentalists believe are needed to
improve pipeline
safety. These provisions include
holding polluters liable
for releases, requiring
meaningful community right-to-know
data, and allowing
states to require stronger protections
for interstate
pipelines in their state than the federal
government
requires.
On 1/22, Sen.
McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Byrd (D-WV), from
two of the
biggest coal-producing states, introduced the
National
Electricity and Environmental Technology Act (S.
60),
designed to encourage utilities to use more coal by
waiving environmental standards that protect air quality. S.
60 effectively repeals Clean Air Act provisions that
require
new and modified coal-fired plants to meet
tougher pollution
control requirements and prohibit
increased levels of
pollution in or near national parks
or areas that fail to
meet air quality standards. By
granting coal-fired power
plants relief from Clean Air
Act requirements, the bill
could also undercut recent
government enforcement actions --
a dozen of which are
still pending -- that mandate new
pollution controls on
dirty power plants and assess
penalties worth over $3.5
billion on polluters.
NRDC's
report, A Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st
Century
(http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp),
outlines the components of an alternative energy policy --
one that can meet the nation's energy needs without
destroying wilderness or rolling back environmental
safeguards.
...
Clean
Water
= N O T E ! =
On 2/28, the House Water Resources and Environment
Subcommittee held a hearing where state representatives
discussed two proposed new Clean Water Act regulations. The
first rule would improve the water quality of polluted
rivers, streams and lakes by strengthening the
requirements
on the amount of pollution that can flow
into degraded water
under the total maximum daily loads
program. The second set
of regulations seeks to address
pollution from large-scale
animal farms, called
concentrated animal feeding operations.
Environmental
groups support the goals of these regulations,
but would
like to see them strengthened.
Coasts and Oceans
On 2/14, Sens. Snowe (R-ME), McCain (R-AZ), Kerry (D-MA),
Hollings (D-SC), and Breaux (D-LA) introduced S. 328,
which
provides funds to states for the management of
coastal
areas. The most significant part of this bill
designates
funding to stem polluted coastal runoff, the
biggest water
quality problem facing shorelines and
coastal ecosystems.
However, the chairman of the House
Transportation Committee,
Rep. Young (R-AK), objects to
this coastal pollution program
and may try to eliminate
it when the House considers the
bill.
...
Public Health
= N O T E ! =
On 2/27, the
Environment and Public Works Committee held a
hearing on
S. 350, the Brownfields Revitalization and
Environmental
Restoration Act. Sens. Smith (R-NH), Chafee
(R-RI), Reid
(D-NV), and Boxer (D-CA) developed the popular
bipartisan bill, which provides increased funding and
authority to states to clean up former industrial sites
known as brownfields. This bill is identical to last year's
S. 2700, which was ultimately supported by 67 senators,
but
was blocked by Sen. Lott (R-MS) and Sen. Crapo
(R-ID). The
bill is scheduled to be moved out of
committee on 3/8. The
House Energy and Commerce
Committee also held a hearing on
brownfields on 3/7 and
may try to craft its own bill.
On 1/31, Rep. Boehlert (R-NY) introduced H.R. 324, the same
Superfund and brownfields bill that passed the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the last
Congress. (Superfund is the federal law that governs
seriously contaminated hazardous waste sites, while
brownfields are lesser contaminated sites.) The
environmental community objects to the bill because it would
result in lower clean-up standards at severely
contaminated
sites, slowing clean-up and increasing
litigation.
Environmentalists consider these
modifications unnecessary
because the Superfund program
has improved implementation
dramatically and is cleaning
up sites at a record pace.
Moreover, Superfund's
liability provisions are already well
defined, largely
as a result of past litigation over their
meaning.
With S. 223, Sen. Domenici (R-NM) is
attempting to overturn
the EPA's new drinking water
standard for arsenic, a human
carcinogen. The previous
arsenic standard, which was set in
1975 at 50 parts per
billion (ppb), was based on public
health data from
1942, and had never been revised until this
past winter,
when the EPA finally issued the new standard
requiring
that arsenic levels in drinking water be no higher
than
10 ppb. This new standard is based in part on a 1999
National Academy of Sciences report that found the old 50
ppb standard failed to protect public health.
...
Public Lands
= N O T E ! =
On 3/7, the House
Resources Committee held a hearing on
energy supplies
and federal lands, but questioned only
witnesses who
support increased drilling and mining on
federal lands.
Environmental groups object to easing
restrictions on
resource extraction in sensitive public
lands as 95
percent of Bureau of Land Management lands, and
91
percent of federal Rocky Mountain lands, are already open
to oil and gas drilling.
= N O T E ! =
On 2/28, key members
of both the House and Senate introduced
bipartisan
legislation to protect the coastal plain of the
Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling by
designating it a wilderness area. In the House, Rep. Johnson
(R-CT) and Rep. Markey (D-MA) introduced H.R. 770, which
now
has the support of 177 cosponsors. In the Senate,
Sen.
Lieberman (D-CT) introduced S. 411 with the support
of 24
senators, including Sen. Jeffords (R-VT) and Sen.
Chafee
(R-RI).
...
Regulatory Reform
= N O T E ! =
On 3/6, President Bush
nominated economist Dr. John Graham,
a long-time critic
of protective health, safety and
environmental
standards, to direct the Office of Information
and
Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and
Budget. Graham is the director of the Harvard Center for
Risk Analysis -- an industry-funded research group that is
paid to develop pro-industry positions on the regulatory
process. Health and environmental experts warn that, as
the
gatekeeper for all federal regulations, Graham would
use his
industry connections, controversial economic
analyses, and
ideological bias against strong regulatory
standards to
prevent new regulations that are protective
of public health
and the environment from being adopted.
On 1/3, Rep. Condit (D-CA)
introduced H.R. 54, which would
provide a new tactic to
block critical health and
environmental protections. By
doing little more than voicing
an objection, opponents
of environmental legislation would
be able to stop
provisions of bills that would impose costs
exceeding
$100 million on the private sector, without a
direct
vote on the substance of the bill. Worse yet, H.R. 54
focuses on the cost of legislation without any consideration
of its potential benefits.
On 1/31, Rep. Burton (R-IN) introduced the Small Business
Relief Act (H.R. 327), which contains overly broad and
burdensome obligations on federal agencies to annually
compile a list of each piece of information they have
requested from businesses. Because this requirement
would be
incredibly expensive and time-consuming, it
could be
virtually impossible for federal agencies to
comply without
severely disrupting their operations.
For information on the environmental
voting records of
members of Congress, see the League of
Conservation Voter's
National Environmental Scorecards
at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecards/index.htm
...........
2) About Our Bulletins/How to
Subscribe & Unsubscribe
NRDC
distributes three bulletins by email. To subscribe to
any or all of them or to join our activist networks, go to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp. If you
already
subscribe and want to change your subscriptions
or update
your email address or other information, go to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor (or see the
unsubscribe information below).
EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and
calls out urgent
environmental issues requiring
immediate action. To
unsubscribe from Earth Action, send
an email message to
earthaction@nrdcaction.org with
REMOVE in the subject line.
LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in
session and tracks environmental bills moving through the
federal legislature. To unsubscribe from Legislative
Watch,
send an email message to legwatch@nrdcaction.org
with REMOVE
in the subject line.
The CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK
ACTION ALERT is distributed
bimonthly to members of
NRDC's California Activist Network
and provides action
tools to Californians and others
concerned with
protecting the state's natural resources and
the health
of its citizens. To unsubscribe, send an email
message
to wildcalifornia@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the
subject line.
...........
3) About NRDC/How to Contact Us
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with over 400,000 members
nationwide and a staff of scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the
planet's wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and
healthy environment for all living things.
For more information about NRDC or
how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense
Council
40 West 20th Street
NY,
NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General information: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Email subscription questions: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving
Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural
Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
from Defenders of Wildlife March 8, 2001
| BATTLE FOR ARCTIC REFUGE: Champions enter the fray |
| POLLUTERS ON PARADE: Industries line up at public trough |
| WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Don't 'drill in the cathedral' |
| TURNING BACK THE CLOCK: Bush targets environment |
| SILVER LININGS: Supremes brighten our day |
| ADOPT A POLAR BEAR: Help save polar bears' lives |
| WILDLIFE CALENDAR: Indian Ocean becomes whale nursery |
1.
BATTLE FOR ARCTIC REFUGE: Champions enter
the fray
At a news conference on the grounds of the nation's Capitol, leaders of the bipartisan group vowed to fight President Bush's oil-drilling plan with "any legislative weapon we possess." Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut said, "To drill for oil in the Arctic refuge is like chopping down the California redwoods for firewood or capping Old Faithful for geothermal power." Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen told the media that concerned Americans already have sent 700,000 e-petitions to President Bush and Congress from our Web site, SaveArcticRefuge.org. Click here to see the sponsors of the wilderness bill: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/bills.html In Alaska this week, the British oil giant BP spilled up to 5,800 gallons of a lubricant mixture at Prudhoe Bay . its third major spill this winter on the North Slope. "It shot straight up in the air, then the wind carried it some distance," BP spokesman Ronnie Chappell told the Anchorage Daily News. 2. POLLUTERS ON PARADE: Industries line up at public troughWith the eager support of the oil, timber and mining industries, Sen. Frank Murkowski of Alaska introduced his bill to drill in the Arctic refuge and dish out $21 billion in tax breaks to energy corporations. Even one of the senator's home-state newspapers, the Anchorage Daily News, couldn't resist pointing out that critics say the bill "serves industry a feast of subsidies and tax breaks while tossing table scraps to conservation." Oil-industry supporters are unleashing a slick $5 million campaign to sell the bill. They've already retained high-priced Washington lobbyists and PR agents to plot strategy. Murkowski himself reportedly will seek six-figure contributions from multinational oil corporations to fund the PR campaign. Click here to see the sponsors of Murkowski's bill. A new independent poll shows that by a 52-35 percent margin, Americans oppose drilling in the refuge. 3. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Don't drill in the cathedral' From coast to coast this week, newspapers and their columnists joined the rising chorus against drilling in the Arctic refuge. The San Francisco Chronicle ridiculed Murkowski's bill: "Americans know the difference between industry pampering and energy policy." And under the headline "Drilling in the Cathedral," New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote, "We have not even begun to explore how just a little conservation, or a small, painless increase in energy efficiency, could relieve us from even thinking about risking one of the earth's most pristine environments." In the Boston Globe, Ellen Goodman asked, "How many times do we have to read that this wilderness will provide only 3.2 billion barrels over 10 years? That's what Americans use up in six months. We can save that much with modest changes in fuel efficiency." The Senate could vote on this issue within the next few weeks. Don't wait to take action. If you haven't already, join our massive on-line petition drive to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling. Supporters have sent more than 700,000 e-mails and faxes to President Bush and Congress from our Web site SaveArcticRefuge.org. We've created a special animated video to help our campaign.To view the animation, click here: http://www.savearcticrefuge.org/video To join our growing on-line petition drive, click here: http://www.savearcticrefuge.orgDon't forget to forward the petition to your friends. 4. TURNING BACK THE CLOCK: Bush targets environment in budgetThe anticipated attack on America's environmental protection laws has begun. The first Bush budget whacks spending for all federal natural resource and environmental programs by a whopping 11 percent compared to the current year. "Clearly, this is a strategy to emasculate environmental protection by defunding it," Defenders President Schlickeisen said. The White House is heralding one place where the budget adds funding . $2 billion to fix up the national parks over the next five years. But the National Parks Conservation Association says nearly all that money would go to pave roads and refurbish buildings -- not to preserve natural treasures. Bush also provides $1 billion for research into solar, wind and other alternative energy sources, but there's a hitch . the money would come from leasing revenue from drilling in the Arctic refuge. 5. SILVER LININGS: Supremes brighten our dayThe U.S. Supreme Court handed a defeat to utilities and industry groups by refusing to overturn federal rules that reduce severe smog in big cities in the East. The EPA may now enforce regulations requiring a number of states to cut interstate drifting of air pollution from power plants. Here's another reason to breathe easier: EPA Administrator Christie Whitman has backed Clinton administration rules that reduce sulfur in diesel fuel. Whitman also said she believes global warming is real. We hear that Bush's State of the Union speech originally included a brief comment consistent with that, but it was yanked under pressure from special interests. 6. ADOPT A POLAR BEAR CUB TODAY -- and help save polar bears' lives!For polar bear cubs in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, life starts out as a nearly impossible challenge. Born in the frigid darkness of Arctic winter, cubs like "Snowflake" weigh just one pound at birth and are completely helpless, depending totally on their mother for the essentials of life -- their mother's body warmth and rich milk. You can help save the lives of cubs like Snowflake by becoming a polar bear cub sponsor today. To become a sponsor and make your polar bear cub adoption official, just click here: http://www.defenders.org/adopt/polarbear.
You'll receive your very own polar bear cub adoption action kit, including fact sheets on polar bears and the impact that drilling in the Arctic refuge will have on their homes, and a huggable plush polar bear cub of your own. Or give the gift of life to cubs like Snowflake by giving a special child, grandchild, or friend who loves wildlife the gift of polar bear sponsorship. Help us save the lives of cubs like Snowflake -- and their Arctic refuge home! 7. WILDLIFE CALENDAR: Indian Ocean becomes whale nursery Every March off the coast of Sri Lanka, the warm waters of the Indian Ocean become an oasis for sperm whales and their newly born calves. Accompanied by a 45-ton mature male, the female whales and their offspring usually convene in groups of up to 20 for added protection from predators, such as killer whales and sharks. Sperm whales have the longest pregnancies of all whales -- babies are carried for about 15 months! Often swimming underneath their mother's large tail, the youngster spends two or three years with her before striking out its own. Due to the long periods of pregnancy and weaning, females give birth only every four to six years.DENlines is a bi-weekly publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues, particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to denlines@defenders.org and put the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Defenders of Wildlife 1101 14th Street, N.W. Suite 1400 Washington, DC 20005 Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2001 |
from Environment News Service March 9, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************
EU PROBED AS GERMAN WETLANDS
SAGA GETS MURKIER
BRUSSELS,
Belgium, March 9, 2001 (ENS) - In seeking to promote Airbus
Industrie's expansion plans, did the German government
unduly influence
the European Commission by asking it to
exempt important wetlands from
international protection?
A Swedish Member of the European Parliament is
trying to
find out.
For full text and
graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-09-11.html
************************************************************
OFF ROAD VEHICLES CREATE
CONFLICT IN CALIFORNIA
By Cat
Lazaroff
DAVIS, California,
March 9, 2001 (ENS) - Many public lands in
California,
ranging from national forests to wilderness areas, are
becoming too damaged - and in some cases too dangerous - for
the public
to enjoy, finds a first of its kind report.
The study by the California
Wilderness Coalition blames
dirt bikes and other off road vehicles for
damaging and
despoiling the state's public lands.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-09-06.html
************************************************************
LANDSLIDES THREATEN MACHU
PICCHU, WARNS GEOLOGISTS
MACHU
PICCHU, Peru, March 9, 2001 (ENS) - Machu Picchu, the ancient
Incan fortress in the Peruvian Andes, is in imminent danger
of being
destroyed by landslides, according to Japanese
geologists.
For full text and
graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-09-10.html
************************************************************
RECORD FLOODS CLAIM SEVEN LIVES
IN UKRAINE
KIEV, Ukraine, March
9, 2001 (ENS) - Rapidly melting snow and heavy rain
caused the Tisza River and its tributaries to rise to record
levels,
provoking some of the worst flooding in Central
Europe in decades. Wide
areas in the river basin region
common to Hungary, Romania and Ukraine
have been
affected, forcing whole communities from their homes.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-09-01.html
************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: MARCH 9, 2001
Lead Exposure at Work Impairs Mind,
Body
Brownfields Legislation
Passes Senate Committee
Former
Reagan Interior Official to Serve Again
Settlement Will Reduce Lake Okeechobee Pollution
Tests Find Biotech Ingredients in
Kellogg's Products
Western
Governors Support Energy Development on Public Lands
Shareholders Challenge BP Amoco Over Arctic Drilling
Minnesota Protects Millionth Wooded
Acre
For full text and graphics,
visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-09-09.html
*******************************************************************
SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
***********************************************************************
ENVIRONMENTAL
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT!
***********************************************************************
The School for Field Studies seeks a Program
Dean. Job Summary: The
purpose of this
position is to oversee the delivery of the academic
programs at three of the SFS field Centers in order to
ensure that they
meet the mission of the School.
Job title: Program Dean
Find out more by going here:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3175
Courtesy
of EnviroNetwork.com
The
leading job network for environmental professionals.
************************************************************************
www.EnviroNetwork.com
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Loureiro Engineering
Associates, Inc. (LEA) Plans To Sell Three
Prefabricated
Buildings
PLAINVILLE, CT, Mar. 9
-/E-Wire/-- LEA is selling three movable
buildings that
are currently being used for the treatment of soils. Each
building is a prefabricated tension membrane structure
manufactured as a
stand-alone building by RUBB Building
Systems of Sanford, Maine.
/CONTACT: Scott A. Miller of
Loureiro Engineering Associates, Inc.
at (860)
747-6181./
/Web site: http://www.LoureiroEngineering.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/09Mar0101.html
************************************************************
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE --
1-888-764-NEWS
*********************************************************
from Coalition to Protect Predators March 10, 2001
Folks, Perhaps this bill will give some additional insight
on the Minnesota
legislature ...Recently we battled a
"County coyote bounty" which was
illegal
... note the solution ....the Minnesota legislature
just
introduced a bill.. allowing counties to have a
bounty !!! If anyone out
there still
thinks the State of Minnesota will uphold an honorable
management plan for the wolf, think again .. and
remember the new wolf law
passed last year includes a
150 dollar "predator payment " you just have
to get a "permit" for this kind of bounty .. like the old
Directed Predator
Control Program . .
And they
wonder why we fear the State getting control over the wolf.
Karlyn
Finseth, Westrom and Peterson introduced:
H. F. No. 1469, A bill for an act relating to agriculture;
establishing a
coyote conflict management option for
counties; proposing coding for new law
in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 348.
The bill was read for the first
time and referred to the Committee on
Environment and
Natural Resources Policy
H.F No.
1469, as introduced: 82nd Legislative Session (2001-2002) Posted on
Mar 8, 2001
1.1 A
bill for an act
1.2 relating
to agriculture; establishing a coyote
1.3 conflict
management option for counties; proposing
1.4 coding
for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 348.
1.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6 Section
1. [348.125] [COYOTE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT OPTION.]
1.7 A county
board may, by resolution, offer a bounty for the
1.8 destruction of coyotes
(Canis latrans). The resolution may be
1.9 made applicable to the
whole or any part of the county. The
1.10 bounty must apply during the
months specified in the resolution
1.11 and be in an amount determined
by the board.
from Rainforest Action Network March 11, 2001
In this Post -
1. Bloomberg : Citi
execs "Live Richly" with huge Bonuses
2. ACTION! Citi
helps drives Indonesian orangutans to extinction
3.
Business Week : Citibank conquers Asia
SPREAD THE WORD - April 11th Day of
Action Against Citigroup! For
organizing materials and
to connect your local action with the
growing network
Contact beka@ran.org or organize@ran.org
* * * * * *
#1
Citigroup Paid Weill $127.8 Mln, Rubin Got $45.3 Mln
By Vernon Silver
New York, March 2 -- Citigroup Inc., the biggest U.S.
financial
services company, paid Chairman and Chief
Executive Sanford Weill
$127.8 million in salary, bonus,
stock and stock options in 2000, the
company said in a
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Robert
Rubin, the former U.S. Treasury secretary who is chairman of
Citigroup's executive committee, was paid $45.3 million in
stock,
cash and stock options in 2000. Rubin, 62, who
joined the company in
1999, did not exercise any stock
options. Rubin's pay was up from the
$21.4 million he
made for working a little more than two months in
1999.
#2 CITIGROUP'S INVESTMENTS DRIVE ORANGUTAN'S
CLOSER TO
EXTINCTION
The Business week article below profiles Citigroup's
aggressive
expansion into the Asian market and
particularly the ways the company
exploited the human
suffering of the Asian crash in Indonesia.
Citigroup has a long track record of underwriting
destructive
activity in Indonesia and the story of what
is happening to
Indonesian's forests, wildlife and local
communities is a clear
example of why we must re-write
the rules of the global economy to
include environmental
and human rights protections.
In
the last twelve years, Indonesia has lost over forty-two million
acres of tropical forest, the primary reason for this is the
rapid
growth of palm plantations to produce palm oil for
export.
Throughout the 1990s, nearly
500,000 acres were converted to palm oil
plantations
each year. Big investors like Citigroup have been eager
to finance the destruction. In total investors
have applied for the
release of nearly fifty million
acres for oil palm development, an
area equaling
one-tenth of Indonesia's total land base.
Oil palm plantations have become an increasing problem for
the
people, the wildlife, and the environment of
Indonesia. Scientists
estimate that over the last decade
the population of wild orangutans
has declined by nearly
fifty percent. A recent study by the Bronx
Zoo's Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) concludes that
unless
poaching and habitat destruction are stopped
Indonesia's orangutan
population will be extinct within
a decade. Orangutans are the only
great ape in Asia and
are among humanities closing living relatives.
Citi is involved with one of the most notorious palm oil
companies,
London Sumatra (LonSum). The
company is currently in the process of
clearing and
planting 372,000 acres of new palm oil plantations,
despite resistance from local indigenous
communities. To the many
indigenous peoples
who survive by harvesting renewable, non-timber
resources such as rubber, fruit, honey, and medicinal
plants the
destruction of the rainforests for
palm plantations means the end of
their way of
life. There have been many reports that LonSum uses
members of the armed forces and local government officials
to
intimidate local people to sell their land and there
is a growing
protest movement against the
company. LonSum has also been
repeatedly
accused on setting forest fires as a tactic for seizing
land. In 1997 and 1998 fires scorched twenty-five
million acres of
land in the provinces of Sumatra and
Kalimantan causing massive smog
that affected the health
of seventy million people across Southeast
Asia. . The
Indonesian authorities acknowledge that plantation
companies-who use fire as a cheap and quick means of land
clearing-are in large part responsible for the fires.
Citigroup began financing LonSum
in 1994 and has been involved in
syndicated loans (with
other banks) amounting to over $300 million
dollars. As of February of 2000 LonSum begin
defaulting on its debts
and now creditors like Citigroup
have an unprecedented opportunity to
change the
destructive policies of companies like LonSum.
Let Citigroup know that you want them to stop funding
rainforest
destruction in Indonesia. Call and
ask them what are they doing to
help protected
Indonesian's endangered orangutan population? Ask
them what the social and environmental standards they apply
to their
lending, financing and trading? Tell
them to go BEYOND THE
BOTTOMLINE and STOP FUNDING
DESTRUCTION!
Call :
*Director of Public Affairs Mark Rogers
1-718-248-1092 (direct line)
*General Switchboard
1-800-756-7047
*Cardholder line 1-800-950-5114
Email : investorrelations@citi.com
Write :
Sandy Weill, CEO
Citigroup Center
153 E. 53rd St
NY,
NY 10043
For more
information on Citi's activities in Indonesia see
<http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/04102000-2.html>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Business Week February 26, 2001
International -- Finance: Banking
Citibank Conquers Asia
(international edition)
How the U.S. giant turned crisis
into huge business
In May, 1998,
Jakarta was smoldering. Mobs had just toppled President
Suharto. Indonesia's wealthy ethnic Chinese had left the
country, and
most foreign bankers had fled with them.
But Simon Williams, the head of
Citibank's Asian retail
business, did just the opposite, flying in
from his
plush Singapore office to Jakarta to plot strategy with local
consumer-banking manager Barry Lesmana. Citi temporarily
shut its
Jakarta branches, but a skeleton staff at the
heavily guarded Grand Hyatt
Jakarta kept cash machines
and electronic-payment systems operating.
Meanwhile, at
Singapore airport, where many middle-class Indonesian refugees
landed, Citi staffers greeted them with placards reading
``Citibank Will Help You.
Come Here!'' Many
responded--and opened accounts on the spot.
Violence gripped Jakarta long after that. But in
the weeks that
followed, Williams and Lesmana strolled
the streets, dressed in jeans and T-
shirts to deflect
mob attention, and scouted possible branch sites. Taking
advantage of liberal new bank rules, Simon and Lesmana
signed leases for 61
branches, most the size of a public
rest room--enough to accommodate an ATM and an
attendant. Smart move. The number of accounts rose 300% from
1998 to
1999; most were opened by upscale Indonesians
leery of local banks. Citi
earned a 100% return on its
$10 million investment in the new branches in
their
first 12 months in operation.
``OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND BELIEF.'' In an environment that most
saw as a
wasteland, Citigroup's retail-banking arm
boldly went after new business.
That kind of daring has
paid off across Asia. The U.S. bank has
expanded in the
region more rapidly than any other big foreign institution, and
its Asian operations are stronger three years after Asia's
economic meltdown
than they were before. ``Sometimes,
when an economy is under the most stress,
you get
presented with the biggest opportunities,'' says Citigroup Vice-
Chairman William R. Rhodes.
That's what Williams found out. When Citibank
asked him to run its
Asian retail business in early
1997, the 43-year-old Briton didn't suspect
the
challenge ahead. Booming Asia was an easy market for the elite brands
and upscale services that the group had offered well-to-do
Asians for
decades. ``It was simply all about growth,''
recalls Williams, who was chief
executive of GE Capital
Fleet Services in Brussels when he joined Citi. The
crisis that rocked Asia for the next two years left Williams
with few rosy
notions about his new job. But under him,
Citibank's retail unit scavenged
everything from
collapsed property markets to floundering Asian banks, poaching staff
and customers. Far from fleeing Asia's crisis, Citi invested
more than
$200 million and opened 74 branches in eight
countries. ``The crisis gave
us opportunities that were
beyond belief,'' says Frits Seegers, Williams'
second in
command, who is based in Tokyo.
Those investments are paying off. Today, 10.9
million Asian
residents hold Citi savings accounts. The
number of credit card accounts has doubled
since 1995,
to 7 million. That makes it the region's largest credit-card
issuer, followed by Standard Chartered Bank PLC of London
and HSBC, its two
big Asian rivals. In the downturn of
1997 and 1998, Citi's aftertax retail-
banking profits
in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes Japan and
Australia, fell an average of 11% per year--a modest figure,
given the adverse
conditions.
But by 1999, they had rebounded 15.6%, to $443 million, and
last year
they grew 58.5%, to $702 million, on revenues
of $2.8 billion. The profit
recovery makes Asia Citi's
fastest-growing region for retail banking,
surpassing
even North America, where aftertax profits rose 42%. Another bellwether,
the level of troubled consumer loans for Citibank in Asia
outside Japan, fell
24% from 1999, when they were still
at crisis level.
In
Japan, meanwhile, Citibank is growing wealthy off consumers'
anxieties. Scared by reports of shaky local banks, wealthy
Japanese savers are
shifting their money to the U.S.
behemoth. Citibank's retail-bank earnings in
Japan shot
up 94% in the fourth quarter and 60% in 2000, to $139 million.
That's 20% of regional profits. Deposits were $13.9 billion
as of December,
and Citibank Japan Chief Executive
Seegers sees 25% to 30% annual growth
in the years
ahead. ``Many customers view us as a relatively secure bank,''
Seegers comments tactfully. Still, growth won't come as
easily in the near
future. Japanese banks are catching
on to the idea of service. And Citi has
caught flak for
slow processing of new accounts and 20-minute waits on the
phone to convert currency, problems the bank says it's
addressing.
Citibank's closest competitor, Standard
Chartered, has also tried
to use the crisis as a
springboard. John Lorimer, head of consumer credit at
Standard Chartered in Singapore, insists his bank has done
as well as
Citi. But its numbers from the past few years
are unconvincing. Analysts
estimate that SC's Asian
consumer business earned about $400 million in pretax
profits--about 55% of Citi's aftertax profits--in 2000.
Before the
crisis, banks in Asia, including Citi, used
the top local bank as a
benchmark, says Wanna
Matanachai, Goldman, Sachs & Co.'s Singapore-based bank analyst.
Today, he says, ``Citibank is the benchmark.''
Will Citi keep it up
even if Asia has another downturn--a likely
scenario,
given Japan's problems and the U.S. slowdown? Williams doesn't expect
the worst, but he could handle it. This year, he expects
that Asian retail
aftertax profits will grow more than
15%, exceeding Citigroup's
target for emerging markets
worldwide. Asian retail revenue will grow more than
20%.
``Credit costs have been brought down. Our collection
processes are
better,'' he says. ``The downside is that
you have more volatility. You have to
deal with it. I'm
confident we're more prepared.'' Citi is now positioning
itself to offer consumer banking in China and Vietnam when
those markets
open up.
How did Citi make its bet pay off? First, it
avoided takeovers of
problem banks. And it set its
sights on wealthy Asians who could keep
balances of
$100,000 to $3 million. They number about 1.7 million, says a May,
2000, report issued by Merrill Lynch & Co. and Gemini
Consulting. Citibank
officials cringe at the idea that
their Asian success is built on
capital flight. Instead,
they say, clients fled to quality.
A REASSURING IMPRESSION. Indonesia was the model. A pioneer
in the
Indonesian credit-card business, Citi knew that
plenty of Indonesians preserved
their wealth through the
crisis, but needed accommodation. It lowered
minimum
deposit rates and cut the salary requirements to qualify for a credit
card. Its share of the credit-card market is now up from 40%
to 42%. The
bigger branch network gave the reassuring
impression of a greatly expanded
Citibank presence--even
though 54 of the 61 new outlets opened in April, 1999,
consist only of an ATM, a special phone for remote banking,
a self-service
passbook printer, and an attendant's
desk. Not much. But it kept costs down and
helped
encourage remote banking, another Citi priority.
Citi now has new branches in most Asian
capitals. Though the goal
is to encourage remote banking
to free up staff for marketing, there's
plenty of
hand-holding for the affluent. In Hong Kong, Danny Liu, head of
consumer banking, is in charge of recruiting clients. In
January, 1999, he
opened two branches decorated entirely
with the gold carpets and varnished
woodwork of the
Citigold ``priority-banking lounges'' that are tucked away in the
corners of regular Citibank branches. In the new facilities,
customers with
less than $100,000 in assets are politely
shown the door. ``Relationship
managers''--attractive
women who handle low-end private-banking
clients--show
desired customers in. Bankers not only take regular deposits, they
also sell Salomon Smith Barney mutual funds and other
Citicorp products, an
area where sales have boomed, to
$8 billion in 2000 vs. only $1.8 billion in
1996.
Having snared the top
market share for foreign banks in Asia,
Citibank is on
the lookout for its next big target. The most tempting: China.
Citibank now does scant business there. Its corporate income
in China is one-
fifth that of Korea, and its retail
business consists of little more than
five ATMs in
Beijing and Shanghai. Under China's World Trade Organization
agreement, the Beijing government has agreed to allow
full-service branches
within five years. ``Then the
retail business will grow at a much faster rate
than
that of the corporate bank,'' says Stephen H. Long, executive vice-
president and Asia-Pacific group head of Citibank in Hong
Kong. To date, the only
place Citibank has found itself
playing catch-up in consumer banking is in
Hong Kong,
where HSBC, which has 200 branches to its 19, has aggressively
adopted a version of its Citigold service. In January, 1999,
Citi launched a
counteroffensive, and has since boosted
the Citigold customer base by
138%.
EMBARRASSING CLIENTS. Citibank's
Asian adventure isn't an unqualified
success. The $5
million iCard experiment, a Web-based Visa card
launched
in Australia in 1999, hasn't caught on. And given corruption in Asia,
Citi's appeal to the wealthy has inevitably lured
embarrassing clients, such
as Joseph Estrada, who was
ousted as President of the Philippines in
January after
revelations that he and his wife had nearly $3 million in
Citibank accounts in Manila. Then there are the potential
repercussions of a
U.S. slowdown.
Still, Citibank has
established its franchise so well that local
banks admit
its name carries more resonance than theirs --even with those
who can't afford its services. Singapore-based UOB Bank
recently purchased
Radanasin Bank in Thailand. ``Most
Thais would never have heard of UOB, but
they would have
heard of Citibank,'' Sim Puay Suang, an executive vice-president
at UOB, ruefully admits. Cheer up, Mrs. Sim. Citibank gives
you something to
aim for.
By Michael Shari in Singapore, with Brian Bremner in Tokyo,
Heather
Timmons in New York, and Becky Gaylord in Sydney
Copyright 2001 The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
from the Green Party March 11, 2001
Green Party of New York State E-News Vol. 1, No. 4, March
11, 2001
In this issue:
1. Introduction
2. Action and Activity alerts
(AAAs)
·
·
·
·
·
3.
Meetings and Events
Downstate
·
·
Upstate
·
·
·
·
4. Featured Local: Lower East
Side Greens, NYC
5. News, News
Links, Resources
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
1.
Welcome to another issue of the
Green Party of New York State's E-News! Our goal is to update greens
across the state about important issues, news, events, and resources. We hope
you will find E-News informative and entertaining. We welcome your comments,
contributions and assistance. Send your news, events, and Alerts for
the next
issue to Cathy Sadell at csadell@prodigy.net and let
us know if you would like to help write the next issue.
Note that E-News will print letters to the editor from Greens, Nader supporters,
and people with something interesting to say. Deadline for submissions to next
issue: Monday, March 26, 2001. If you would prefer not to receive the
newsletter, please notify Masada Disenhouse at masada@akula.com. To learn more about the Greens in New
York or to contact your local Green chapter please visit www.greens.org/ny.
2.
Sign a
Petition to UNCSD: Nuclear Not Sustainable!
From 16
-27 April the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) convenes in New
York. One of the issues on the agenda for its ninth session (hence CSD 9) will
be energy and sustainability. Countries report to the Commission on the progress
made, and the Commission advises the UN and its Member States on how to achieve
sustainable development in the 21st century. A sustainable future obviously does
not include nuclear power. However, the CSD apparently needs a robust reminder
of this. This month, the CSD Energy Expert group convenes to prepare CSD9. The
energy experts have issued a draft report taking a rather pro-nuclear stance. If
an authoritative institute such as the CSD continues to refuse to label nuclear
as NOT sustainable, this would be a trump card in the hands of the nuclear
lobby. The latter recently keeps trying to present nuclear power as sustainable,
and even as a tool to combat climate change.
WISE Amsterdam in collaboration with Helio International,
Earthday Network and Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) have
therefore launched a petition, urging CSD not to consider nuclear a sustainable
source of energy, and in stead work in the spirit of the Rio Declaration towards
a sustainable future. The petition can be signed online by organizations at www.antenna.nl/wise/csd. Please spread this message to other
lists, NGOs, and individuals. See http://www.geocities.com/mothersalert/globalwarming2.html for reasons why Nuclear Power Plants [NPPs] are NOT the
solution to global warming.
Green City
Council Candidate Joins Lawsuit to Protect Public Campaign Funding
New York
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to end the 4-to-1
Campaign Finance Matching Program that many Green City Council candidates are
depending on. If Giuliani wins, we will lose our chance at matching funds and
running viable races. But we are fighting back: Green candidate Craig Seeman was
recently contacted by the Brennan Center for Justice (they represented Ralph
Nader in several Ballot Access cases during his presidential campaign) and asked
to join a counter-suit against Giuliani, which Seeman did. The suit already
involves the Campaign Finance Board but the Brennan Center is also asking
affected candidates to intervene. Although there are several major party
candidates intervening, the Brennan Center felt that the Green Party represents
a position that is different than that of the major parties. The Brennan Center
will represent Seeman pro bono. For more
information about the lawsuit and New York. s Campaign Finance Matching Program,
contact Craig Seeman at (718) 797-0045. Green locals
who want to sign a online group letter to City Council Speaker Peter Vallone
protesting Giuliani. s undemocratic attack on public campaign financing can go
to the NYPIRG web site, www.nypirg.org/goodgov/group.html.
Attend a Hearing on Air Quality and
Toxic Waste
In a continuing effort to prevent solid wastes such as
shredded tires, municipal solid waste and creosoted wood from becoming regularly
utilized as fuels at stationary combustion facilities in New York State, the St.
Lawrence River Valley Greens recently met with Assembly Member for the 112th
District, Dierdre K. Scozzafava. As a result of this contact, an opportunity to
discuss the legality of alternative fuel use with NYS DEC is now being arranged.
Our group believes that DAR-3, the Division of Air Resources policy guidance
that underpins DEC approval of industry requests to burn solid wastes,
interferes seriously with the purposes of the Clean Air Act.
The Environmental Conservation
Committee of the NY State Assembly exerts a measure of control over NYS DEC.
Chairman Richard Brodsky has agreed to discuss the damaging impacts of DAR-3 on
the State's air quality. This meeting will occur on March
13th at the LOB in Albany. Any Green Party member interested in attending
can contact us for details. We would also value hearing from Greens who have
information on solid waste fueled cogenerators, industrial combustors, etc.
operating in their area. Help eliminate DAR-3 from the fuel choice avenues
available to NY State industries. For more information, contact: Don
Hassig, St. Lawrence River Valley Greens, canceraction@hotmail.com
GMO Lobby Day Rescheduled for April
3
The GMO Lobby Day (on genetic engineering)
originally scheduled for March 6, 2001 was rescheduled for Tuesday, April 3rd,
location TBA. We are looking for people to bring costumes for the media event on
April 3rd. You can register for April 3rd with Dunleamark@aol.com, or call 518
286 3411.
Greens will join a
coalition of environmental, food safety and agricultural reform groups
conference to urge New York State legislative leaders today to pass legislation
requiring a five-year moratorium on the planting of genetically modified crops
in New York State, and labeling of milk with the recombinant Bovine Growth
Hormone.
3.
DOWNSTATE:
Celebration of Earth Day at United Nations,
March 20 2001, NYC
At exactly 8:31 AM EST on March 20 (the precise moment of
the Vernal Equinox), the Peace Bell will be rung on the grounds of the United
Nations. Similar "Peace Bells" will also be rung at the exact same moment in
many other places around the world. Attending will be the usual assemblage of
environmentalists, national and international representatives and other
interested parties. The originator of Earth Day will also be there.
The United Nations still marks Earth
Day on March 20, the original Earth Day, started by environmentalist, John
McConnell, with the help of Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist. Though it
is commonly misreported that the first Earth Day occurred on April 22, 1970, it
actually occurred one month previously, as noted by major newspapers in late
March of that year. The following year, 1971, UN Secretary Genral U Thant
officially declared the
March Equinox, "Earth Day."
The original purpose of Earth Day
was to serve as an international holiday that people of every national,
political, racial and religious background could celebrate together. This is why
it was intended to be on March 20 (or March 21, depending on the year) for that
is the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and
the first day of Fall in the Southern Hemisphere. Unlike New Year, the Vernal
Equinox takes place at the exact same moment all over the world and, being an
astronomical event, is irrelevant to national boundaries, religious beliefs or
political agendas.
Celebrating
Earth Day on the Vernal Equinox was meant to demonstrate that there is something
all people share and to which all should have equal right and responsibility --
Earth. Though they have been asked many times to stop and though they have
refused every time, there has been little explanation from April 22 organizers
and their sponsors for why they continue to promote Earth Day on a different
day.
Green Party members and
others who would like to attend the Peace Bell ceremony can call 212-593-3677.
Attendance requires an official
UN Pass, which means going through a security check that takes (if the process
is the same as last year) at least 24 hours. First, one must call the number I
gave to put your name on the list, then, you must go to a location across the
street from the UN with a photo ID to apply for your pass. Then, you must wait
the allotted time and return to get your pass.
Fortunately, there will also be a reception that is open to
the general public. It will take place on the 2nd floor of the UN Church Center,
777 UN Plaza. It is not on the actual grounds of the UN and requires no special
security clearance. It starts at 9 AM and continues until 6 PM.
Contacts:
Mary Carlin, Director, Earth Society Foundation
John
McConnell, Earth Day Founder, Director, Earth Trustees, Inc.
New York City
Candidates Forum, April 2 2001, NYC
The Puffin Room is hosting a mayoral forum for
Democratic Party mayoral candidates Mark Green, Jose Ferrer, Alan Hevesi and
Peter Vallone on April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. The co-sponsors are the Downtown
Independent Democrats and The Village Reform Democrats, two Democratic
political clubs. Greens are encouraged to attend to hear what the Democrats are
saying and to raise issues of concern.
For more information: puffinroom@earthlink.net
UPSTATE:
Drop the Rock: Lobby Day on the Rockefeller
Drug Laws, March 27 2001, Albany
Join Greens and others to lobby legislators
about the Drug Laws. Tell them the discrimination, harsh sentencing and
conditions, and continued growth of the prison industry can. t go on!
From the Drop the Rock Web Page: www.droptherock.org
The Time is Now to Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The
Rockefeller Drug Laws are wasteful, unjust, ineffective, and racially biased.
Enacted in 1973 when Nelson Rockefeller was governor, the Rockefeller Drug Laws
require harsh p
