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To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: March 1, 2002
Subject: Urgent Farm Bill Alert
& Sign On Letter
Enclosed is a sign on letter that will be sent to
the Farm bill
conferees early next week. To sign on your
organization, please contact
me at mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org or
202/547-9105 Discussions
between House and Senate staff began
this week, but the key issues
concerning biomass and stewardship contracting
have not yet been
resolved. In addition to signing your
organization on to this letter
everyone can also contact the following
conferees if they are your
Representative or Senator:
Sen. Tom
Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD)
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Sen.
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Rep. Charles Stenholm
(D-TX)
Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA)
Rep. Eva Clayton (D-NC)
Rep. Cal
Dooley (D-CA)
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Rep. Gary Condit (D-CA)
Other Key Senators Who Can Help Influence Conferees
Sen. Ron
Wyden (D-OR)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Many of these Reps and Senators have been strong supporters of forest
protection in the past and we need there support now to stop these
harmful biomass and stewardship contracting provisions. If your
Rep. or
Senator is on this list, please contact their staff person who works
on
forest issues at 202/224-3121 and let them know your concerns about
biomass and stewardship contracting and ask for their support to address
these problems in the Farm bill. Please urge them to:
1) Support the Senate Farm bill's version of the Forestry
Section over
the House version. While we are still opposed to the
stewardship
contracting and biomass language in the Senate bill, it
represents is a
significant improvement over the House bill.
2) Oppose any new stewardship contracts that allow for trees to
be
given away from federal lands.
3) Oppose the $50 million
in biomass subsidies using forest lands.
These second two requests are
particulary important to include since it
is always possible that the
Conference Committee will reject both the
House and Senate language and
craft a new compromise on these issues.
__________________
AMERICAN
LANDS ALLIANCE DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE
COUNCIL
TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE
Dear Farm Bill Conferees:
We are
writing to urge you to accept the Senate language regarding two
programs
authorized in the Forestry Title of both the Senate and House
versions of
the Farm Bill. We are concerned that these two programs --
long-term forest stewardship contracts and a biomass purchase pilot
program -- will perpetuate current environmental and financial problems
in the Forest Service based on their powerful incentives to
log the most
valuable trees in our national forests
with little, if any, return to
the U.S. Treasury.
The General Accounting Office and
Office of the Inspector General have
found Forest
Service misuse of National Fire Plan resources, and the
agency should not be granted additional unlimited
authorities until it
has improved its budgeting and
accountability. To increase the
accountability of these programs and the likelihood that
they will
achieve their stated goal – reducing
hazardous fuels close to
communities – we urge you to
accept the Senate language, which contains
important
checks and balances that are absent in the House bill. The
House bill lacks accountability measures or clear statutory
requirements
to meet the programs' stated goals, and
could perpetuate the blurring of
budgetary lines
between commercial timber sales and restoration work at
the Forest Service.
Wildland-Urban Interface
These programs are being established to reduce hazardous
fuels and
implement the National Fire Plan yet, in its
review of the National Fire
Plan, the General
Accounting Office was not able to find evidence that
the Forest Service has been allocating funds as Congress
has directed --
to the highest risk communities and
ecosystems -- or that the agency can
account accurately
for how funds have been spent. Although activities
in the wildland-urban interface are empirically proven to
provide the
most benefit toward reducing fire risk, the
House bill would permit the
current situation to
continue by allowing activities to occur anywhere
in
our national forests. The Senate bill, on the other hand, limits
both of these programs to activities in the wildland-urban
interface,
Congress' top priority for hazardous fuels
reduction.
Forest Stewardship Contracts
Forest stewardship contracts (Section 806 in the House bill
and Section
808 in the Senate bill) have been
authorized as pilot projects in
previous years'
Interior Appropriations bills. Our organizations
opposed the Interior riders that established this
program. We do not
believe all aspects of
stewardship projects are inherently harmful, but
we
were concerned about several new and unproven authorities established
by these past riders, primarily "goods for services" and
"designation by
description." At this time,
only a handful of the Interior pilot
projects have
begun on-the-ground implementation. Before expanding the
use of these practices, as the Farm Bill would do, we
believe it is very
important to learn the lessons that
will result from completed pilots
and the monitoring
requirements specifically laid out for them.
The Senate position comes closer to accomplishing this as
it limits the
number of additional projects, requires
monitoring and, more
importantly, requires that some
projects utilize alternative approaches
against which
to judge the authorities previously mentioned. It also
requires consideration of environmental impacts and
comprehensive
reports to Congress. The House
bill, on the other hand, would allow the
Forest Service
an unlimited amount of new projects and unlimited use of
controversial authority to pay for forestry contracts with
trees, leave
the design and management of timber sales
in the hands of private
interests, and retain all
proceeds. The House bill also lacks any
monitoring or reporting requirements.
Biomass Purchase
Grants
The biomass purchase
program (Section 921 in the House Bill and Section
808
in the Senate Bill) is also a pilot program. It would test the
impact of $50 million in annual subsidies to the biomass
energy
industry, which relies on trees and other plant
products as a source of
energy. Biomass
includes a wide variety of resources and, while using
certain biomass resources as fuel is environmentally
beneficial, the use
of forest biomass is not
sustainable, does not increase carbon
sequestration
resources, and will almost inevitably lead to new pressure
to log trees that are better left in place. The
House bill does not
require monitoring or reporting for
this program or consideration of
environmental impacts
when selecting projects and will increase the
likelihood of environmental damage resulting from
government subsidies.
The Senate bill, on
the other hand, requires critical accountability
measures including monitoring, assessment and reporting
provisions, and
environmental protection measures.
Because the Senate position
contains checks and balances both on the
number, type
and location of projects under these pilot programs
discussed above, we urge you to accept the Senate language
in conference
committee.
Sincerely yours,
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
Over the coming weeks, the U.S. Senate will be debating the
future of
America's energy
policy. Please take a moment today to send a letter to
your Senator telling them you want a responsible energy
policy that will
make real progress in reducing our
dependence on foreign oil. It's easy,
just
click on the "Compose Email" button, or, if you can't see the button,
visit: http://www.environet.policy.net/grassroots. Tell
your Senator to
support the Kerry/Hollings CAFE
provision of Senate Energy Bill because it
will raise
fuel economy standards for new cars, SUVs and other light trucks
and substantially lessen our dependence on foreign oil.
The transportation sector is, by
far, the single largest consumer of oil
accounting for
over 65 percent of our total annual consumption. Raising
fuel economy standards for new cars, SUVs and other light
trucks is the
most important step towards reducing U.S.
imports of foreign oil. New
fuel
economy standards will also create new jobs in the automotive sector,
lower the price we pay for a gallon of gas at the pump, and
help to clean
our air and reduce the amount of global
warming pollutants emitted into the
atmosphere.
Please join us today in voicing
your support for legislation that will make
our cars
and trucks go farther on a gallon of gas by calling upon your
Senator to increase the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency
(CAFE) standard.
Just click on the "Compose Email"
button, below, or, if you can't see the
button, visit:
http://www.environet.policy.net/grassroots.
Best wishes, and, as always,
thanks for your support!
Andrew Katkin
Web Manager and
e-Outreach Coordinator
The National Environmental
Trust
As long as the sun keeps shining the "Positive Energy"
keeps flowing. Time for Greenpeace's CLEAN ENERGY NOW!
Campaign weekly update.
+++ DON'T RIG OUR ENERGY FUTURE +++
Greenpeace activists waded into the middle of the
national energy policy debate with a peaceful protest in
front of the Nation's Capitol this past Wednesday.
Activists erected three mock Exxon oil rigs in the
Reflecting Pool with banners reading, "Don't RIG Our
Energy Future" and "Stop Global Warming: Clean Energy Now!"
To see pictures and read
Greenpeace's policy briefing
on the current energy
debate, go to:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/media/press_releases/2002/02272002.htm
+++ RELIGIOUS LEADERS CALL FOR
CLEAN ENERGY NOW! +++
On February 28th, 2002, in an
effort to encourage the
U.S. Senate to preserve "God's
creation and God's
children," 1,200 religious leaders
have sent a letter to
every Senator with specific
proposals for energy
conservation, fuel efficiency and
alternative energy
development. Those who signed the
letter include leaders
of faith communities such as:
United Methodist,
Presbyterian, United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism,
Greek Orthodox, Episcopal,
American Baptist, Lutheran, and
Catholic bishops of
major metropolitan areas.
In a
mere two years, "Interfaith Climate and Energy
Campaigns" have been established in 21 states. In their
letter, the leaders called on the Senators to:
substantially increase vehicle fuel efficiency and
encourage the auto industry to design vehicles using
clean technologies; prevent drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Reserve; invest more resources in Renewable
Energy sources such as wind, geothermal, solar, and
biomass technologies; include carbon dioxide as a regulated
pollutant from power plants; and increase funds for
low-income energy assistance and inner-city rail and
mass transit.
+++ DEMAND GOVERNOR DAVIS RE-NEGOGIATE THE TERRIBLE TWELVE
+++
A new report makes it crystal clear that California
consumers could save billions of dollars if a dozen
of the state's worst power contracts -- nicknamed the
"Terrible Twelve" -- were renegotiated. The State
Department of Water Resources signed $43 billion worth of
long-term contracts at the height of the power crisis
last
year. And just this past week, the state PUC filed
a
request at FERC to overturn the contracts! Check out
this
report, released by six consumer and environmental
groups.
It provides a detailed road map for changes
that will save
money, increase flexibility, improve
reliability, and make
room for renewable energy.
To read this report, go to: http://www.ef.org/downloads/
The "Positive Energy" newsletter
and our website,
http://www.cleanenergynow.org, will give you good news
about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice and
renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy
crisis.
EarthNet News
... a project of the
Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
March 1, 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week in EarthNet, urge
Bush to fund planning for
the future and read about the
faithful's contribution
to the energy debate.
Plus, check out where you can go
this summer to learn
some mad skills around things you
care about. That's
right, the Summer Training Academy
is coming. Don't
miss it.
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/VpzGAZK1ju-W/STA
--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet
Editor
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Shadow Congress: Let's Plan
for the Future
2. Quote of the Week
3. You Do: Get Some Street Smarts
4. Glimmer of Hope I: Have Some Faith
5. Mercy, Mercy Me: More Power to You?
6. Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
7. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CORPORATE CORNER
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LET"S PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
It's a well-known fact that
protecting women's health
and promoting women's
empowerment can protect our environment.
The world's
growing population has profound consequences
for the
global environment -- including species extinction,
deforestation, desertification and climate change.
These global environmental impacts pose a significant
threat to the earth's sustainability and our quality
of life.
Recognizing the link between family planning and a
healthy environment, Congress recently voted to support
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) -- one of
the most significant family planning and women empowerment
programs in the world. Studies keep showing that when
women are given reproductive guidance and social
opportunities
their families, their communities and the
environment
benefit. And that is what UNFPA is all
about.
Unfortunately, the Bush
administration is ignoring
the wishes of Congress and
the overwhelming support
of the American public. At the
urging of some big family
planning foes, they're
holding up some $34 million
in funding for the UNFPA.
The loss of those funds would
significantly undermine
the global efforts of the agency
and lead inevitably
lead to further degradation of
the earth.
It's time the Bush administration
start planning for
the future by fully funding the
United Nations Population
Fund. Urge him and your
Congressperson to support strong
families, strong
communities and a healthy environment.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/Z1zGAZK1ju-v/PLANNING
FOR MORE INFO:
**Zero Population Growth
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/1dzGAZK1ju-E/ZPG
**UNFPA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/CpzGAZK1ju-j/UNFPA
----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The population question is the
real riddle of the sphinx,
to which no political
Oedipus has as yet found the
answer. In view of the
ravages of the terrible monster
over-multiplication,
all other riddles sink into insignificance.
-- Thomas Henry Huxley
----------------------------------------------------------------------
YOU DO
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GET SOME STREET
SMARTS
Sick and
tired of being sick and tired? Do you feel
like you
want to do something? Want to get out of the
classroom
and get some street smarts? Well, have we
got an
opportunity for you.
This
summer you can join 99 other activists at one
of the
nation's premiere student training experiences.
The
Center for Environmental Citizenship holds life-altering
Summer Training Academies every year that teach folks
how to run and win campaign -- plus, you get to network
with professionals in environmental, social justice
and political fields AND meet young people who share
the same interests as you. Sounds cool, huh?
Make this summer one to remember.
Do something. Apply
for the Summer Training Academy.
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/VpzGAZK1ju-W/STA
STA is sponsored by the Center for
Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
HAVE SOME FAITH
Worried about the country's energy
future? Have some
faith -- religious leaders throughout
the country are
engaged in an aggressive lobbying
campaign to influence
energy policy. Christians, Jews
and Muslims say they
oppose drilling in Alaska's Arctic
Wildlife Refuge,
support stricter fuel efficiency
standards for cars
and trucks and want the federal
government to encourage
the development of renewable
energy resources. Energy
legislation passed by the U.S.
House of Representatives
and set for Senate debate this
week marks the first
time many faith groups have
stepped forward and voiced
religious and moral
arguments for specific public policies.
And these
groups are not too shy to use the methods
commonly
employed by other special interests in order
to
influence lawmakers' votes -- lobbying, leafleting,
blastfaxing. Maybe there's some hope afterall.
TAKE ACTION:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/ZdzGAZK1ju-5/ENERGY
Tell your Senator you want a clean, green energy plan.
FOR MORE INFO:
**Oregonian, 02/25/02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/C7zGAZK1ju-u/OREGON
**Boston Globe
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/Z7zGAZK1ju-t/BOSTON_GLOBE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MERCY, MERCY ME
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE POWER TO YOU?
When Virginia opened its
electricity markets to competition,
in came a rash of
power plant proposals. Twenty-nine,
to be exact. Five
have been built so far -- and at
this rate Virginia is
soon to be the home of more plants
than any other state
-- producing twice the power it
currently needs. These
power plants could be Virginia's
big break. Of course,
they could also send Virginia
and surrounding states
into an irreversible haze already
fueled by excess car
pollution. Not wanting to give
into Big Business or the
destruction of the environment,
consumer advocates,
homeowners and environmentalists
say these plants are
bad news. Many wonder aloud, "Why
should Virginians
suffer when the power produced will
not even be used
inside the state?" Good question.
FOR MORE INFO:
**Washington Post,
02/24/02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/11zGAZK1ju-m/WAPOST
TAKE ACTION:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/ZdzGAZK1ju-5/ENERGY
Tell your Senator you want a clean, green energy plan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Community Organizer
Organization: Northern Plains Resource Council
Location: Billings, MT
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/V7zGAZK1ju-O/1
Job Title: Project/Office
Assistant
Organization: Affordable Housing Development
Location: Katonah, New York
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/CdzGAZK1ju-7/3
Job Title: Media Coordinator
Organization: Worldwatch Institute
Location: Washington, DC
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/C1zGAZK1ju-I/2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lots more events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp
WHAT: Latino Political Training
WHERE: Estes Park, CO
WHEN:
3/1/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/ZpzGAZK1ju-g/1
WHAT: Conference on Trade,
Sustainability and Global
Governance
WHERE: New York, NY
WHEN: 3/2/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/V1zGAZK1ju-b/2
WHAT: CERES 2002 Conference
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN:
4/17/02 - 4/19/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/VdzGAZK1ju-6/3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
rocking EarthNet!
http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=san&r=R1zGAZK1jcFp
If you received this
message from a friend, you can
sign up for Student
Action Network at:
http://actionnetwork.org/san/join.html?r=R1zGAZK1jcFpE
Dear Eco-Activist!
SENATE VOTE
EXPECTED THIS WEEK!
Sign this
petition today to protect the Arctic National
Wildlife
Refuge.
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3447
As one of Care2's most important
eco-activists, if you have
already signed, please send
this message on to at least 3
friends - the refuge
needs your help!
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3534
YES, you've heard about the Arctic
drilling issue many times,
but with very good reason.
In the next week, the U.S. Senate
will vote, and
pro-drillers are sending out all kinds of misleading
arguments to push this bill through easily.
***
If there's any doubt as to why you should urge
Senators to vote "NO" on
Arctic drilling, here are a few
critical facts:****
-- Last week, pro-drillers claimed
that the drilling impact
would be "limited to just
2,000 out of 1.9 million acres of the
Refuge."
THE TRUTH: Refuge oil is scattered
in many separate pools--oil
companies will need to
create miles of pipelines all across the
Refuge. If the
pipelines snake across the terrain on posts, only the
ground touching the posts "counts" towards that 2,000
acres; bare
ground under the pipeline isn't included,
even though it's
damaged for wildlife.
Click here to register your opposition:
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3447
OTHER CRUCIAL FACTS TO REMEMBER:
** Drilling in the Refuge won't cut prices at the pump!
This oil is
a drop of oil in the global bucket; only
oil companies will
end up with extra cash.
** Even if Arctic drilling occurs, lengthy processing and
drilling
will prevent us from seeing a drop of Arctic
oil for 10 years.
** According to the U.S. Geological
Survey, the Refuge would yield
only about six months
worth of oil.
** A mere two-mile-per-gallon improvement
in auto efficiency would
save that same amount of oil
in under 3 years, and keep on saving.
** The United
States has only 2.8% of the world's known
petroleum
reserves. Even the most generous estimate of Refuge
oil
would increase our reserves by only 1% percent -- not even
close to meeting U.S. demand; about 1/4 of global
production.
Don't buy these
last-ditch efforts to sell out the Arctic Refuge.
Oil
companies and pro-drilling senators want us to tire of the
issue so they can push it through. DON'T LET THEM!
We know clean energy is available,
that Arctic oil cannot
ameliorate our energy problems,
and that the only thing that
drilling in the Arctic is
sure to do is ruin one of earth's last
great places!
Sign this FREE petition: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3447
Thank You,
The Care2 Team!
Don't Miss Ed, the
talking Bear! He has loads of opinions
about Arctic
Drilling!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3536
****************************************************
Ed the talking polar bear is a joint effort
of Care2.com and Talkie.com in support of the
American Wilderness Coalition.
Please help by sending Ed to all your friends!
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3534
========================================
Natural Resources Defense Council's
CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION
ALERT
NRDC's California
Activist Network was formed to mobilize and provide
action tools to Californians and others concerned with
protecting the
state's extraordinary wealth of natural
treasures and the health of
its citizens.
March 4, 2002
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action alerts--
1. REMINDER! Vote "Yes" on Proposition 40
2. Speak out to rid southern
California's beaches and rivers of toxic
polluted
runoff
3. Help pass state
legislation to reduce global warming pollution in
California
4. Tell the Bush administration to keep new oil rigs away
from
California's coastline
======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action
Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily
online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions
below for
how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with
questions or comments.)
=============
Action alerts
=============
1. REMINDER! Vote "Yes" on Proposition 40
Tomorrow, March 5th, Californians
have the opportunity to vote on the
California Clean
Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and
Coastal
Protection Act of 2002 (Proposition 40). Prop 40 would provide
$2.6 billion for improved air and water quality, clean
coastal waters,
and land conservation. Portions of
these funds would also help improve
state parks and
make neighborhood parks safer and more secure.
== What to do ==
Go to the polls
tomorrow, March 5th, and vote "Yes" on Proposition 40.
== For background ==
Yes on 40
www.voteyeson40.org
2. Speak out to rid southern
California's beaches and rivers of toxic
polluted
runoff
Urban runoff is
southern California's number one source of water
pollution. After every rain, the region's beaches can look
like trash
dumps, and many are unsafe for swimming.
Polluted runoff is also toxic
to marine life.
Unsurprisingly, these problems threaten southern
California's billion-dollar coastal tourism economy.
But in a huge victory for the
area's residents, visitors and
environment, local water
quality officials in Los Angeles voted
unanimously in
December 2001 to adopt long overdue regulations to
clean up urban runoff. The new regulations for the first
time require
meaningful improvements in beach water
quality, which will make the
waters safer for swimmers
and marine life alike. Just as important,
the rules set
an important precedent for the entire state.
In the next few weeks the State Water Resources Control
Board will be
hearing appeals lodged by local
government and private interests who
do not want to
implement these necessary improvements. The board's
final decision is expected in May but comments are due now.
==
What to do ==
Tell the State Water Resources Control Board to uphold
strong
protections for southern California's coastal
environment -- and for
the entire coast.
== Contact information ==
You can send a message to the chair of the control board
directly from
NRDC's Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use the
contact information and sample letter below to send your
own message,
and feel free to add your own reasons why
you want to see officials
get polluted runoff out of
southern California's waters.
Arthur Baggett, Chair
State Water
Resources Control Board
1001 I St.
PO Box 4025
Sacramento, CA 95812
Fax: 916-341-5621
Email: abaggett@swrcb.ca.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Support strong
stormwater protection for LA county
Dear Chairman Baggett,
I urge you and the rest of the board to uphold the 2001
stormwater
permit for Los Angeles County. The L.A.
regional water board staff
spent a year gathering input
from city and county governments,
developers and other
businesses, and the public in order to put
together a
reasonable and comprehensive stormwater permit; the result
will be cleaner and safer waters for everyone.
The last 11 years of
stormwater regulation in L.A. County have failed
to
protect the public's right to clean water, putting the region's
annual billion-dollar coastal tourism economy in jeopardy.
The time is
long overdue for beaches that are safe for
swimming and local
watersheds and coastal waters that
are clean and safe for aquatic
life.
Again, support the regional water
board's stormwater permit and don't
cave in to
polluters who oppose clean water.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
3. Help pass state legislation to reduce global warming
pollution in
California
In our November 2001 alert, we asked you to urge your state
assemblymember to pass AB 1058, which would create the
nation's first
restrictions on global warming
emissions. Despite stiff opposition
from the auto
industry, the assembly approved the bill, so now it's on
to the Senate.
The bill will first be voted on in the Environmental
Quality
Committee, and then move to the Senate
Appropriations Committee in
May. If all goes well, the
full Senate will vote on the bill in late
May or early
June.
== What to do ==
Send a message to Senate President Pro Tem John Burton
letting him
know how important AB 1058's passage is for
the state's health and
environment.
== Contact information ==
You can send a message to Senator Burton directly from
NRDC's Earth
Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action (we'll send a copy of your
message to Senator Byron Sher, the chair of the
Environmental Quality
Committee). Or use the contact
information and sample letter below to
send your own
message.
Senator John L.
Burton
Senate President Pro Tem
California State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-445-4722
Email: brian.kelly@sen.ca.gov
Senator Byron D. Sher
California State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-323-4529
Email: senator.sher@sen.ca.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Support and
pass AB 1058
Dear Senator
Burton,
Motor vehicles account
for a higher percentage (40 percent) of global
warming
pollution in California than they do for the rest of the
country. Recent opinion polls demonstrate that Californians
overwhelmingly support aggressive government action to
curb global
warming emissions.
As you know, AB 1058 addresses the
largest source of global warming
pollution in
California by authorizing the California Air Resources
Board to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles.
Specifically, this bill would require CARB to develop
and adopt
regulations that achieve the maximum feasible
cost-effective reduction
of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases emitted by passenger
vehicles,
light-duty trucks and all other personal vehicles in
California, while allowing flexibility in meeting these
requirements.
On behalf of our
state's health and environment, please do all you can
to ensure enactment of AB 1058.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
4. Tell the Bush administration to
keep new oil rigs away from
California's coastline
Californians don't need to be
reminded that our coast is a national
treasure,
supporting diverse marine life and providing incalculable
value to the millions of people who live, work and play
there; the
last thing Californians want or need is more
oil companies drilling
off this spectacular resource.
Last summer, a federal judge reinforced
this principle
when she rejected the Bush administration's attempt to
extend the terms of 36 undeveloped oil leases off the coast
of Santa
Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura
counties. The judge ruled that
the administration
violated federal environmental laws in extending
the
leases, and she ordered the federal government to give
California's residents a voice in ultimately deciding
whether these
leases should be extended.
The Bush administration is now
appealing its court defeat to the U.S.
Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit. If the administration were to
win this appeal, oil companies could promptly and easily
begin
drilling new oil wells within sight of our
fragile coast.
== What to do
==
Contact Interior secretary Gale Norton and urge her
to drop the Bush
administration's appeal of the federal
court decision protecting
California's coast from new
oil drilling.
== Contact
information ==
You can fax Secretary Norton directly
from NRDC's Earth Action Center
at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use the contact
information and
sample letter below to send your own
message.
Secretary Gale A.
Norton
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC
20240
Fax: 202-208-6956
[the Interior Department's email system is currently
non-functional
while the department attempts to bring
its system into compliance with
the terms of an
unrelated court ruling]
==
Sample letter ==
Subject: Drop the appeal to allow new oil
drilling off California's
coast
Dear Secretary Norton,
California's coast is a national
treasure, supporting valuable marine
life and providing
incalculable value to the millions of people who
live,
work and play there.
Last
summer, a federal judge ruled that the Minerals Management
Service violated federal law when it extended 36
undeveloped oil
leases off the central California
coast. Now your department is
appealing this ruling in
an effort to make it easier to drill new oil
wells off
California's shores.
California's coast is precious to me, and it should be
protected from
the risk of oil spills and other harm
posed by new oil drilling. I
therefore urge you to drop
the Interior Department's appeal of Judge
Claudia
Wilken's ruling in this case.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
==================================================
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==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense
Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with
over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our
mission is to
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For more
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http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
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A project of the Natural
Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
Note to UCS members and activists: UCS would like to thank
our
activists for the more than 3,000 actions taken
last week, asking
your Senators to support a strong
vehicle fuel economy standard in
the upcoming national
energy legislation. Today, we are again asking
you to
take action on an important piece of the Senate's energy bill.
With your support, UCS is working to ensure that this
unprecedented
opportunity to establish a cleaner, more
sustainable energy future
does not pass us
by. Together, we are making a difference.
TAKE ACTION!
Voice your support for clean and sustainable
electricity. A vote is
fast approaching on
national energy legislation that could increase
our use
of wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources that are
far less polluting and cause fewer health problems than
dirty fossil
fuels. Please contact your
Senators TODAY and urge them to support a
strong
renewable energy standard as a way to provide America with a
secure and sustainable energy future.
To send an automatic letter to
your Senators, simply reply to this
message. To
customize the letter, go to
www.ucsaction.org/index.asp?step=2&item=1162
Learn More About This Issue:
The US Senate is in the process of debating the Energy
Policy Act of
2002 (S. 517). During this
debate, the Senate will likely vote on a
motion to
increase the renewable energy standard (see below) from 10%
to 20% by 2020. There will also be motions to
weaken the standard or
even strike it completely from
the bill. It is critical that your
Senators
hear support for strengthening the renewable energy
standard, and opposing any attempts to weaken it.
S. 517 contains a Renewable
Portfolio Standard, requiring electricity
suppliers to
generate 10% of our nation's electricity from clean,
renewable energy resources by 2020. This is a
good start, but
America can do even better by adopting
the 20% by 2020 standard
contained in legislation
introduced by Senator Jeffords (S.1333).
UCS analysis shows that a national renewable energy
standard of 20%
by 2020 will save consumers money on
their energy bills, and provide
greater diversity,
economic development, and environmental benefits
compared to the 10% standard. The Energy Information
Administration
confirms that the 20% standard is
affordable to consumers and
provides significant
environmental benefits.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION
If you would like more information on
the renewable energy standard,
visit the Clean Energy
pages on our website at
http://www.ucsusa.org/energy/energy-home.html
1. WASTEFUL FISHING NEEDLESSLY KILLS SEA CREATURES
Heavy nets drag across the ocean bottom for fish,
bulldozing
virtually everything in their path. Fishing
nets strangle, drown,
and crush tens of thousands of
sea turtles, birds, whales,
sharks, fish, dolphins and
other endangered marine life.
Many of these dead and dying marine animals are simply
thrown
overboard.
If this upsets you, it should -- it's illegal, but it's
still happening!
The U.S. government is not enforcing
the laws intended to
prevent this senseless
destruction, so we need your help to
remind them!
Sign this petition to urge
President Bush to enforce safe
fishing laws!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3563
2. ACTIVIST TIPS
** Recycle your motor oil. Even the smallest drop of oil
can
contaminate thousands of gallons of water.
** Wash your car with a bucket of water rather than a hose
to
conserve water.
3. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:
"…the sea,
once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of
wonder
forever."
--Jacques-Yves Cousteau
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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If you are already a WWF Conservation Action Network
member, see below
for how to take action. If
you received this email from a friend,
please visit the
Conservation Action Network Web site at
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ to take action on
this issue.
Our oceans are in
crisis. Far more fish are caught and killed every
year than the oceans are able to produce. As a
result of U.S.
mismanagement, many fish species are at
risk of extinction. In
addition, overfishing
is undermining ocean ecosystems upon which we
all
depend: sea turtles, sharks, and marine mammals are just some of
the inadvertent "bycatch" of fishing in U.S.
waters. Overfishing also
harms coastal
communities that count on fish as a source of food and
livelihood.
We need to stop managing our ocean resources primarily for
extraction
and instead put conservation
first. Fortunately, Congressman Sam Farr
(D-Calif.) has introduced HR 2570, The Fisheries Recovery
Act of 2001,
which does just that. This
much-needed bill will close loopholes in
current law
and make conservation the primary goal of U.S. fisheries
management.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE SIMPLE STEPS BELOW TO SEND A FREE MESSAGE
URGING
YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SUPPORT
THIS INITIATIVE.
Act now to
guarantee that our children inherit a living planet
abundant with fish and other marine wildlife.
**********************TAKE ACTION
NOW!****************
To send
the message below, as is, to your congressional
representative, 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 (alerts@earthhopenetwork.net) and
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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 "Crisis in Our
Oceans" and
follow the instructions for adding your own thoughts to
your messages.
Please forward this email to your friends and colleagues.
*********************LETTER
TEXT******************
Dear (your congressional representative's name
will be inserted
here):
I write to urge you to cosponsor H.R. 2570, The Fisheries
Recovery Act
of 2001. If you are already a
cosponsor, I urge you to do all you can
to ensure its
passage. Our country's ocean fish are at serious risk
because of government mismanagement. Nearly half
of all federally
managed U.S. fish populations are at
dangerously low levels, are being
overexploited, or
both. Over 30 fish species have been mismanaged to
the brink of extinction.
Instead of overexploiting our fisheries, we need to put
conservation
first. The Fisheries Recovery
Act of 2001 will stop overfishing,
reduce the killing
of non-target fish and other ocean life, and
protect
fish habitats from damaging fishing practices. It also
requires federal managers to consider the overall health of
ecosystems
when making management decisions.
Please promote the long-term
sustainability of our fisheries by
supporting the
Fisheries Recovery Act of 2001.
Sincerely,
Your name and address
will be
inserted here
***********************END OF LETTER
TEXT*********************
______________________________________________________________________
Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action
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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
SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT ACTION CENTER UPDATE: March 5, 2002
The Senate is set to begin
debating the Energy Bill TODAY. Please
send a fax to
your senators urging them to pass a bill that
emphasizes energy efficiency and renewable energy and keeps
the oil
industry out of the Arctic Refuge.
*********************************************************
Take Action! http://www.saveourenvironment.org
*********************************************************
Read this letter from Tom
Petty, Mike Diamond, and BarenakedLadies:
Dear Friend,
Please join us in stopping a reckless energy plan from
passing the
Senate. Instead of solving the
challenges posed by America's demand
for energy, this
short-sighted plan proposes that we develop some of
the
last pristine wilderness left in America, the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. We can't let this
happen.
Please
join us in taking action now by forwarding this email to
everyone you know and sending your senators a free fax at
http://www.saveourenvironment.org
This dangerous energy plan has
already been passed by the House of
Representatives,
and was written with the help of oil industry
lobbyists. The Senate is our last line of
defense. If we don't act
now, our world will
be forever changed.
There are
alternatives. Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, has
introduced an energy bill that would jump start investment
in clean
electricity. This bill includes a
"renewable portfolio
standard," which would require
utilities by 2020 to increase by 10
percent the
electricity generated by wind, solar, and other forms of
renewable power. In fact, many scientists
believe that it is
technologically and economically
feasible to reach a 20 percent
increase by
2020. And by raising the fuel economy standards for new
cars, SUVs, and trucks to 40 mpg, we would save 4 million
barrels of
oil a day by 2020 - more oil than we import
from the Persian Gulf
each day and could expect to get
from drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge,
combined!
We need your help in
convincing the Senate to protect the
Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge and support a clean energy plan.
Please
forward this email to your friends, and go to
http://www.saveourenvironment.org
Sincerely,
Tom Petty, Mike Diamond, the
BarenakedLadies
and
The New Power Artists: REM, the
Roots and Live join the effort that
has already
included the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, Moby,
Trey Anastasio (from Phish), Jackson Browne, Alanis
Morissette, James
Taylor and others
and
SaveOurEnvironment.org: American Oceans Campaign, American
Rivers,
Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice Legal
Defense Fund, Environmental
Defense, Greenpeace, League
of Conservation Voters, National Audubon
Society,
National Environmental Trust, National Parks Conservation
Association, National Wildlife Federation, Natural
Resources Defense
Council, The Ocean Conservancy,
Physicians for Social Responsibility,
Sierra Club, The
State PIRGs, Union of Concerned Scientists, The
Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund
*********************************************************
Thanks for using the
SaveOurEnvironment.org Action Center
http://www.saveourenvironment.org and working together
with the
nation's most influential environmental groups
in the crucial battles
to protect our air and water,
forests and oceans, climate, and
wildlife.
To: All Activists
From: Steve
Holmer & Lay Lininger, KS Wild
Date: March 4, 2002
BLM ISSUES QUARTZ FIRE LOGGING
PLAN
The Medford District BLM
proposes to log up to 719 acres of lands that
burned in
the 2001 Quartz Fire in the Little Applegate watershed.
Public comments on the Quartz Fire Project Environmental
Assessment will
be accepted until March 18, 2002.
The Little Applegate is a 'key
watershed' for salmon recovery under the
Northwest
Forest Plan. Recent post-fire logging on private lands in the
area have caused severe compaction and disturbance of
burned soils,
which will increase surface water
run-off, stream flows, erosion, and
sedimentation in
the coming years.
Superior
Lumber Co. and Fruit Growers' Supply Co. already devastated the
burned forests on hundreds of acres of private lands in the
watershed,
so federal public lands are the only place
where natural fire ecology
processes have any chance of
unimpaired function.
Post-fire
logging operations on BLM lands would cause significant
environmental impacts by:
* promoting noxious weeds
spread
* disturbing soil and
increasing erosion
* eliminating
micro-habitats for soil organisms that key ecosystem recovery
*
increasing sediment pollution in Quartz Gulch and Mule Gulch
*
contributing adverse cumulative effects to watershed function
According to the BLM, logging
would increase fine woody fuels by 3-13
tons per acre and increase the size and cost of
wildfires for 10 to 25
years! Local
residents and taxpayers would bear the risk while mill
owners would benefit.
Natural recovery is happening now on burned lands that have
not been
logged. Soils support vigorous
re-growth of native grasses, shrubs, and
hardwood
trees. The ecosystem doesn't need help from chain saws and log
trucks!
PLEASE WRITE TO:
Bill Yocum, Ashland Resource Area
Medford District BLM
3040 Biddle
Rd., Medford, OR 97504
(541) 618-2400 (fax)
mailto:or110mb@or.blm.gov
Please request a "restoration-only alternative" that
includes noxious
weed removal and road decommissioning
without any timber extraction or
road
construction. Be sure to ask for a single Environmental Impact
Statement that covers all burned lands managed by the BLM
and the U.S.
Forest Service. Remind Bill
that post-fire logging is controversial
because
scientific literature indicates it can retard ecosystem
recovery, and express concern about impacts on salmon
habitat.
For more
info on the Quartz Fire check out:
http://www.pacificbio.org/Projects/Fire2001/quartz.pdf For
more info
about salvage logging and fire management
see:
http://www.fire-ecology.org To
get involved, contact KS Wild at (541)
488-5789.
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
Urgent! Tell APHIS to Improve Regulations Aimed
At Preventing Spread of
Sudden Oak Death
The USDA Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued
an interim or
emergency regulation restricting movement of plants and
other materials that might spread the highly damaging
Sudden Oak Death
pathogen.
The deadline for public comments
is 14 April.
Please send comments to APHIS stating that
environmentalists demand the
strongest possible
protection for the trees and shrubs constituting our
forests - and that this regulation falls short.
To read the regulation, visit
www.aphis.usda.gov; click on
"Regulations", then scroll
down to February 14, Phytophthora Ramorum.
Points to Make in Your Statement:
* applaud APHIS' action to
regulate interstate shipment of potentially
infested
plants, foliage, wood, bark and soil - although this regulation
should have been issued earlier.
* applaud the requirement that
plants be inspected both in the nursery
and prior to
shipment.
* urge APHIS to halt
immediately imports of rhododendrons, azaleas, and
other potentially infested materials from Europe, where the
disease is
also found.
* urge APHIS to stop allowing "self-certification" by
nurseries shipping
wreathes or firewood [APHIS is not
allowing self-certification for
shipments of plants]
* urge APHIS to delete the
exemption for soil that has not been in
direct physical
contact with any article infected with the pathogen;
this is too difficult to enforce.
* applaud the more stringent
provision restricting movement of bark
chips,
wild-collected plants, and mulch (these materials may be moved
only under a USDA research permit).
* applaud the provisions allowing
APHIS quickly to add new host species
or new geographic
regions when it learns they pose a risk.
You may send your comments electronically by visiting
http://comments.aphis.usda.gov and following the
instructions.
You may also
send comments via U.S. Mail. If you do this, send four
copies (an original and three copies) to: Docket No.
01?054?1,
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700
River Road Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737?1238. Please state that your
comment refers to Docket No. 01?054?1.
Remember, the deadline for receipt
of your comments is 14 April, 2002.
Background:
Sudden Oak Death (SOD)
(Phytophthora ramorum) is one of the most
damaging
plant pathogens now in North America. It attacks a wide
variety of woody plants, including arrowwood,
big leaf maple, black
oak, California bay laurel,
California buckeye, California coffeeberry,
California
honeysuckle, coast live oak, huckleberry, madrone, manzanita,
rhododendron and azalea, Shreve's oak, tanoak, and
Toyon. Since the
disease was discovered in
1995, it has killed more than 100,000 tanoaks,
coast
live oaks, California black oaks and Shreve's oaks in 10 counties
along the California coast
Preliminary tests indicate it might kill northern red and
pin oaks,
which dominate forests covering a combined
range from northeastern Texas
to Nova Scotia.
To date, no cure has been
found. For more about SOD, see
http://camfer.cnr.berkeley.edu/oaks/
The ten counties in California
where SOD has been confirmed are Alameda,
Marin,
Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz,
Solano, and Sonoma. SOD has also been found in
Curry County, Oregon.
While California and Oregon have adopted regulations to
prevent the
spread of P. ramorum within those states,
Federal regulations are
necessary to restrict
interstate movement of potentially infested
material.
Furthermore, only the Federal government can regulate
imports of plants
from abroad. This is
important because, while no one yet knows where
the
Sudden Oak Death pathogen originated, a slightly different form of
the pathogen has been found on rhododendrons in
Europe. The U.S.
imported more than $220,000
worth of plants and bulbs from Germany and
the
Netherlands in 2001.
It is
probable that the SOD pathogen is easily transported in soil or on
plants, stems, or leaves. Huge quantities of
potentially infested
material are shipped from affected
regions of Northern California and
southwestern
Oregon. In 2000, more than 177 tons of foliage, including
tanoak, huckleberry and madrone branches, entered the
interstate floral
trade. More than $6
million worth of rhododendrons and azaleas are also
shipped from nurseries in the region.
Despite the danger, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Animal and
Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) waited more than 18 months after
receiving requests from the USDA Forest Service before it
issued the
emergency regulation.
While the emergency regulation
restricts interstate movement of
potentially infested
material from affected parts of California and
Oregon,
it does not tighten very lax controls governing imports of
rhododendrons, azaleas, and other potentially infested
plants from
Europe.
The comment period on the regulation closes 15 April,
2002. Before that
closure, American Lands will prepare
a more detailed analysis of the
regulations
and probably a sign-on letter. You may, of course, submit
comments now as well as at that time.
Summary of the Regulation:
The regulation covers shipments
from the 10 California counties and
parts of Curry
County in Oregon of
* soil
*
plants, foliage and branches, wood with bark, and bark chips or mulch
taken from any of the 15 plant species known to be a host
to the
pathogen.
Nurseries shipping these plants must be inspected annually;
each
shipment containing plants belonging to the host
species must be
inspected immediately prior to being
shipped. If, during either of
these
inspections, an infected plant is found, the nursery may not ship
any of these plants interstate until a subsequent
inspection finds it to
be disease-free.
Those shipping foliage (for
example, as wreaths or garlands) or wood
(e.g.,
firewood) may enter a "compliance agreement" with APHIS and
"self-certify" shipments of these
products. Self-certification is not
allowed
for shipments of plants.
Potentially contaminated soil must be heated to a
temperature of at
least 1800 F for 30
minutes in the presence of an inspector. However,
soil that has not been in direct physical contact with any
article
infected with the pathogen, and from which all
duff has been removed,
may be shipped
without treatment.
.
Wreaths,
garlands, and greenery must be dipped for 1 hour in water that
is 1600 F.
Wood products such as firewood, logs, or lumber must be
free of bark.
For more
information contact Faith Campbell Ph.D. at
mailto:phytodoer@aol.com or 202/547-9120.
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
Over the next few weeks, the U.S. Senate will again
be voting on whether to open the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil and gas drilling. In early December you
helped us defeat the last attempt to open the Refuge;
we need your help again as the Senate takes up the
Energy Bill. Please contact your senators and urge
them to vote against any effort to drill in the Arctic
Refuge.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/ArticRefuge/wkwxs54478x365
Visit the web address below
and tell your friends to
take action on this important
campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/ArticRefuge/forward/wkwxs54478x365
We encourage you to take
action by March 8, 2002
Help
Protect Artic Refuge from Oil and Gas Drilling!
----------------------
Unlike the House bill, the Senate energy proposal does
not yet contain a provision to open the Arctic Refuge
to oil and gas drilling, although we expect Alaska
Senator Murkowski and other pro-exploration senators
to offer amendments to do so. If they win - and votes
on the issue are expected to be extremely close - this
Alaska wilderness will be lost forever.
Although several other senators
have committed to filibuster
any pro-Arctic drilling
amendment to keep it off the
Senate Energy Bill, there
will be a vote, or possibly
several, to end the
filibuster (known as a cloture
vote). According to
Senate rules, we need at least
41 Senators to vote
against cloture in order to maintain
the filibuster and
prevent the Alaska National Wildlife
Refuge from being
opened to oil and gas drilling.
Keeping drilling out of the Refuge is important to
marine wildlife. Eight marine mammals, including walrus
and bowhead whales, rely on the ocean waters in the
Refuge for their survival. Polar bears also depend
on this area to rear their young; the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service has stated that disturbance from
exploration
and development activity could cause den
abandonment
by pregnant females or females with newborn
cubs.
TAKE ACTION! Any
amendment to open any portion of the
Arctic Wildlife
Refuge is bad environmental policy
and bad energy
policy. Please respond to this alert
and urge your
senators to oppose any such environmentally
damaging
and shortsighted effort to attach a pro-drilling
amendment to the Senate Energy Bill. Tell them you
want responsible energy legislation that protects the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other sensitive
public lands from oil drilling and ensures a clean
and secure energy future.
To be kept up-to-date on specifics of any amendment
to open up the Arctic Refuge to drilling please call
our toll-free Ocean Action Hotline 1-866-OCEANS-5
(623-2675).
Thank you for your
help.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can
take action
on this alert by going to the following
URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/ArticRefuge/wkwxs54478x365
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish.
Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and
"-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and
address
to your letter. Our system automatically does
this
for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Senator Hillary Clinton
Senator
Charles Schumer
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
Please oppose any efforts to open
up the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling
during Senate consideration
of the Energy Bill. Please
vote against cloture on
any amendment that will open
any portion of the Refuge
to oil and gas
exploration.
Some
senators will try to open the Arctic National
Wildlife
Refuge to oil drilling by attaching amendments
to the
Energy Bill to allow development. Please oppose
any
such effort.
Our nation needs
an energy policy that emphasizes energy
efficiency and
clean, renewable energy resources. Such
a policy
should:
* protect the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge and other
sensitive public
lands and coastal areas from unnecessary
oil drilling;
* substantially increase fuel efficiency standards
for passenger vehicles;
* include
meaningful tax credits for consumers that
purchase the
most advanced, clean and fuel efficient
vehicles; and
* encourage energy conservation and the use of clean,
renewable energy sources.
Sacrificing any portion of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge is no way to solve America's energy problems.
Thank you for your vote against cloture on any amendment
to open the Refuge.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
Sincerely
yours,
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GE Food Alert Update - Vol. 1, Number
1 March 4, 2002
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table
of Contents
-
Welcome to GE Food Alert Update
-
Kraft Campaign Launch
- Join the Kraft
Campaign!
- Letter to Kraft with
Coalition Demands
- GE Food Alert Call
to Action Signers
- Kraft Campaign
Fact Sheet
- Cities That Participated
in Kraft Launch
- Kraft Campaign Flyer
- Findings of Genetically Engineered
Ingredients in Kraft Products
-
Genetic Engineering Online Presentation
A.
Newspaper Articles From the Launch
-
Kraft Foods Draws Consumer Ire For Its Use of Modified Ingredients
- Kraft to Be Target of Anti-Biotech
Campaign
- Kraft Targeted in
Anti-Biotech Food Campaign
- Group
Names Bioengineered Kraft Foods
-
Groups Want Kraft Change
- Biotech
Fears Hit Kraft - Group Cites Lack of Tests on Ingredients in
Seven Foods
-
Activist Protest Kraft's Genetically Engineered Foods
WELCOME TO GE FOOD ALERT UPDATE
Thanks to your help, Genetically
Engineered Food Alert has been
campaigning for the
labeling of genetically engineered foods and crops
and
their removal from the food chain until proven safe. Thousands of
citizens have supported GE Food Alert's efforts by sending a
message to
Campbell's Soup Company, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA),
and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Now GE Food Alert
is calling on
Kraft Foods, the largest food company in the country, to
protect citizens from the unknown risks associated with
genetically
engineered food by removing these foods from
their products.
This newsletter
is being sent out to all past supporters of GE Food
Alert campaigns. It provides information on our current
activities and
news about the issue of genetically
engineered foods.
Please visit
WWW.GEFoodAlert.org to take action and keep up on the
latest campaign activities.
KRAFT CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
On February 6, Genetically Engineered Food Alert, along with
thousands
of concerned citizens and organizations across
the country, launched a
campaign calling on Kraft Foods
to remove genetically engineered
ingredients from their
foods. The campaign was launched with press
conferences
in Kraft's headquarter cities of Chicago and New York, and
with leafleting and demonstrations in over 170 cities across
the
country. The launch of the campaign was featured in
the Wall Street
Journal, Chicago Tribune, Chicago
Sun-Times, Boston Herald, and on
nationwide radio and
television news including CNN Headline News
(articles
found below). The launch made such a splash that Kraft
executives were busy all day responding to reporters, and
then Kraft
called us that same day. We are working now
to try to get a meeting
with the company so that we can
discuss our concerns with them.
Thank you to everyone who participated in events and sent
e-mails in to
Kraft. Stay tuned for upcoming events to
continue to call on Kraft to
remove untested, unlabeled
genetically engineered foods from their
products.
JOIN THE KRAFT CAMPAIGN!
Get involved in our next day of
action or request an organizing packet:
Please contact
Lisa Archer at Friends of the Earth (GE Food Alert):
larcher@foe.org or 1-877-843-8687.
LETTER TO KRAFT WITH COALITION
DEMANDS
GE Food Alert letter to
Kraft asking the company to phase out it's use
of GE
food as soon as possible. The long-term effects of GE foods are
not known, as U.S. agencies are not performing critical
tests.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Letter_to_Kraft_with_Coalition_Demands.htm
GE FOOD
ALERT CALL TO ACTION SIGNERS
A
list of the signers to GE Food Alert's call to action to corporate
and government leaders. Signers include doctors, actors,
environmentalists, chefs, and food producers. All are
calling for
manufacturer liability, GE labelling and the
independent safety testing
of GE foods.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=GE_Food_Alert_Call_to_Action_Signers.pdf
KRAFT
CAMPAIGN FACT SHEET
Fact sheet
about genetic engineering, product labeling, precautionary
principle, etc.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Kraft_Campaign_Fact_Sheet.pdf
CITIES THAT
PARTICIPATED IN KRAFT LAUNCH
A
list of U.S. cities where activists are participating in the campaign
targeting Kraft Foods to remove genetically engineered
ingredients from
their products.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Cities_Participating_in_Kraft_Launch.htm
KRAFT
CAMPAIGN FLYER
Do you know what
Kraft is putting in your food?
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Kraft_Campaign_Flyer_with_room_for_local_conta.pdf
FINDINGS
OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED INGREDIENTS IN KRAFT PRODUCTS
Test results from GMO analyses of a
variety Kraft food products. The
independent tests
confirm that Kraft is using genetically engineered
ingredients.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Kraft_Campaign_-_GMO_Analysis_Report.pdf
GENETIC
ENGINEERING ONLINE PRESENTATION
This online presentation provides a brief but comprehensive
overview of
genetically engineered crops and foods.
http://www.panna.org/panna/resources/geTutorial.html
Newspaper
Articles From the Launch
KRAFT FOODS DRAWS CONSUMER IRE FOR ITS USE OF MODIFIED
INGREDIENTS
A Wall Street
Journal article on Genetically Engineeered Food Alert's
effort to inform the public that they are consuming
genetically
engineered foods and to also demand that
Kraft remove these ingredients.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Kraft_Foods_Draws_Consumer_Ire_For_Its_Use_of_.htm
KRAFT TO
BE TARGET OF ANTI-BIOTECH CAMPAIGN
News article on Genetically Engineered Food Alert's action
against
Kraft. The aim of the action is to discourage
use of controversial
genetically engineered ingredients.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Kraft_to_Be_Target_of_Anti-Biotech_Campaign.htm
KRAFT
TARGETED IN ANTI-BIOTECH FOOD CAMPAIGN
Reuters News Service article on Genetically Engineered Food
Alert's
Kraft Day of Action.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Kraft_Targeted_in_Anti-Biotech_Food_Campaign.htm
GROUP
NAMES BIOENGINEERED KRAFT FOODS
Genetically Engineered Food Alert says seven products of
Kraft Foods
Inc. contain controversial genetically
modified components.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Group_Names_Bioengineered_Kraft_Foods.htm
GROUPS
WANT KRAFT CHANGE
Chicago Sun
Times article about Genetically Engineered Food Alert's
call on Kraft Foods Inc. to remove genetically engineered
ingredients
from its products.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Groups_Want_Kraft_Change.htm
BIOTECH
FEARS HIT KRAFT - GROUP CITES LACK OF TESTS ON INGREDIENTS IN SEVEN
FOODS
Consumer activists called on food giant Kraft Foods Inc. to
pull
genetically altered ingredients from products
including Taco Bell taco
shells, Lunchables and Stove
Top Stuffing.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Biotech_Fears_Hit_Kraft_-_Group_Cites_Lack_of_.htm
ACTIVIST
PROTEST KRAFT'S GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS
News article on a Tarrytown, New York action against Kraft's
use of
genetically engineered ingredients in products.
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/showfile.cfm?
FileName=Activist_Protest_Krafts_Genetically_Engineered.htm
THREAT TO ARCTIC REFUGE: Jimmy Carter, religious
leaders urge Senate not to drill
TOXIC TUNDRA: Lessons to be learned from drilling in
Alaska
ENERGY SECURITY: Congress should raise fuel economy
standards
STOP THE SLAUGHTER: Japan plans to double whale
kill
STATE SECRETS: Report shines light on corporate Trojan
Horse in the states
PLEASING POLLUTERS: EPA official resigns to protest
rollbacks
KIDS ESSAY CONTEST: Students writing about black
bears, sea otters
SPECIAL BENEFITS FOR OUR
SUPPORTERS
| 1. THREAT TO ARCTIC REFUGE:
Jimmy Carter, religious leaders urge
Senate not to drill
Former President Jimmy Carter has joined the chorus of those speaking out against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as the Senate debates national energy policy. Carter urged senators to adopt a balanced plan that protects our greatest wildlife sanctuary. And 1,200 leaders of major U.S. religious groups announced their opposition to drilling and called for more conservation and renewable energy. As the Los Angeles Times pointed out in an editorial: "The nation doesn't need a muscle-bound energy policy, it needs a smart one -- one that does not rely so heavily on fossil fuels and fossil thinking." Interior Secretary Gale Norton, meanwhile, repeated her false claim that drilling would impact only 2,000 acres of the refuge. For more about her 2,000-acre hoax, read the column by Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen at http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/hoaxa.html. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Our efforts are succeeding. Even Big Oil's congressional allies acknowledge they don't yet have enough votes to open the refuge to drilling. Go to www.SaveArcticRefuge.org to send a free e-mail urging your senators to save the Arctic refuge for future generations. And to spread the word about the danger to America's last great wilderness, send this issue of DENlines to your e-mail address book. 2. TOXIC TUNDRA: Lessons to be learned from drilling in Alaska While Big Oil claims it can drill in the Arctic refuge in an environmentally friendly manner, a new report by Defenders of Wildlife and the Audubon Society catalogs the disastrous impact of drilling in Alaska's Kenai National Wildlife Refuge south of Anchorage. There have been more than 350 spills, fires and explosions, contaminating more than 100,000 tons of soil with toxic chemicals. Scientists have found frogs with crippling deformities. Frogs are considered a "canary in the mine," providing early-warning signals of danger to other wildlife because their porous skin makes them sensitive to environmental changes. To read the report, visit http://www.defenders.org/habitat/toxictundra.pdf 3. ENERGY SECURITY: Congress should raise fuel economy standards Raising the fuel efficiency of new cars and SUVs is the single biggest step we can take to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to combat global warming. It would also save many times over the amount of oil ever expected from the Arctic refuge. Energy legislation now being considered by the Senate would raise the current miles-per-gallon standards. But we have learned that some senators from auto-producing states are trying to kill that provision. To learn more, visit http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/images/energyfacts.pdf 4. STOP THE SLAUGHTER: Japan plans to double whale kill Japan plans to double the number of whales it kills in the North Pacific each year. Its government has notified the International Whaling Commission that it will kill 50 minke whales and 50 endangered sei whales on top of the 100 minkes it already has been hunting annually. Japan kills whales under the guise of "scientific research," but the whale meat winds up in gourmet markets and expensive restaurants. To sign our petition urging President Bush to impose economic sanctions against Japan until they stop slaughtering whales, go to www.saveourwhales.org. 5. STATE SECRETS: Corporate Trojan Horse pushes anti-environmental legislation If you ever wondered who dreams up some of our laws, there's a new report that helps answer that question. It turns out that major corporations are operating behind-the-scenes in state capitals across the country through a purported "good government" group that pushes industry-friendly legislation. In addition, concludes a just-released report by Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council, this group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, provides gifts and free trips for elected officials and acts as a conduit to get special-interest legislation from corporations, including Enron, to key state legislators. Ask your state legislators whether they belong to ALEC, and read the report at www.alecwatch.org. Click here http://www.defenders.org/den/cartoons/alec.jpg to see the DENLines cartoon. 6. PLEASING POLLUTERS: EPA official resigns to protest rollbacks A senior official with the Environmental Protection Agency has resigned to protest Bush administration attempts to allow heavily polluting power plants to violate the Clean Air Act. In resigning, Eric Schaeffer, a 12-year EPA veteran, said the Bush administration has been kowtowing to the power industry and interfering with EPA efforts to enforce the law. To read Schaeffer's letter laying out the reasons for his resignation, go to http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/letter.html. As the Bush administration scales back enforcement action against aging coal-fired power plants that are violating the law, researchers in a study published this week have linked long-term exposure to fine particles of air pollution to an increased risk of dying from lung cancer. 7. KIDS ESSAY CONTEST: Students writing about black bears, sea otters School children participating in essay contests sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife are learning about the Florida black bear and the California sea otter. Writing about the imperiled species, student essayists are competing for prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 savings bonds. The Black Bear Insurance Co. is donating prize money in Florida. "We felt this contest would be an ideal way not only to encourage students to learn about the bears and sea otters, but also about the important ways that different species depend on one another," said Defenders of Wildlife's education associate, Yvonne Borresen. To learn more, go to www.kidsplanet.org/contest. 8. SPECIAL BENEFITS FOR OUR SUPPORTERS
Special discount and free tax review at H&R Block. With over 440 changes in the tax law, you may miss important new credits or deductions that could save you money. Defenders with H&R Block is pleased to offer the No. 1-rated TaxCut Deluxe software for the special price of $19.95. With each purchase, Defenders receives a royalty at no additional cost to you.
You can also take advantage of H&R Block's Doublecheck program where they'll review your last three years of returns for free. Call 1-800-HRBLOCK.
DENlines is a bi-weekly update of Defenders of
Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one
of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat.
It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues,
particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also
advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species
before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail to denlines@defenders.org and
put the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Defenders of Wildlife Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2002 |
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
March 6, 2002
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 ! =
3/6/02
The Senate energy bill takes center stage this month, with
crucial
votes expected over the next two weeks on issues
such as drilling for
oil in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, increasing vehicle fuel
economy standards, and
creating incentives for promoting energy
efficiency and
renewable energy.
...
Budget/Appropriations
= N O T E ! =
The budget process is well underway, with both the House and
Senate
budget committees considering the Bush
administration's proposed $2.13
trillion fiscal year
2003 budget. Sen. Corzine (D-NJ), among others,
is
attempting to garner support for restoring environmental funding
that has been cut from the Bush budget plan. The
appropriations
process is also beginning with
subcommittee hearings on the funding
bills for next
year.
See NRDC's analysis of the
Bush budget.
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abudget03.asp
For a step-by-step guide to our
annual odyssey through resolutions,
reconciliations and
appropriations, see NRDC's budget process fact
sheet.
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/fbudg.asp
...
Clean Air and Energy
= N O T E ! =
On 3/7, the Senate
Government Affairs Committee plans to hold a
hearing on
how the Bush administration has been implementing the
nation's environmental laws. Those expected to testify
include EPA
Administrator Whitman, a former EPA
enforcement official who recently
resigned to protest
the Bush administration's lax enforcement
policies, an
environmental and administrative law professor, and a
representative from NRDC. The committee will also hear
testimony from
members of the public who have been
affected by recent administrative
decisions to weaken
environmental protections.
= N O
T E ! =
On 3/5, Sen. Daschle (D-SD), majority leader,
began Senate floor
debate on the Democratic energy bill
(S. 517). The bill would require
greater use of
renewable fuels and energy, more efficient air
conditioners and heat pumps, and increased use of corn-based
ethanol
in gasoline. The bill also currently includes
the substantial increase
in fuel economy standards (to
an average of 35 miles per gallon by
2013) proposed by
Sen. Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Hollings (D-SC).
Negotiations
with Sen. McCain (R-AZ) to develop bipartisan fuel
economy standards, however, could result in a slightly
modified
proposal. Sen. Levin (D-MI) is also expected to
offer an auto
industry-sponsored fuel economy amendment
that would gut the fuel
economy advances in the bill.
Another key amendment to the bill will
be the Senate
Finance Committee proposal to attach a $15 billion
package of energy tax credits and incentives for improving
energy
efficiency in vehicles, appliances, and building
materials, as well as
for increasing the use of solar,
wind, and other cleaner alternative
energy sources. The
tax package, however, also includes large
subsidies for
the fossil fuels industries. Debate is also expected on
amendments related to increasing use of renewable energy,
drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, nuclear
industry liability
relief, air conditioner efficiency
standards, and development of
energy facilities on
public lands.
The Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee expects to consider
S. 556, a bill co-authored by committee chair Sen. Jeffords
(I-VT) and
Sen. Lieberman (D-CT), this spring. The bill
seeks to reduce four
types of power plant emissions by
imposing mandatory cuts in carbon
dioxide, sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury emissions. No
action has been taken on the House companion bill (H.R.
1256), which
was introduced on 3/27/01 by Rep. Waxman
(D-CA) and Rep. Boehlert
(R-NY). The Bush administration
opposes regulating carbon dioxide
emissions, arguing
that the costs on the economy would be too high.
The
administration has announced a proposal that would regulate only
three of the four worst power plant pollutants, reversing a
Bush
campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide, a key
greenhouse gas that
contributes to global
warming.
NRDC has
detailed an alternative energy policy that would provide a
secure energy future without destroying wilderness or
rolling back
environmental safeguards in reports
including Dangerous Addiction:
Ending America's Oil
Dependence
(http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/oilsecurity/securityinx.asp)
and A Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st Century
(http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp).
...
Clean Water
On 2/15, Sens. Graham (D-FL), Jeffords (I-VT), Smith (R-NH),
Warner
(R-VA), and Crapo (R-ID) introduced the
bipartisan Water Investment
Act of 2002 (S. 1961). This
is a five-year, $35 billion legislative
package that
would modify the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking
Water Act, authorizing significant increases in funding for
cleaner
water. The full Environment and Public Works
Committee held a hearing
on the bill on 2/26, and the
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and
Water held a
hearing on 2/28. Sen. Jeffords plans to have the bill
ready for floor debate before the July 4th recess.
Environmental
groups are working to ensure that the
final bill will include more
funding to meet the
nation's water quality needs, including updating
aging
sewer plants and collection systems, controlling contaminated
stormwater, minimizing polluted runoff, and remedying
decaying and
out-of-date drinking water infrastructure.
Environmentalists would
also like to see additional
incentives for states to fund water
quality projects
that are good for the environment, such as stream
buffers, wetlands protection, stormwater controls, and smart
growth
that prevents sprawling development.
On 2/7, the House Fisheries
Conservation Subcommittee approved H.R.
3577, Rep.
Gilchrest's (R-MD) bill to reauthorize a popular coastal
management grant program created by the Coastal Zone
Management Act.
The bill includes funding for reducing
polluted runoff in coastal
areas.
On 12/5, Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) and
Sen. Boxer (D-CA) introduced a bill
(S. 1768) to
reauthorize CALFED, an important federal and state
partnership in California that provides water for urban and
agricultural users, as well as for wildlife and habitat
restoration.
The bill avoids many of the problems in the
House version (H.R. 3208),
approved by the House
Resources Committee on 11/7. Environmentalists
oppose
H.R. 3208, which soon may be taken up on the House floor,
because it would allow the construction of new dams in
California
without appropriate review, and could give
agricultural water users
priority over the environment.
...
Lands
House
and Senate negotiators have made progress toward agreement on a
final version of the farm bill that works out the
differences between
the House and Senate versions, H.R.
2646 and S. 1731, respectively. On
2/13, the Senate
approved final passage of their version of the bill
by a
58-40 vote. The Senate bill includes a much needed boost in
conservation funding, increases habitat and wetlands
conservation
programs and helps protect rural lands from
sprawling suburban
development. In addition, the Senate
bill provides more than $500
million for clean energy
programs that support wind power, biomass
energy, fuel
cells, and energy efficiency improvements on farms. The
bill attempts to correct some of the problems in the House
bill that
would encourage logging on public lands and
subsidize pollution from
giant factory farms. Sen.
Wellstone (D-MN) was able to obtain some
limits on the
use of conservation money to subsidize the creation of
animal waste pits, which degrade water quality, on massive
factory
farms; stronger protections, however, were
rejected by the Senate
after intense lobbying by dairy
interests.
...
International Environmental
Protections
On 12/6, after
intense lobbying by the White House and House
Republican
leaders, the House passed a trade authority bill, H.R.
3005. The bill, introduced by Rep. Thomas (R-CA) and
approved by just
one vote, grants "fast track" authority
to the president to negotiate
new trade agreements.
Democratic leaders, as well as environmental,
consumer,
social justice, and labor groups opposed the bill because it
fails to ensure adequate environmental and labor standards
and could
undermine current protections. On 12/12, the
Senate Finance Committee
approved a "fast track" trade
bill similar to the House version, after
rejecting
amendments to strengthen environmental and labor
protections. Senate floor action on the bill is expected
soon.
...
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/scorecard/index.asp
...........
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
monthly to
members of NRDC's California Activist Network
and provides action
tools to Californians and others
concerned with protecting the state's
natural resources
and the health of its citizens. To unsubscribe, send
an
email message to wildcalifornia@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the
subject line.
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3) About NRDC/How to Contact Us
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Also visit:
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Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
News Release:
Wednesday, March 6th,
2002
Nanotech Takes a Giant Step
Down!
MIT says an army of
NanoWalkers (microbots) will be manipulating sub-atomic
particles within three months. The development
signals a new era in
technology as industry prepares to
move "down" from genomes to atoms.
Thumbelina with an attitude: Hundreds of
three-legged robots the size of a
thumb, complete with
onboard computers, powerful microscopes, and biosensors
will be ready to manufacture nano-scale) materials by
mid-2002, according to
researchers at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT)
Bioinstrumentation
Laboratory. A 'nano' is a measurement of one-billionth of
a meter. Only 32 millimeters in diameter, the
microbots are designed to
assemble atomic and sub-atomic
particles. Responding to infrared signals
allowing each microbot to act independently or collectively
on myriad tasks,
the little machines (dubbed
"NanoWalkers") are capable of executing 48
million
instructions and making 4,000 nano-maneuvers per
second. MIT
expects to have at
least 300 microbots hard at work in an enclosed
card-table sized chromium chamber by June. The
chromium surface provides an
energy source for the
robots which will receive their marching orders from a
master computer in the box's ceiling.(i)
The micro-army is expected to
manipulate individual molecules and even
re-arrange
sub-atomic particles. Capable of making 200,000 measurements per
second, the machines may initially be used to analyze
chemicals and to
assist in the development of new
pharmaceuticals. However, there is no
obvious
limit to their job description - including the assembly and repair
of fellow microbots and the eventual construction of
still-tinier nanobots.
Weapons
of mass construction: Described by their inventors as a bunch of
"line dancing bar stools",(ii) the first microbot assembly
line is only one
of many such initiatives. Literally
dozens of university and corporate labs
are in a race
for nanotech's Holy Grail - molecular self-assembly.
Financial backing for the leading MIT venture has come
exclusively from the
non-profit Seaver Institute in Los
Angeles. Around the world however, much
of
the funding for the high-risk research is coming from defense
establishments and/or earmarked national nanotechnology
initiatives.
Another project, at UC Berkeley (Berkeley
campus of the University of
California), is developing a
miniscule flying machine modeled after the
lowly blowfly
(Calliphora). Begun in 1998 and funded by the U.S. Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S.
Office of Naval
Research, the "Nano-fly" is intended to
match the 'light-footed bar stools'
on the ground, and
undertake reconnaissance missions in the air as
well.(iii) The U.S. Defense Department is a
major investor in
nanotechnology, with publicly
disclosed expenditures of $180 million in
2002.(iv)
"Gray goo" with "gray
matter": News of the MIT breakthrough has been
circulating since last December and appeared in some media
reports in late
January, but the MIT revelation,
disclosed March 1st by TechReview.com (the
online
edition of Technology Review magazine) comes as a shock to many -
including some intimately involved in
nanotechnology. At a meeting
sponsored by ETC
group and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation last June, the
President and CEO of Nanophase (a nanotec
www.javaforest.org
