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Environment Action
Alerts for April 16 - April 23, 2001

 

Press & Reports from
April 11 Action Day
Activists Hang Banner
at Citigroup Headquarters
Sierra Club Action
Vol III #40

Nanotechnology, Neural manipulation
& the looming 'Binano Republic'
Save our Last
Wild National Forests
Act Now to Stop
Global Warming

LCV's Rally for the Allies Celebrate Earth Day Where's World's Largest
Tiger Population?

Cape Shark Conservation
Threatened
Uphold Logging Moratorium
Papua New Guinea
U'wa US Tour
Release & Schedule

global demos, banner hangs, fortune
cookies & singing umbrellas
Take Action to protect Public
Lands from Pollution
Action: Protect
New Monuments

Wild Forests at Risk NRDC Legislative Watch Ran Action Alert

Denlines Issue 38 Dick Cheney &
Renewable Energy
Roadless Rule
Under Attack

Take Action on
Global Warming
Fifteen Most
Endangered Wildlands
Green Party
Fundraiser

Rafi Genotype:
Frequently Unasked Questions
LCV Condemns Bush's
Poor Environmental Record
Green Party E-News #5

**Treaty to Share
the Genetic Commons**
Support Needed for
Marine Protected Areas






from Rainforest Action Network April 16, 2001


In this Post :

#1 Reuters article on day of action
#2 Village Voice article on April 11th and Spank the Bank camp
also URL for In these Times Spank the Bank camp article
#3 A sample of reports from around the movement

Congratulations everyone on making April 11th an amazing day!  We've heard
lots of inspiring stories from the day of action but we want to hear it all!
Every action counts whether it had hundreds of people or just one so let us
know what you did on April 11th. Send your reports, cool pictures and media
clips to ORGANIZE@RAN.ORG and we'll put them up on the RAN website.
We know that Citi really felt the pressure so all we've got to do now is
keep it up!
_______________________________________________________

#1   Reuters article

*** let us know if you saw this article in your local paper!  Wire service
articles get distributed all over the planet and its always helpful to know
exactly where it ran and get copies from local papers!

STUDENT PROTESTERS TARGET CITIGROUP IN 12 COUNTRIES

NEW YORK, April 11 (Reuters) - Students in 12 countries protested at
Citigroup Inc.  branches on Wednesday, attacking the financial services
firm's alleged funding of environmentally destructive projects, organizers
said.

About 50 students carried a coffin containing a replica of Earth to
Citigroup's headquarters in New York, threw the company's symbolic red
umbrellas into the coffin and nailed it shut while New Orleans-style funeral
music played, student organizer Beka Economopoulos told Reuters.

Other students organized similar protests in about 80 cities around the
world, and launched an international boycott of Citigroup credit cards,
Ilyse Hogue, a spokeswoman for nonprofit organization Rainforest Action
Network, said. The network's purpose is to preserve rainforests and fight
causes of its destruction.

"Citi is living richly off of environmental destruction," Hogue said.
"Students are outraged, and are standing up to say, 'Not With My Money!'"

Alleged Citigroup-funded projects that students are protesting include an
oil pipeline in Chad and Cameroon, China's Three Gorges Dam, and the
expansion of palm plantations in Indonesia that allegedly destroy rainforest
habitat for endangered orangutans.

But Citigroup spokeswoman Leah Johnson said the company did not fund China's
controversial Three Gorges Dam.

"We agree with many of the causes the Rainforest Action Network supports but
we object to the group's strategy of spreading false information," Johnson
said.

Citigroup was one of the first companies to set up an environmental affairs
office several years ago, Johnson said. The division's work includes
tracking environmental regulatory and legislative trends that might have an
impact on industries of interest to Citigroup and its clients

Students also protested Citigroup's lending record to poor people in urban
areas, as well as the company's sale of World Bank bonds that allegedly
strap developing nations with debt.

Citigroup came under fire from community groups when it bought consumer
lender Associates First Capital. Community groups said Associates unfairly
targeted poor people and minorities with unaffordable, high interest rate
loans.

Citigroup says it has taken step to change practices at Associates,
including beefing up compliance and controls, improving employee training
and amending some loan terms.

_________________________________________________________________

#2 VILLAGE VOICE ARTICLE
Students Challenge Citigroup. s Hand in Bad Lending and Environmental
Devastation
Spank the Bank    April 11
by Andrew Boyd


In March, student activists from across the country gathered in Florida for
the Ruckus Society. s second annual . Alternative Spring Break Direct Action
Training Camp.. Instead of wet-T-shirt contests and drunken naked beach
parties, . campers. role-played protest blockades, learned to rappel down
buildings with huge banners in hand, and developed strategies for opposing
one of the largest banks in the world. Citigroup. Some of their complaints
against the bank: predatory lending in U.S. inner cities, environmental
devastation in the third world, and buying influence in Washington.

Backing up some of these charges, on March 6, the Federal Trade Commission
sued Citigroup, alleging that one of its subsidiaries was engaged in
predatory lending that victimized low-income borrowers by misleading them
into loans with hidden costs. On April 11 students will launch a national
day of coordinated actions against Citigroup. cutting up credit cards,
occupying branch offices, and pressuring college administrators to cancel
exclusive contracts with the company. Several thousand students on over 50
campuses are expected to participate.

I was invited to the Ruckus camp as a guest trainer in guerrilla theater
stunts. After a two-hour drive from the Tampa airport, our van pulled into a
sprawling private campground filled with neat rows of snowbird trailer
homes. We checked in at the Ruckus . office. (basically, an overhead tarp). A
pool of cell phones was spread out on a folding table recharging like a
litter of suckling pigs. I set up my tent in the dark and then strolled
through the camp. Tents were strewn on patches of sand and grass. There was
a medical tent and a vegan field kitchen that the next morning would serve
up oatmeal and miso soup. A couple of local folks had come over with some
beer, and we sat around talking, among us John Sellers, Ruckus. s director.
Founded in 1995, Ruckus trains environmental and human rights organizations
in nonviolent civil disobedience. Behind us, looming through the moonlight,
was a towering scaffold hung with rappelling ropes. . So what are you guys
protesting, anyway?. Half a beat. . Greed,. said Sellers.

With 240,000 employees, assets in excess of $700 billion, and annual revenue
of $112 billion, Citigroup is sixth on the Fortune 500 list. In 1998
Citibank and Travelers Insurance (which also includes the investment bank
Salomon Smith Barney) merged to create North America. s largest financial
institution. Citigroup. The merger violated certain provisions of the
Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, but Citigroup successfully lobbied the
Fed for a two-year grace period in which to operate. Then the bank
successfully lobbied Congress to repeal Glass-Steagall, which was replaced
by the Financial Services Modernization Act. Since 1977 Citigroup has
tallied $17 million in lobbying expenses, and over the last two years it has
made $2 million in campaign contributions to both Democrats and Republicans.
When new legislation that would formally legalize the merger ran into
resistance, Citigroup enlisted the support of then secretary of the treasury
Robert Rubin. In November 1999, the Financial Services Modernization Act was
signed by President Clinton. One month earlier, Rubin had left the Clinton
administration to become a cochairman of the newly legalized Citigroup.
Rubin. s year 2000 bonus amounted to $45.3 million in stock, cash, and
options.

Citigroup operates in over 100 countries and, according to the Rainforest
Action Network (RAN), which is spearheading the campaign against it, has a
hand in some of the most destructive development projects in the world. In
Africa, Citigroup acted as chief financial adviser for the Chad/Cameroon Oil
and Pipeline Project, which will cut through a rainforest and indigenous
lands. In China, Citigroup underwrote bonds for the Three Gorges Dam, which
will displace around 2 million people and destroy a rare river ecosystem.

Leah Johnson, Citigroup. s director of public affairs, disputes these claims.
. Citigroup is just a convenient target,. she says. . We. ve been singled out
not because of our record but because of our size and large customer base..

. As a target, Citigroup is the logical heir apparent to the WTO,. says
Sellers, referring to the World Trade Organization, which brought the
anticorporate movement into the streets of Seattle in November 1999. By
targeting Citigroup, and trying to hold it accountable to socially and
environmentally responsible guidelines, activists hope to have an impact on
corporate business as usual across the globe. In 1999 RAN led a successful
effort that pressured Home Depot to stop using old-growth timber. Soon
after, a majority of the home-supply industry followed suit. . The difficulty
is that this isn. t just another Home Depot,. says Sellers. . We. re taking on
the global financial juggernaut. Not just one product at one company. To win
will require a fundamental restructuring of the global economy..

One immediate impact the campaign is seeking is an end to Citigroup. s
alleged discriminatory lending practices. In November, Citigroup acquired
Associates First Capital Corp., a Dallas-based consumer lending company that
is now the focus of the FTC. s predatory-lending suit. Federal regulators
charge that Associates routinely deceived and lied to customers, tricking
them into costly loan refinancing and making hundreds of millions of dollars
of profit in the process.

. Predatory lending is not unintentional,. says Terra Lawson-Remer, a
cofounder of Student Alliance to Reform Corporations (STARC) and recent
graduate of Yale. . It is a purposeful and strategic exploitation of poor
people and people of color.. STARC, which has been on the forefront of
anti-sweatshop organizing on campuses, has also recently decided to put the
heat on Citigroup. s alleged predatory-lending and redlining practices.

Redlining is the selective denial of banking services to certain
communities. . Long before they bought Associates, Citigroup was underserving
minority neighborhoods,. says Matthew Lee, of Inner City Press (ICP), a
grassroots consumer and community group in the South Bronx, which has been
fighting Citibank since 1992. . There are 450,000 people living in the South
Bronx, but there are only three consumer-accessible Citigroup branches
here..

Last November during a hearing held by the New York State Banking Department
on Citigroup. s proposed acquisition of Associates, an array of community
groups spoke against the acquisition. But then later that afternoon, as Lee
tells it, . A gaggle of young, mostly white college students came to testify
on the community. s behalf and about the environmental and social impacts of
Citigroup projects all across the globe. This surprised the heck out of the
regulators..

Citigroup, however, doesn. t seem too concerned. When queried about the links
between these diverse complaints, Johnson said, . What links?. Activists have
come to identify unchecked corporate power as their common enemy. . We
shouldn. t be drawing red lines around U.S. inner cities,. says Patrick
Reinsborough, grassroots coordinator for RAN. . We should be drawing green
lines around the world. s remaining forests.. Johnson refused to comment on
whether this multipronged campaign posed a threat to Citigroup. s image or
its ability to appeal to new customers. . Citigroup seeks to maintain
constructive dialogue with RAN and other groups on relevant social and
environmental issues,. she said. . We disagree with their pressure tactics,
but we share common goals..

. Companies like Citigroup have become so powerful that until you start
asking questions about their global presence, community groups can. t get
their ear,. Lee contends. . Citigroup may not care what people in the South
Bronx think, but they. ve got to care about what white students think..
Lawson-Remer agrees: . As students, we have kinds of leverage that others don
. t.. Besides cutting up Citi credit cards, STARC and the five other national
student groups that cosponsored the Ruckus camp are working to divest
university endowments of their Citigroup holdings and pressing for a jobs
boycott by creatively disrupting Citigroup recruitment efforts on campuses.

. Targeting Citi makes sense,. says Dave Casey, a senior from Eastern
Michigan University. He hadn. t heard about the campaign until the Ruckus
camp but is now planning to make it the focus of his campus activism. . It
puts a head on the enemy; it gives us an opportunity to take concrete local
actions on campus. It also helps make connections because no matter what you
. re already working on, Citi. s probably involved in it..

The week in Florida ended with a campwide direct action role-play. Trainers
stood in as police, campus officials, and reporters. A RAN staffer played
Citigroup. s CEO, Sandy Weill, who was visiting the mock campus for a
speaking event. In a scene of organized chaos reminiscent of recent
antiglobalization protests, the campers put into play almost everything they
had learned that week. One action team locked their arms through steel
tubing to the chassis of a van, blocking the CEO. s limousine from entering
campus. Another team went to the auditorium, where three students locked
themselves together on the stage with bicycle U-locks around their necks.
. Citigroup is profiting from racism,. said one of the students hoarsely, as
an aggressive newscaster from . No Content News. stuck a mic in his face. A
third team scaled the walls of the administration building. A banner with
Citi. s red umbrella and a slash through it fluttered high above the ground.
Chants of . Human need! Not corporate greed!. filled the camp. The chants
finally turned to cheers as the lead Ruckus trainer yelled out, . OK. Stop!
You guys won!. It is unlikely that students will hear these words from
Citigroup itself any time soon, but as Reinsborough says, . This is just the
beginning..

***********************

also for another detailed article on the Alternative Spring Break Spank the
Bank Ruckus camp from In these Times magazine check out :

http://www.inthesetimes.com/web2511/winters2511.html

______________________________________________________________
#3  A FEW REPORTS FROM APRIL 11TH

We've heard from dozens of local organizers who leafleted, demonstrated,
gathered boycott statements and had fun being a thorn in the side of the
world's most destructive bank.  Below are some of the few we recieved
written write ups about.  We know there's a lot more great day of action
stories out there so send them in!

Let us know what happened in your community! Send reports to
organize@ran.org!  Also if you've got cool pictures, media clips or ideas
that worked on your day of action that you want to share with activists
other places - send them into RAN and we'll put them up on the Citi website!
Mail hard copies to RAN Attn : Citi campaign 221 Pine St. #500 SF CA 94103


-Haverford University
Students at Haverford got cell phones donated for the day and gave away free
cookies and muffins to folks who called Mark Rogers, Citigroup's director of
public affairs.  They had an extended conversation with Mr. Rogers about
Citi's involvement with the China Development Bank--the bank that is funding
the 3 Gorges Dam project in China.  They collected 168 signatures of
Haverford and Bryn Mawr students who pledges not to work for Citi until they
have meaningful social and environmental criteria to evaluate their
financial projects.  They're planning to mail them to Citigroup this week.

-U of Chicago
At the University of Chicago students chalked the corporate cluster on
campus in front of Citibank with messages reading "do you know where your
money is?"  They hung a banner from the trees in their plaza that faced the
administration building offices with the words "Citibank Lives Richly Thanks
to UofC Students."  The university administration sent out a survey on
Tuesday regarding Citibank as the ATM provider on campus, as apparently
their contract is coming up for review. Students also made a large chalk
mural in the plaza that listed all the ills that Citi perpetuates under the
heading "We Want A New Bank!"  They passed out hundreds of flyers and
surveys to passersby to kick off an intensive campaign to kick Citi off
campus!

-NYC
In NYC nearly 100 students and activists turned out during lunch hour for a
New Orleans style funeral procession to Citigroup Headquarters, led by
street preacher and performance artist Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop
Shopping.  Demonstrators dressed as orangutans, trees and other various
species and impacted communities danced to marching band jazz music after a
coffin bearing the Earth.  The really visited Citibank branches along the
way, where the question was asked is Citi going to stop funding destruction
or is it going to hammer the last nail in the coffin of the planet.  Various
speakers brought attention to Citigroup's shameless track record.  Inner
City Press/Community on the Move addressed Citi's racist lending policies, a
member of the NOW class-action lawsuit raised awareness around incidents of
sexual harassment and
discrimination at Salomon Smith Barney, and Rainforest Action Network spoke
out against Citi's funding of environmentally devastating projects around
the world. Students from NYU and Wesleyan announced a credit card boycott
and efforts to kick Citi off campus. The rally ended with demonstrators
liberating the earth from Citi's coffin and deposited dozens of red
umbrellas into the casket as Radical Cheerleaders led the crowd in a rousing
version of Dancing on the Ruins of Multinational Corporations.   Much fun
was had and media attention gained from Reuters, ABC, Financial Times, the
Village Voice, 17 Magazine, and the IMC!

-U of Utah
Students and Green Party members in Salt Lake City demonstrated at a
downtown Associates Capital Bank to protest their connection with Citigroup.
They handed out pamphlets listing grievances and exposing Citi's role in
environmentally and socially destructive projects.  They also distributed
information the Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against the Associates
First Capital Corporation, owners of Associates Capital Bank. The suit
spotlight practices of predatory lending.  Students at the University of
Utah called on their administration to cut ties to Citigroup, as their vice
president of finance and accounting admitted they do invest in the
corporation.  They called on other student to pressure the university to use
its shareholding powers now to institute change.  They also pledged to
protest Citi's ATM and student union information booths.  They landed a
great article about the day's events in the Daily Utah Chronicle!

SF -
35 local activists faced a chilly drizzle to do a tour of 4 different
Citibank branches. The procession filled the streets with vibrant anti-Citi
chants as over a thousand flyers were handed out. At each branch a symbolic
deposit was made to show Citi the true cost of their destructive practices.
A red ribbon was deposited to highlight Citi's racist redlining
and predatory lending practices.  An orangutan displaced by Citi funding
palm plantations in Indonesia deposited a bag of sawdust to represent the
threat to biological and cultural diversity that Citi's investments in
forest destruction represent.  A bottle of oil polluted water (complete with
dead fish) was delivered to remind Citi that their investments in fossil
fuels are causing global warming and destroying  fragile ecosystems from
Venezuela's Orinoco river delta to the African rainforests.  The final
delivery was of a giant cut up citi credit card delivered by a student in
graduation cap and gown
who in a fiery speech (yeah Dana!)declared that not only would students be
boycotting Citi credit cards but they would be boycotting jobs with Citi as
well. Citi's highly articulate reponse -  "No comment."

Charleston, SC
35 protesters, with lots of great signs, banners, and someone in an
orangutan suit visited the downtown SSB office.  Lots of info was
distributed, lots of tourists got the see another side of Charleston and the
protest got tons of media included 3 TV newscasts.

Portland, OR
A marathon roving protest with 4 rallies on 3 different campuses.  A slick
guerrilla theater piece educated people about the links between Citi and the
growing prison industry.  Banners were hung off buildings including one
which read "Practice What you Teach: Invest Responsibly, not in Citigroup
destruction".  A press conference with speakers form Portland State
University, Reed and Lewis and Clark addressed Citi's involvement in the
prison industry, predatory lending, and environmental destruction and
announced the coalition to kick Citi off all 3 campuses!  Activists marched
around campus chanting "Invest in Education not Incarceration" "PSU, LC and
Reed unite to stop corporate greed" and "Hey hey ho ho, citigroup has got to
go."  To top it all off copies of the statement and press release where
delivered to the school presidents to let them know that students don't want
their money going to the world's most destructive bank!

Vancouver, British Columbia
Over 20 activists from Forest Action Network drummed and danced through the
streets of Vancouver distributing
literature about the evil practices of Canada's largest bank
Toronto-Dominion (TD). Several branches were visited
and 72 year old forest defender Betty Krawcyk (who recently completed a long
prison term for blocking old growth logging in the Elaho valley)led the way
into the first branch to educate customers about TD's role in financing
rainforest destruction.
The day climaxed with mass sticker of TD ATM's and the cutting up of a giant
TD credit card.  For more info see www.fanweb.org


from Rainforest Action Network April 16, 2001


Press release from RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK

For Immediate Release, April 16, 2001

Contact: Ilyse Hogue, 415/595-7246 (on site); Shannon Wright: 415/596-7246;
415/398-4404

Activists Hang Banner at CITIGROUP Headquarters:
. HEY CITI, NOT WITH MY MONEY!.

Event Follows on This Week. s Launch of Credit Card Boycott, Protests in 80
Cities and 12 Countries

Demonstrations Planned for Tomorrow at CITI Shareholder Meeting

New York, NY-- During morning rush hour in midtown Manhattan, commuters were
greeted with the sight of two activists unfurling a 20-foot banner from flag
poles outside of Citigroup. s (Citi) headquarters reading, . Hey CITI, Not
With My Money!. The climbers were drawing public attention to the growing
controversy around Citi. s leading role in financing environmentally and
socially destructive projects around the globe.

Today. s event follows on the heels of the launch of a student led boycott
against Citi credit cards and protests in more than 80 cities in 12
countries last Wednesday, April 11th.  Growing ranks of students and
shareholders are joining the campaign to demand that Citi adopt
comprehensive environmental and social criteria throughout their lending and
trading business.

. With only 22 percent of primary forests intact on the planet, there are
certain activities we can longer afford to fund,. said Ilyse Hogue of the
Rainforest Action Network. . More and more Citi customers are outraged by the
bank. s leading role in profiting off rainforest destruction, global warming
and the displacement of indigenous peoples..

The climbers were David Murphy, 28 of Brooklyn and Scott Anderson, 27 of
Kentucky.  Mr. Murphy commented, . Citi has a consistent record of
prioritizing short term profits at the expense of long term health of
communities and the environment. I am here to send a clear message that Citi
can no longer fund immoral and destructive activities with MY money..

Representatives from Rainforest Action Network on site today pointed to
several examples of the company. s involvement in egregious projects,
including mining in the fragile Amazon basin, constructing oil pipelines
through indigenous land in Venezuela and expanding palm plantations in
critical habitat of endangered orangutans in Indonesia. Protesters also
highlighted Citi. s policies of redlining in communities and . predatory
lending. in urban areas that disproportionately affect economically
disadvantaged people and target communities of color.

The international campaign targeting Citigroup is working to transform the
funding practices of the corporate financial system. The campaign is calling
for Citigroup as America. s largest financial institution, to become an
industry leader in integrating social and environmental criteria into its
investment decision-making. Rainforest Action Network calls for an immediate
ban on funding development projects that result in the destruction of
primary forests worldwide and a prioritization of lending for renewable
energies and tree-free lumber and paper alternatives.

A broad coalition of groups, including Rainforest Action Network, NY
National Organization of Women, Inner City On The Move, and United For A
Fair Economy, will continue their vigilant protest at Citi. s shareholder
meeting tomorrow morning, April 17 at Carnegie Hall.

High resolution digital photos will be available for use by the press at
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/index.html
- - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - -
Beka Economopoulos
Rainforest Action Network
East Coast Grassroots Organizer
http://www.ran.org
888-840-6416 office
917-560-3609 cell

"Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last river has
been poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then you will
find that money cannot be eaten."
-- Cree Indian Proverb


from Sierra Club April 17, 2001


SC-ACTION Vol. III, #40
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
Thursday, April 12, 2001

-----

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
  "President Bush's actions would gut the Endangered Species Act, our
nation's premiere wildlife protection law."

-- Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director, on Bush's new plan to
limit citizen input on endangered species.

-----

[1] ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: Bush Pushes to Make Public Comment Extinct

President Bush's proposed budget would gut the Endangered Species Act by
severely limiting money for enforcement. Although the public could still
sue -- as is common -- to force the Fish and Wildlife Service to list an
animal as endangered, by cutting the funds used to enforce the results,
these citizen suits would be rendered ineffective.

To find out more details and keep on top of the latest news:
http://www.sierraclub.org/politics/bush/

-----

[2] OPINIONS: Public Unhappy With Bush's Environmental Approach

According to a just-released Bloomberg poll: "President Bush's approach to
the environment is meeting with disapproval, even among groups that voted
for him last November..." Though Bush's general approval rating is up a
bit, to 56 percent, on environmental issues he wins the approval of just 38
percent of Americans. Another 34 percent disapproves of his environmental
agenda and the remaining 28 percent are undecided or won't say. "It's not
just tree huggers," said Evans Witt, president of Princeton Survey Research
Associates, the company that conducted the poll. "There's a chunk of his
core supporters who aren't happy" with the president's actions on the
environment.

To read more results from the Bloomberg poll:
http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?T=money_nstory.ht&s=AOtRr5hRiVGhlIEJs

-----

[3] FRANKEN-FOOD FIGHT: Monsanto Triumphs Over Farmer Who Grew GM Crop

Percy Schmeiser, a farmer in Saskatchewan, Canada, owes the Monsanto
corporation up to $85,000 for growing genetically-modified Round-Up Ready
Canola. The twist: it was an accident. According to Mr. Schmeiser's
testimony, GM pollen from a neighbor's farm blew into his canola field.
Despite the fact that the GM seed he grew was in effect "pollution," a
Canadian judge ruled that Schmeiser is liable for licensing fees and
profits on the crop grown. Canadian environmentalists note that roughly 40
percent of Canada's canola crop is now grown from genetically-modified
seed.

Learn more about the case:
http://www.percyschmeiser.com

Read a recently-revised Sierra Club report on genetic engineering:
http://www.sierraclub.org/biotech/report.asp

-----

[4] GREAT LEAKS: Global Warming Likely Cause of Great Lakes Decline

Falling water levels in the Great Lakes are trigging renewed debate over
why the level of the lakes has long been in decline. A new study, reported
in the Detroit News, points to global warming. The study suggests that
water levels, which have been in decline for several years, could fall by
an additional 1 to 3 feet over the next three decades. Businesses that
depend on materials transported by barge and boaters who ply the waters for
pleasure are worried that the decline could harm the local economy.

To read more about global warming and the Great Lakes:
http://detnews.com/2001/metro/0104/11/a01-210689.htm

-----

[5] TAKE ACTION: Time to Stop POPs -- Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemicals like DDT, PCB and
dioxin. Not only are these chemicals extremely toxic, they hang around in
the environment, resisting the natural processes that break down some types
of pollution. Even worse: POPs accumulate in human body fat and are passed
on to babies in the womb and to infants through breast milk.

The "Stockholm Convention," an international treaty to reduce the amount of
persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in our environment, is almost ready to
be signed. This treaty is crucial to reducing the amount of toxic chemicals
in our environment -- and our bodies. And the Stockholm Convention is
strongly supported by environmentalists around the world.

The only question then: Will the Bush administration sign it?

Send a fax to Secretary of State Powell to urge U.S. support:
http://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/index.jsp

For more information on the POPs treaty:
http://www.sierraclub.org/toxics/resources/

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

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 Rural Advancement Foundation International April 17, 2001


RAFI News Release
April 11, 2001

The "ETC" Century

Erosion, Technological Transformation, and Corporate Concentration in the 21st Century

New report warns that after Terminator, 'Generation 3' biotech, and the Gene Giants, will come Nanotechnology, Neural manipulation, and the looming 'Binano Republic'.

Jointly published by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation (Uppsala, Sweden) and RAFI (Winnipeg, Canada), the 128 page study by Pat Mooney looks at three major forces that will shape the 21st century - Erosion, Technological transformation, and Corporate concentration - 'ETC'.  The 'ETC' Century goes beyond RAFI's normally broad mandate in biodiversity, biotechnology, and genomics, to explore a panoply of other corporate and technology developments affecting our planet.  

Divided into four parts, The "ETC" Century is filled with up-to-date data and historic perspectives drawing from RAFI's 24-year experience.  Although the publication is being released in April 2001, for technical reasons the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation's journal, Development Dialogue, bears the date 1999: 1-2.    

Erosion:  In section one, the forces eroding our eco-systems, human cultures, and equitable societies are analyzed.  In one-third of Latin America there are no indigenous languages spoken.  Almost half of the world's languages disappeared in the last century and half of those remaining will vanish with the current generation. The report argues that with the erosion of language comes the erosion of our knowledge of the eco-system and our capacity to adapt to climate change and other environmental pressures.  "Our generation is the first generation in the history of the world to lose more knowledge than we gain" Pat Mooney insists.    

Technological transformation: As the critical elements for human survival (our biological environment and our cultural diversity) collapse, powerful new technologies are being brought forward to manipulate our world.  The second section examines current strategies in biotechnology including biological warfare.  Accessing confidential military documents, the report notes that 1000 kg of the chemical sarin gas used in a Tokyo subway can only kill 8000 people, a one megaton hydrogen bomb can kill 1.9 million people and a 100 kg Anthrax "bomb" dropped over a city from a helicopter can kill three million people.  Biowarfare, including agro-terrrorism and ethnically targeted "bombs" are so inexpensive, anonymous, and effective that they will be used.

Nanotechnology (the construction of both living and non-living materials from the atom up), informatics, robotics, sensors, aerospace, material, and neural sciences are also discussed in Section Two.   Announcing the "dawning of the Age of Liliput" the report describes nanotechnology as the logical declension or move "down" from genes to atoms as the critical unit of commerce in the 21st century.  OECD governments are now spending over $1.5 billion per annum on nanotech development.  From no nanotech patents at all ten years ago, the U.S. Patent Office is granting more than 150 a year now.  The key barrier to nanoscale manufacturing was thought to be the inability of machines to self-replicate.  In 2000, more than a dozen patents were issued for molecular self-assembly to such powerful research institutions as the U.S. Navy, and major aerospace, computer, car, and drug companies.  The report documents the power of nanotechnology and suggests that nanotech in 2001 is in the sam!
e stage of development as biotech in 1987.  "Except that information technologies make the pace of progress enormously faster with nanotech than with biotech," Pat Mooney concludes.  

Looking at the full set of inter-related new technologies coming onto the stage,  Mooney argues that biotech and nanotech will merge and that nano-scale technologies will spell the "death of dissent" as sensors, biocomputers, and miniscule robots render privacy impossible. "The 'right to privacy' and 'freedom of information' will be inverted into the corporation's right to privacy and its right to have access to our information," Mooney suggests,  "most scientists have been 'social somnambulists' - avoiding the social impact of their research while benefiting from commercialization."   

Corporate concentration: In its third section, The "ETC" Century identifies corporate concentration as a major force.  The erosion of the resource base (including human resources) and the assent of new technologies (purported to compensate for this erosion) will compel a level of corporate mergers and alliances cutting across traditional industrial sectors.  In the food sector, input and output enterprises (life sciences and food processors) may merge with commodity retailers such as Wal-Mart.  The health care industry is already merging the drug makers with medical service providers as companies recognize that their economic future lies in making well people dependent rather than making sick people independent.  Further down the road the report conjectures that nutriceuticals and farmaceuticals could cause a total merger of biochemistry-based enterprises dominated by the insurance industry.  "No one gains more from knowing and controlling genomics than your insurance company,!
" Mooney says,  "What happens to genetic privacy when your doctor is also your insurance agent?"

Returning to the theme of cultural erosion, this section also poses the merger of the information and entertainment industries with communications hardware and software firms - 'conduit' and 'content' become one industry.  Even today, five companies dominate global news, music, cinemas, and entertainment.  The "ETC" Century also concludes that before the year 2030 nanotechnology will bring about the transformation (or elimination) of mining and heavy manufacture.  The new economic order created by nanotechnology will amount to a 'Binano Republic' in which everything from Big Macs to GameBoys will be created and controlled by a corporate oligopoly.  

ETC Solutions:  In its concluding section, the report outlines a series of initiatives for civil society organizations (CSOs) to begin now to address the "ETC" Century.  Pat Mooney, if not entirely optimistic, ends by offering some hope that the future predicted can still be averted.  

To encourage debate on the trends analyzed in The "ETC" Century, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and RAFI will hold a seminar focusing on new technologies at the Foundation's centre in Uppsala June 25-29, 2001, titled, "What Next in Technological Transformation?" the seminar will bring together an invited group of 35 activists, scientists, and academics from around the world to explore the socio-economic and scientific implications of nano and other technologies.  Following this global gathering, the two organizations will also work with partner organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to convene regional workshops on the same themes.  The Asian workshop is expected to be held in September 2001 in conjunction with SEARICE (Southeast Asian Regional Institute for Community Education based in Manila, Philippines).  The Latin American workshop scheduled for November, will be led by CET (Centro Ecologia t Tecnologia based in Temuca, Chile).  Details of the African workshop !
are not yet finalized.

Copies of the publication:
One to five copies of The "ETC" Century are available at no charge.  Ask for Development Dialogue 1999:1-2, The "ETC" Century  from:
The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation
Dag Hammarskjöld Centre
Övre Slottsgaten 2
SE-753 10 UPPSALA
SWEDEN
Fax:  (46) (18) 122072
E-mail:  secretariat@dhf.uu.se
Website:  www.dhf.uu.se

A PDF version of the full text can also be downloaded from RAFI's website at www.rafi.org.

For further information:
Pat Mooney,  Executive Director
RAFI
110 Osborne St. S, Suite 202
Winnipeg  MB  R3L 1Y5
CANADA
Phone:  (204) 453-5259

RAFI's "Name-Calling" Contest:  We're changing our name and we're looking for your ideas!  Until May 1, please go to www.rafi.org to see the names others are suggesting and to add your own.


from National Environmental Trust April 17, 2001


CampaignsTake ActionNewsroomThe IssueSolutionsMore InfoCampaign HomeNET Home



      

Save Our Last Wild National Forests!

In the next two weeks, President Bush will determine the fate of America's last pristine National Forests.  Should these last unspoiled forest lands now be open to logging, mining, and drilling?  Or should they remain protected as a haven for wildlife, a source of clean water, and a heritage for our children?

Since you last took action, the Bush Administration repeatedly has refused to support the popular forest conservation policy that YOU helped to create.  Backed by special interests and large corporate contributors, the Bush Administration has signaled its intent to allow logging, mining, and drilling in our last majestic untouched forests.

Please send a free FAX to President Bush TODAY, and tell him to conserve our precious last wild forests for future generations.  Tell him to SUPPORT the Roadless Area Conservation Rule!

What's at Stake?

The U.S. Forest Service issued the popular forest conservation plan, known as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, earlier this year.  It was the result of the most extensive public participation in a rulemaking process IN HISTORY, including more than 600 public meetings, 1.6 million public comments, and two years of public debate.

This forest conservation policy would protect the last 58 million acres of pristine National Forest lands from logging, mining, and drilling, which are already allowed on most National Forest lands.  

With a White House decision imminent, will you please send a message right now to President Bush urging him to protect America's last unspoiled National Forest lands from logging, mining and drilling?

Because once these forests are gone, they're gone forever.

The Heritage Forests Campaign

Click on the button below, or visit: http://environet.policy.net/grassroots

             


Global Warming | Clean Air | Children's Environmental Health | Heritage Forests



from League of Conservation Voters April 18, 2001


Come show your support for the heroes who strive to make sound
environmental protections a reality.  Please join us in Washington, DC on
April 25th for LCV's Rally for the Allies - an event to celebrate the
members of Congress who make the environment a priority.  Featured
speakers include Rep. George Miller (CA-7) and Rep. Sherwood Boehlert
(NY-23) and LCV President Deb Callahan.  Please RSVP soon - we hope to see
you there!

For more information, visit: http://lcv.org


from the Nature Conservancy April 18, 2001


Who says you can't change the world?

Every April 22 since 1970, millions of people just like you have gotten
together to celebrate Earth Day.  The brainchild of Gaylord Nelson, a
U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Earth Day celebrations are now held in 184
countries.  Last year's merriment saw 200 million people around the
world join together in the name of environmental awareness.  

Here's what's new at nature.org for Earth Day 2001!

*  Are you eco-savvy? - find out by taking our Earth Day Quiz. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a4
*  Like birds?  Check out our bird tips. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a3
*  Of course, Earth Day or not, we're always hard at work - check out our latest
   Success Stories. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a5
*  Spruce up your desktop with some new wallpaper. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a1
*  Make someone's day - send one of our new nature e-cards. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a2

Click on over to nature.org today -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a9
Earth Day 2001 - there's no better time to get involved.


from World Wildlife April 18, 2001


  

WWF World Wildlife Fund
E-newsletter for a living planet

Tell Us More.

Please take a moment to tell us about yourself, so we can send you news about events and issues that are important to you.

Do you know?
Where is the world's largest population of wild tigers?
a) Siberia b) Singapore c) India d) China
Celebrity Species Eco-Zone

Monkey Business

 

A victim of their own beauty, golden lion tamarins of the Brazilian rainforest have been prized as pets since colonial times. Learn about the efforts of World Wildlife Fund's Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Project to bring this diminutive creature back from the brink of extinction.

Or you may visit Brazil's Pantanal and see golden lion tamarins in their natural setting. World Wildlife Fund is leading a tour to this extraordinary tropical wilderness from June 20-29, 2001.  And remember, when you travel with World Wildlife Fund, you are helping to support conservation worldwide.

Rooftop of the World

Stretching from lush moist forests in the south to towering snow capped peaks in the north, the Eastern Himalayas are home to an astonishing variety of wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. But the pressures of poverty and a rapidly growing human population pose a threat to this diverse ecoregion.

 

Find out what World Wildlife Fund is doing to protect and preserve this endangered space.

Making Tracks Earth Flash

Reverse Carbon Dioxide Emissions

President Bush recently backed away from his campaign pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.  Find out what you CAN do to urge the President to support an effective climate change protocol.

Lend a Hand On Earth Day

 

WWF is the leading conservation voice on the issue of global warming.  But individual actions can be as important as international treaties when it comes to this issue.  For example, the replacement of a single standard light bulb with an energy-efficient fluorescent can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 500 pounds per year.  Take a moment this Earth Day to find out what you can do to promote clean energy.

This month, learn more about taking action with World Wildlife Fund.
Action Kit CAN Living Planet Pledge Green Tips
Take action -- make a difference.
Join CAN Now
Conservation Action Network

Celebrate Earth Day.
Protect the Planet.


Donate now

Donate Now
Friends of WWF


Miles for the Wild ... clickrewards(tm)

Don't miss out on the opportunity to earn miles while helping the planet.  Each time you donate as a part of the ClickRewards promotion before April 30, 2001, you earn ClickMiles.  Get TRIPLE miles per dollar donated - plus as many as 1500 bonus miles.

Win an Earth Day Gift Package

Register or bid before April 30, 2001 and be automatically entered to win a Celebrate Earth Day Gift Package, courtesy of our auction provider CauseLink.


Special Panda Plush Offer

Through May 1, order a giant panda plush online from DiscoveryStore.com, and WWF and the San Diego Zoo will receive an additional 10% royalty! That's on top of the 6% we already receive!
Make a friend GO WILD ... forward this email.



from Center for Marine Conservaiton April 18, 2001


Your voice this week is extremely important
for the future of the Atlantic spiny dogfish (cape
shark) population.  

You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20308B0418112636C190

Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/Dogfish_Threatened/forward?rk=n7qUq8d1Xpq4W

We encourage you to take action by April 23, 2001

Cape Shark Conservation Threatened

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

At their meeting, next Monday, April 23, the Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission will decide the
fate of the Atlantic spiny dogfish (cape shark) population.
Your voice is needed to stop the undermining of federal
conservation efforts and help save the cape shark population
from collapse.

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

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/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20308B0418112636C190

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish. You
must include the whole letter in your response including
"-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:
Director Gordon Colvin


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

As an Atlantic state resident, I am deeply concerned
about the health of our coastal and ocean resources.
I am therefore distressed to learn that, despite strict
federal controls and recent state emergency action,
Atlantic spiny dogfish sharks remain at serious risk
from overfishing. I understand that the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will discuss this
issue on April 23.

As you may know, an unsustainable dogfish fishery throughout
the '90s led to severe depletion of the targeted mature
females and a record low number of pups - damage that
will now take decades to repair. The lack of stringent
dogfishing limits in state waters is derailing the
federal rebuilding plan. Massachusetts, in particular,
has allowed continued, excessive dogfish fishing. As
a result, the 2000 federal dogfish quota for these
vulnerable sharks was exceeded by 67%.  

I feel strongly that the "constant harvest strategy"
that Massachusetts is proposing for the ASMFC - that
would more than double the quota allowed by the federal
plan on depleted mature females - leaves this damaged
public resource at unacceptable risk.

I am grateful for your recent support of the ASMFC
emergency dogfish closure and remain strongly in favor
of a long term ASMFC dogfish plan that continues to
protect the population in line with the federal recovery
plan. I therefore strongly urge you to attend the dogfish
management discussion on April 23 and ensure that our
state votes for:

-- Rejection of the "constant harvest strategy"  
   for dogfish;
-- Adoption of federally compatible state dogfish
   measures;
-- Emergency closures until new, long term  
   measures are in place.

Thank you for considering my views.

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


from Global Response April 18, 2001


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

In January, Global Response launched an international letter-writing
campaign to help NGOs in Papua New Guinea maintain a moratorium on new
logging concessions in the country's magnificent rainforests.  Global
Response members sent letters and faxes to the World Bank and to the Papua
New Guinea government (see Action Alert text at
http://www.globalresponse.org/gra_index/gra0101.html).

Now we can send automatic emails from the Forests.org website -- and we need
to do this immediately!  Decisions about the moratorium will be announced in
the next few weeks.  Papua New Guinea environment and development
organizations are sending out a renewed appeal for international support to
uphold the logging moratorium.  Please take a moment to add your voice to
this critical campaign.

Thanks,
Paula Palmer, Global Response

*****************************
ACTION ALERT!
PAPUA NEW GUINEA TO ALLOW FINAL CLEARING OF RAINFOREST WILDERNESS
   Government and International Donors to Let Moratorium on New
   Logging End Despite New Evidence of Law Breaking
April 17, 2001
By Forests.org, Inc. at http://forests.org/

TAKE ACTION NOW!
http://forests.org/emailaction/png.htm

Papua New Guinea (PNG) contains the third largest intact tropical
rainforest wilderness in the World.  In 1999, the PNG government,
World Bank and Australian government committed to a moratorium on new
logging operations as a requirement for a new loan program.  The
moratorium was to stay in place until there had been independent
reviews of proposed and existing timber operations, and the review
findings and recommendations were implemented in new policy and
legislation.  The preliminary results from the first review found
that incompetence and illegalities mark the timber allocation
process.  Despite months of protest, the World Bank and Australian
government have yet to announce whether they still support the
moratorium - and will withhold further lending if the PNG government
does not honor its commitments to maintain the moratorium.  The final
decision will be made shortly, and through their silence donors are
signaling that allowing the moratorium to lapse is acceptable.
Outraged by this betrayal, PNG forest communities and organizations
are calling for international support.

Maintaining the moratorium, ending subsidies to industrial log export
and implementing a new forest management paradigm that emphasizes
community based certified forestry and protected areas; will all
prove crucial to the future of PNG's community well being,
governance, and rich biodiversity and ecosystems.  Please demand that
the moratorium on new logging in Papua New Guinea be maintained.
Check back frequently as this alert will be updated bi-weekly.

TAKE ACTION NOW!
http://forests.org/emailaction/png.htm

P.S.  Please forward this email to friends, family and colleagues.


More Information can be found at the Papua New Guinea Rainforest
Conservation & Sustainable Development Portal at
http://forests.org/pngforest.html


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

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


from Greenpeace April 19, 2001


US President George Bush has announced that his administration is abandoning US support for the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The decision has sparked outrage around the world and there have been many calls for Bush's corporate backers to distance themselves from this decision.

On 5 April, Greenpeace launched a new climate campaign by writing to the 100 largest US corporations, many of whom funded Bush's election campaign, and asking them to explain their position on the Kyoto Protocol. As of today, only ExxonMobil, the largest US corporation, has responded, not with a letter, but by taking out ads in major newspapers attacking the Kyoto Protocol.

Please help stop global warming by joining our campaign to force the largest US corporations to take a clear position on the Kyoto Protocol and greenhouse gas reduction.

1. Download a climate action kit from:

http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/collector/getMessage?i=17

which contains a list of the 100 largest US corporations.

2. Write to the local branches of these companies in your own community and ask them "Does your company support the ratification and entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol?".

3. Use the poster, flyer and other information in the action kit to promote this campaign in your own community.

4. Join the Climate Action Group at:

http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/ag/listGroups

and participate in online discussions on this campaign.

Please help send a strong signal to George Bush and the US corporations that support him.

Kevin Jardine
New Media Campaigner
Greenpeace International

VISIT THE CYBERCENTRE

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


from Rainforest Action Network April 19, 2001


IN THIS POST
1) Summary of the week of global protest against Citi!
2) New York Times blurb on banner hang at Citi HQ
3) press release on Citigroup shareholder meeting
4) "Sandy"--spoof song: Barry Manilow's "Mandy"
5) Citigroup Shuts Down Artists Web Site

____________________________________________________
#1

DEMONSTRATION AT SHAREHOLDER MEETING CAPS WEEK OF GLOBAL PROTEST AT CITI
CAMPAIGN RAMPED UP, CITI FEELS THE HEAT!

There is certainly no question at this point that CEO Sandy Weill and the
rest of the World's Most Destructive Bank are feeling the heat.  After an
incredibly successful and unprecedented week of events, people of conscience
have every reason to celebrate.

Demonstrations at the annual shareholders meeting on the 17th capped a
week-long drive to expose Citi's destructive practices and advocate for a
democratic, just and ecologically sane economy.  Students and protesters
affiliated with the Rainforest Action Network, United for a Fair Economy,
Inner City Press/Community on the Move, Student environment action
Coalition and the National Organization For Women distributed fact sheets
and fortune cookies with special messages.  When shareholders read their
fortunes they were treated to kernels of truth tacked on to Citi's latest
greenwashing PR campaign - Citi lives richly of predatory lending...Citi
lives richly off of rainforest destruction... Citi lives richly off global
warming.

Unfortunately the NY Police Department decided that Citigroup had the right
to silence the protesters and threatened to arrest anyone flyering or
handing out fortune cookies.  Pam Martens, a representative of NOW-NY and
one of the original lead plaintiffs on the "Boom Boom Room Suit" in which
2000 women are involved in a class action suit to expose Citigroup's
systematic sexual harassment of female employees - was arrested for handing
out flyers.

Undetered by the flagrant violation of our constitutional rights,
demonstrators held a press conference where Adam Hurter from Wesleyan, Liz
Aakhus from Columbia and Kelly Nagy from SEAC described the national
campaign on campuses to boycott Citi credit cards.  Over 12,000 signed
postcards and pledges to boycott Citi's cards, loans and jobs were
displayed.  Other speakers touched on shareholder activism and the range of
different communities that were uniting to confront Citi's systemic abuses.
The world famous Red Dancing Umbrella Troupe performed a choreographed dance
with Citi's trademark red umbrellas (adorned with CITI crossed out) while
singing an ode to Sandy Weill's destructive behavior set to the tune of
Barry Manilow's Mandy.  The rally culminated with 2 people (one an inspired
passerby!) spontaneously cutting up their Citi credit cards in front of the
flashing bulbs of the international financial press. For pictures see
http://www.ran.org/info_center/press_release/010417.html

Members of the anti-Citi coalition infiltrated the shareholder's meeting had
an opportunity to address Sandy Weill and shareholders directly inside the
meeting.  After a fiery speech challenging Sandy on his company's
environmental and social record, Ilyse Hogue, campaign director of the
Beyond the Bottom Line Campaign at the Rainforest Action Network was
escorted out of the building.

An account of the days events is available online, where you can hear a
transcript of yesterday's Democracy Now! show with Amy Goodman and guests
Ilyse Hogue of RAN and Matthew Lee of Inner City Press/Community On the
Move.  Check it out at http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/demnow.html.
Unfortunately Citigroup refused to appear on the show since they said they
were unwilling to debate anyone from the Rainforest Action Network.

The shareholder meeting was the final cap to a week-long series of anti-Citi
protests.  The day before, activists with RAN hung a banner in front of the
Citigroup Headquarters which read "Hey CITI, Not With My Money!".  Pictures
can be seen at www.ran.org and
www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/index.html.

On April 11th over 80 demonstrations in 12 countries on 5 continents
provided a powerful demonstration of global support for an end to Citi's
funding of destruction and for an economy that values principles over
profits.  The message to Citi is clear : there is a global movement to
transform the financial system and Citigroup is our first target.

Thanks to everyone who played a role in the past week's events.  We did an
amazing job of getting under Citi's skin.  There is no chance that they are
unaware of a world-wide popular effort to transform the practices of the
corporate financial sector.  We're in an incredible position to build upon
the links that have been made between different movements and keep the
pressure on Citi.  Whether its a weekly adopt-a-Citi demo, teach-ins,
regular phone zapping or non-violent direct actions let's all keep the
pressure up!  Citi is learning the hard way that they cannot ignore this
coalition and that we will no longer allow them to profit from the
destruction of the environment, racist lending practices, exploitation of
low income communities or the systematic violation of the rights of women.
United our movements can force Citigroup and the rest of the financial
industry to go beyond the bottomline and create a world where principles
come ahead of short term profits.

Inspired and Invigorated,

RAN Beyond the Bottom Line Campaign Team
Beka Economopoulos, Ilyse Hogue, Patrick Reinsborough


- - - - - - - - - -

#2 NEW YORK TIMES
April 17, 2001

MANHATTAN: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEST IN MIDTOWN Eight members of an
environmental group were charged yesterday with reckless endangerment and
disorderly conduct after unfurling a 20-foot-long banner during the morning
rush in Midtown. Members of the Rainforest Action Network climbed flagpoles
and unfurled the banner reading, "Hey Citi: Not With My Money!" at
Citigroup's offices at East 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue. The group said
it objected to the bank's loans for projects like mining in Amazon rain
forests. Leah C. Johnson, a Citigroup spokeswoman, said, "We share some of
their concerns, but we're just not sure what climbing up a flagpole has to
do with these concerns."   Al Baker (NYT)


- - - - - - - - - - - - -
#3

For Immediate Release Contact: Ilyse Hogue, 415/595-7246 (on site)
April 17, 2001 Shannon Wright: 415/596-7246; 415/398-4404

CITIGROUP SHAREHOLDER MEETING ROCKED BY PROTEST

Dramatic Cap to a Week of Protests Against Banking Giant. s Social and
Environmental Policies

Students Launch International Credit Card Boycott: . Not With My Money,
Citi!.

New York, NY. Shareholders attending Citigroup. s (Citi) shareholder meeting
this morning at Carnegie Hall were greeted by a lively protest with
representatives from diverse organizations demanding that Citi go beyond the
bottom line and clean up its act on environmental and social abuses
worldwide.  Student representatives also announced to gathering shareholders
that an international Citi credit card boycott has been launched.

Calling Citigroup . the world. s most destructive bank,. students from
national networks also announced their campus campaign to transfer student
loan balances away from Citi and challenge university relationships with the
financial institution.

. Students customers are the backbone of the Citigroup machine!. declared
Kelly Nagy from Student environment action Coalition. . We are waking up to
the company. s environmental track record and policies and proclaiming, . Hey
Citi, not with my money!.

A broad coalition of groups, including Rainforest Action Network, NY
National Organization of Women, Inner City of the Move, and United for A
Fair Economy, held a press conference and protests outside of the
shareholder meeting at Carnegie Hall this morning.

Today. s event caps a week of protests against Citi. s policies in more than
80 cities in 12 countries and a banner hang at the corporate headquarters
yesterday in midtown Manhattan.  Growing ranks of students and shareholders
are joining the campaign to demand that Citi adopt comprehensive
environmental and social criteria throughout their lending and trading
business.

. Students are always on the forefront of every social change movement, so
its no surprise that students are leading the way towards transforming the
global financial system,. said Patrick Reinsborough, Organizing Director of
the  Rainforest Action Network. . Students today understand the connection
between Citi. s leading role in rainforest destruction in South America,
predatory lending in communities of color in the South Bronx, and sexual
harassment in the workplace. They simply will not tolerate their money being
put toward this systemic abuse..

Citi shareholders were also greeted by the upbeat Red Dancing Umbrella
Troupe. co-opting Citi. s corporate logo. with  campaign messages, while
concerned Citi customers handed out custom-made fortune cookies decrying
Citi. s environmental and social negligence.

Representatives from Rainforest Action Network on site today pointed to
several examples of the company. s involvement in egregious projects,
including mining in the fragile Amazon basin and expanding palm plantations
in critical habitat of endangered orangutans in Indonesia. Protesters also
highlighted Citi. s policies of redlining communities and . predatory lending.
in urban areas that disproportionately affect low-income people and target
communities of color.

The international campaign targeting Citigroup is working to transform the
funding practices of the corporate financial system. Rainforest Action
Network calls for an immediate ban on funding development projects that
result in the destruction of primary forests worldwide and a prioritization
of lending for renewable energies and tree-free lumber and paper
alternatives.
#  #  #

- - - - - - - - -
#4
Sandy
(to the tune of "Mandy" by Barry Manilow)

Cutting trees and clearing soil,
Building pipes to carry oil,
Dirtying the air,
Nuclear testing,
Citigroup is there,
Always investing.

    Oh Sandy,
    You can sleep through the night without caring,
    Cause you're there at the top.
    Oh Sandy,
    You've been trashing the planet we're sharing,
    And we need you to stop!
    Oh Sandy.

Propping up corrupt regimes,
Squelching democratic dreams,
Profiting from pain,
But they never sweat it,
Citigroup is there,
Advancing the credit.

    Oh Sandy,
    You can sleep through the night without caring,
    Cause you're there at the top.
    Oh Sandy,
    You've been trashing the planet we're sharing,
    And we need you to stop!
    Oh Sandy.

by Felonius Ax (aka Cliff Tasner)

_______________________________________________
#5
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17th, 2001

CITIGROUP SHUTS DOWN ARTISTS WEB SITE

Overreacting to a satire of its web site, Citigroup has issued a notice
under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act claiming copyright infringement
and demanding that the satirical site be shut down. The notice also applies
to a satire of the web site of its subsidiary Citibank. In response to the
notice, Hostpro, the company hosting the satirical sites, has blocked the
sites from being viewed on the internet and has de-activated the email
accounts of the artists responsible.

The sites, work of the artists collective Together We Can Defeat Capitalism
(TWCDC), were designed as part of the April 11th worldwide day of action
against Citigroup's socially reckless practices organized by the Rain Forest
Action Network (RAN, http://www.ran.org). RAN is not directly involved with
the satires. The sites were to stay on the internet indefinitely as public
monuments to corporate greed and hypocrisy.

TWCDC made the satirical artworks by cloning the web sites CITIBANK.COM and
CITIGROUP.COM and simply putting them back on the internet under the domain
names CITIBANK-GLOBAL-DOMINATION.COM and CITIGROUP-GLOBAL-DOMINATION.COM.
The only changes to the sites were the addition of several links to web
sites documenting Citibank's investments in environmental destruction,
unfair labor practices, involvement in predatory lending practices, money
laundering, etc. For example, a link for Citibank credit cards took
customers to a "cut up your Citibank credit card page" at RAN; a link for
"private banking" took customers to moneylaundering.com.

Apart from such links, the sites were fully functional and customers could
even open legitimate bank accounts with the actual Citibank. TWCDC liked the
idea that the Citi web sites would provide customers with the information to
make informed choices rather than the illusion of choice presented by the
real Citi sites.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, A TWCDC spokesperson explained that the
web site action was in fact doing Citibank a favor as now Citigroup had
domain names more in line with its actual business plan. The spokesperson
added that, "Citigroup is acting aggressively towards our artwork because it
has a guilty conscience about its reckless practices. Citigroup's action
shows how big corporations can just stamp out free speech because they can
afford the expensive lawyers. But we refuse to be bullied by greed."

Copyright law allows "fair use" of copyrighted material for criticism and
comment, particularly for non-commercial usage (Title 17, Chapter 1, Section
107: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ). TWCDC believes its
sites are legal under this definition and the group is seeking to reclaim
its rightful space in the public realm.

TWCDC previously tangled with Citibank over a parody advertising campaign
the group ran in San Francisco in 1997. San Francisco State University had
given permission for its parodies of Citibank ads to be displayed in kiosks
on campus property, but Citibank strong-armed the university into removing
them on threat of legal action.

Citigroup's most recent action against the group underlines how the bottom
line now dominates everything, everywhere and how difficult it is to
disseminate any contrary views to capitalism which now dominates globally.

You could find out more about Together We Can Defeat Capitalism's
controversial projects at http://www.TWCDC.com were it not currently being
blocked by Hostpro.

                                             ###

CONTACTS:
Together We Can Defeat Capitalism
415-643-4845
415-370-9245 (cell)
andycox@earthlink.net
(temporary during de-activation,
preferred contact is phone)

Citigroup
Mark Rodgers, Director of Public Relations
Citigroup New York
718-248-1092
mark.rodgers@citicorp.com

Citigroup Legal Counsel
Mark D. Rasch, Esq.
703-375-2301

Rain Forest Action Network
Patrick Reinsborough
415-398-4404
800-989-RAIN
http://www.ran.org
organize@ran.org

Hostpro
Heather Barnes, Abuse Department
425-974-4715
abuse@hostpro.com


from Rainforest Action Network April 19, 2001


MEDIA ADVISORY AND FULL SCHEDULE

spread the word and help build for the U'wa visit by mobilizing
your community against Plan Colombia and particularly on April 26th
Bernstein/Alliance Capital's investments in Occidental Petroleum!

___________________________________________________________-

Amazon Watch   * Activism Center at Wetlands Preserve  * Rainforest
Relief   * Rainforest Action Network * Action Resource Center

Media Advisory
For Immediate Release: April 17, 2001

Contacts:
Atossa Soltani, 310-455-0617 (CA)
Kim Foster, 617-623-2453 or mobile 617-438-2326   (New England)
Adam Weissman, 212-966-4831 (NY)

Uíwa Tribal Leader Kicks-off U.S. Tour to
Expose the ìCrude Logicî behind the U.S. Drug War in Colombia

(Los Angeles, CA) -- Roberto Perez, President of the Uíwa people of
Colombia will arrive today in Los Angeles for his National Tour (April
17-28) to speak out against Plan Colombia and the corporate interest
behind the so-called ìdrug war.î  The Uíwa people, a peaceful tribe of
5,000 who live in the cloud forests of northeastern Colombia, have
captured headlines around the world for their crusade to halt Occidental
Petroleumís (OXY) exploratory oil drilling operations on land the tribe
considers sacred.

Mr. Perez will speak to audiences in Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston,
Providence, Stratford (CT), and New York (see attached schedule) ranging
from corporate investors to anti-globalization activists, labor unions,
and universities on how U.S. oil interests are served by the military
aid package.

Just two days after Plan Colombia was passed by US congress, the U'wa
homeland became heavily militarized and their peaceful blockade against
OXY was violently disrupted. Today, several thousand armed soldiers
guard the area surrounding the drill site. Meanwhile guerrilla bombing
of Oxyís pipeline has dramatically escalated ñ over sixty attacks so far
this year -- in retaliation to U.S. military aid. Fearing that this
violence will further spread to the heart of their territory, the U'wa
say that they will continue their uncompromising resistance.

The Uíwa chief will speak at the annual shareholder meetings of
Occidental Petroleum in Los Angeles and Textron Technologies, the Huey
Helicopter manufacturer in Rhode Island. In addition, Mr. Perez will
take center stage at demonstrations and vigils at Bernstein/Alliance
Capital, OXYís largest investor (New York) and at Sikorsky Aircraft,
manufacturer of Black Hawk. These companies have been among the most
aggressive lobbyists for the U.S. military aid package.

In Boston, Mr. Perez will join Noam Chomsky at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology for a forum on Free Trade Area of the Americas
and Plan Colombia, where he will speak out against the perils of
globalization and the emerging Colombia oil war.
Each day countless innocent civilians are being displaced, terrorized,
and assassinated throughout Colombia by armed groups, many with ties to
paramilitaries and the Colombian Military. This military is being backed
by powerful US interests: oil companies, weapons and helicopter
manufacturers.

The tour was organized to foster growing awareness of the connection
between oil and Plan Colombia. A major component of  Plan Colombia is
securing access to the country. s oil reserves through protecting current

oil production as well as "securing" the frontiers in order to tap the
unexplored reserves -- an objective that the U.S. Government is not
publicly admitting.  

# # #


Media Advisory Page 2

Schedule of Key Events for Roberto Perez, Uíwa Chief


When            What                 Where       Contact
Friday 4/20/018:30AM-12:30PM
Demonstration at Occidental Petroleum Annual Shareholder Meeting Santa
Monica, CA Miramar Hotel Ocean & Wilshire
Atossa Soltani 310-455-0617202-256-9795 (mobile)

Saturday 4/21/0112:00-2:00 PM
Uíwa Leader to Speak at Rally Against Free Trade Area of the Americas at
U.S. Mexico Border Mobilizations
San Ysidro, CALarsen Field
Atossa Soltani 310-455-0617 202-256-9795 (cel)
Event Hotline 626-403-2530

Sunday 4/22/017:00 PM
Forum w/ Noam Chomsky & Roberto Perez
Boston, MA MIT Bldg. 10 room 250
Kim Foster617-623-2453 617-438-2326 (mobile) or Patrick Reinsborough
(415) 305-RAIN

Tue 4/24/016:30-8:30 AM
Vigil @ Sikorsky Helicopter Plant (Black Hawk Helicopter
Manufacturer)Stratford, CT Sikorsky Plant
Kim Foster 617-623-2453 617-438-2326 (mobile)Patrick Reinsborough (415)
305-RAIN

Wednesday 4/25/01 9:00-11:00AM
Demonstration at Textron Technologies Annual Meeting  (Huey Helicopter
Manufacturer)
Providence, RIConvention Center, (corner of Sabin& Exchange Terrace)Kim
Foster617-623-2453617-438-2326 (mobile)Patrick Reinsborough (415)
305-RAIN

Thursday 4/26/0111:00 AM
Protest Demanding Divestment from Bernstein /  Alliance Capital (Oxyís
top shareholder) New York, NY
Bernstein / Alliance Capital 767 5th Ave. (at 58th St) ManhattanAdam
Weissmann212-966-4831

Saturday 4/28/0111:00AM-6:00PM EARTHFEST 2001 with WBOS Boston, MA Hatch Shell
Kim Foster 617-623-2453 617-438-2326 (mobile)Patrick Reinsborough (415)
305-RAIN


from League of Conservation Voters April 19, 2001


TOn March 23rd the Bush Administration asked for public comments on a
proposal to roll back new BLM hard rock mining regulations that would have
been more protective of the environment and the public's health. These new
regulations are the product of a four year rulemaking process - a process
which involved thousands of public comments, dozens of public hearings in
cities across the west, and four different drafts of the rule - and
replaced old regulations that failed to protect our public lands from
toxic mining pollution. The Bush administration, led by Interior Secretary
Gale Norton, now proposes a return to the earlier rules.

Act quickly. The comment period ends on May 7. To have your voice be
heard, visit the LCV Action Center: http://lcv.org/actioncenter/index.html

_____________________________________________________________
LCV depends on support from its members to help build America the
pro-environment Congress that it deserves. Please join LCV in its fight to
prevent the hard-won progress of the last 30 years from being dismantled.
http://lcv.org/join1
_____________________________________________________________


from the Wilderness Society April 19, 2001


****************************
* WILD ALERT
* Wednesday, April 18, 2001
****************************

The Upper Missouri Breaks, first written about by Lewis and Clark,
comprises the last undeveloped portion of the Missouri River.  This wild
stretch of river meanders through fragrant sagebrush, sandstone castles,
and steep, multicolored cliffs.

The Ironwood Forest National Monument presents a quintessential view of
the Sonoran Desert with ancient forests of saguaro cactus and ancient
ironwood trees, which can live beyond 800 years.

These are just two of nearly two dozen new national monuments that are
being scrutinized by Interior Secretary Gale Norton, with an eye toward
weakening protections for these national treasures.  Your support of
protections for these monuments is crucially important.

Take action now by going to our site to send a message to Secretary
Norton.
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/national_monuments_action.htm

URGENT:  If you live in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, or Oregon,
and if you have the time, please send a copy of your letter to your
governor.  Here's how.  When you take action from our site,  select the
box:  "carbon copies to: myself via e-mail" Then, once you've received the
cc, send it to your governor (email addresses are below).

****************************
BACKGROUND
****************************
On March 28, Interior Secretary Gale Norton sent a letter to western
governors, state and local elected officials, and tribal representatives
asking for their ideas on how to unravel the protections afforded 19 new
national monuments designated by President Clinton.

According to a DOI news release, Norton said she wanted "to hear local
voices and ideas on how best to protect, use and care for these precious
national treasures for generations to come."   That phrase is omitted,
however, from the actual letter Norton sent to governors and local
officials.  Instead, she asked them to make recommendations on:

--monument boundaries
--existing uses within the monuments that should continue
--vehicle use and rights-of-way
--livestock grazing, and
--development such as mining and oil and gas drilling

Such an effort to drum up support for utilitarian management of our
national monuments is entirely wrong-headed.  These are not mere
commodities for sale to the highest bidder.  Just as the Grand Canyon and
Olympic national monuments became national icons, these new monuments are
destined to become some of the most beloved places of the new millenium.
They need protection, not posturing.

That's why we want the Secretary to hear from you.  Your comments are
urgently needed to counter the development-prone ideas Secretary Norton
will receive from some hostile local elected officials, as well as the
off-road vehicle crowd, the oil and gas industry, and others.  Take action
now by going to our site and sending Secretary Norton a fax, or by taking
action below.

****************************
TAKE ACTION AT:
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/national_monuments_action.htm

OR

Write to Secretary Norton and urge her to make protection of the resources
-- not continued local uses -- her first priority.

Send your letter to:
Secretary Gale Norton
c/o Tom Fulton
Office of the Secretary
United States Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC  20240.  

If you live in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, please also
send a copy of your letter to your governor:

LEARN MORE: http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/national_monuments.htm
***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm
***************************************************************
WildAlert is an email action alert system brought to you by The Wilderness
Society to keep you apprised of threats to our wildlands -- in the field
and in Washington. WildAlert messages include updates along with clear,
concise actions you can take to protect America's last wild places. You
are welcome to forward Wildalerts to all those interested in saving
America's wildlands.

FEEDBACK: Please send your comments to <action@tws.org>. If you simply hit "reply" to this
message, please include your email address in the body of the message.

TO SUBSCRIBE: If you have been forwarded this message and would like to
subscribe to the list, send the following message to <lyris@lists.wilderness.org>: "subscribe
wilderness-alert" (inserted in the body of the message, without quotes).

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


from World Wildlife Fund April 19, 2001


Wild Forests At Risk

Dear WWF Conservation Action Network Activist:

A little less than 30 percent of America's national forests remain roadless.  Within
the next two weeks, the Bush administration may move to reverse a critically
important rule that protects these ecologically valuable lands.    Please go to http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ to send a free message urging the
president to keep these last unspoiled forest lands largely off-limits to
logging, mining, and drilling.

Conservation Action Network activists were important contributors to an
outpouring of public support that led President Clinton to issue the forest
protection rule.  That rule-known as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule-was
issued in January 2001, ending virtually all logging, road building, and new coal,
gas, oil, and other mineral leasing in 58 million acres of the wildest remaining
national forest lands.

But the Bush administration is now taking steps to reverse the rule, putting at risk
lands that serve as habitat for threatened and endangered species, provide
recreational opportunities, protect against invasion of nonnative species, and
ensure clean drinking water.

Regrettably, our national forests have been crisscrossed by more than 386,000
miles of roads, enough to circle the globe 15 times.  On average, about 10,000
new miles of roads are built each year, primarily for access to timber.

The roadless rule protections are a well-balanced policy-they will not disturb
existing oil and gas leasing, but will create an essential long-term safeguard for
the few wild areas that remain.  Please act today to protect these last undisturbed
national forest lands.


from Natural Resources Defense Council April 19, 2001


Natural Resources Defense Council's

LEGISLATIVE WATCH

April 19, 2001

******************************
Please do not reply to this message. See the instructions
below for how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions
or comments.
******************************

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 ! =

4/19/01

Congress adjourned for spring recess on 4/6 and is scheduled
to return the week of 4/23. But before leaving town,
legislators did manage to pass a fiscal year 2002 budget
resolution. Democrats successfully added some of the
critical funding in the budget for climate change
activities. On 4/9, President Bush released his budget
proposal, which would deeply slash funding for key natural
resource and environmental programs, including federal
enforcement of environmental laws by the EPA and the
Department of the Interior.

...

Budget

= N O T E ! =
On 4/9, President Bush submitted his budget for next year,
with significant reductions in funding for environmental
programs. The cuts would be a serious blow to environmental
protections and would cripple environmental programs long
into the future, slashing overall spending for environmental
and natural resources agencies by $2.3 billion, or 7.2
percent, in fiscal year 2002, eliminating nearly $500
million from the EPA, nearly $400 million from the
Department of Interior, and more than $600 million from the
U.S. Forest Service. In addition, the Bush budget would cut
about $450 million from the Department of Energy's clean
energy and environmental clean-up programs and fails to
provide funds to develop management plans for several
national monuments designated by President Clinton.

= N O T E ! =
The president's budget also would slash funds for federal
enforcement at the EPA by $11 million. This proposed cut has
the potential to seriously hamper the effectiveness of the
enforcement division, as the reductions would come almost
exclusively from enforcement staff salaries. The loss of key
enforcement officials, estimated at over 8 percent of the
present staff, would severely undermine the EPA's ability to
enforce compliance with environmental laws when states are
unwilling or unable to do so.

= N O T E ! =
On 4/6, the Senate passed the fiscal year 2002 budget
resolution. Led by Sen. Corzine (D-NJ), Democrats tried to
add $50 billion in funding for key environmental programs,
but failed by a vote of 54-46. Sen. Kerry (D-MA), however,
successfully led an effort to restore funding for important
domestic and international programs to address climate
change. Sen. Reid (D-NV) spearheaded a successful effort
that restored funding for renewable energy research and
development, while Sen. Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. Nelson (D-NE)
successfully added money that local communities can use to
address high arsenic levels in their drinking water. The
Senate budget resolution, like its House counterpart, made
no mention of oil revenues from the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge.

= N O T E ! =
On 3/28, the House passed its $1.98 trillion budget
resolution for fiscal year 2002. Because of strong
opposition by Democrats and moderate Republicans, led by
Representatives Markey (D-MA), Hoeffel (D-PA), and Johnson
(R-CT), the resolution did not include revenues from oil
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

= N O T E ! =
On 3/28, the House rejected Rep. Spratt's (D-SC) Democratic
alternative budget by a vote of 183-243.This budget would
have increased environmental and natural resources funding
by 4 percent, reversing the Bush administration's proposed
environmental spending cuts.

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).

...

Campaign Finance Reform

On 4/2, the Senate approved S. 27, Sen. McCain's (R-AZ) and
Sen. Feingold's (D-WI) campaign finance reform bill. This
bill would ban "soft money" donations from corporations to
political parties, which currently are not subject to
federal limits. Huge soft money contributions from wealthy
corporations have made it easier for these corporations to
persuade members of Congress to attach anti-environment
riders to funding bills, and to gain special exemptions from
environmental laws and regulations. S. 27 also contains a
provision that would increase the amount of money
individuals could give to candidates, which has the
potential to increase the influence of the wealthiest
contributors. Another provision would limit issue advocacy
by nonprofit groups preceding an election (this provision
may be unconstitutional, however). While environmental
groups disagree on the merits of this particular bill, they
generally support efforts to reduce the influence of
corporate special interests in the funding of national
elections.

...

Clean Air and Energy

The Democratic energy bill, S. 597, introduced by Sen.
Bingaman (D-NM) on 3/22, would not open the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, but would allow offshore
oil and gas leases in the eastern part of the Gulf of
Mexico. Because this area has not previously been open to
oil and gas exploration, environmentalists oppose the bill.

In response to President Bush's 3/13 reversal of his
campaign pledge to require cuts in carbon dioxide emissions
from power plants, several members of Congress immediately
introduced bills in both the House and the Senate to impose
mandatory cuts on carbon pollution. With 14 cosponsors, Sen.
Jeffords (R-VT) and Sen. Lieberman (D-CT) introduced S. 556
on 3/15. Rep. Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. Waxman (D-CA) intend
to introduce their bipartisan House bill shortly.

On 2/26, Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Republican
leadership's 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.

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 Senators 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.

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

On 3/28, EPA administrator Whitman testified before the
House Energy and Commerce Committee on water infrastructure
needs. At the hearing, Rep. Waxman (D-CA) criticized
Whitman's decision to pull back a recent regulation,
approved during the last weeks of the Clinton
administration, to reduce the allowable levels of arsenic in
drinking water. The current standard, once more in place
because of Whitman's decision, is outdated and harmful to
public health.

...

Coasts and Oceans

On 2/14, Senators 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 4/4, Rep. Waxman (D-CA) introduced H.R. 1413, which would
reinstate the arsenic-in-drinking-water standard of 10 parts
per billion (ppb) issued by the Clinton administration in
January and revoked by the Bush administration in late
March. This bill would also provide funding for local water
authorities to bring their systems into compliance. With 160
cosponsors and the support of environmental and public
health groups, the bill's supporters are pushing hard to
quickly bring it to the floor of the House. In a move also
applauded by environmentalists, Rep. Sanders
(Independent-VT) has introduced H.R. 1252,a bill that would
establish an arsenic-in-drinking-water standard even lower
than the 10 ppb standard in H.R. 1413.

On 3/27, Sen. Nelson (D-FL) and Sen. Dodd (D-CT) introduced
separate Senate bills (S. 632 and S. 635, respectively) to
reinstate the 10 ppb arsenic standard and provide local
funding for compliance.

A popular bipartisan brownfields redevelopment bill (S. 350)
is on the verge of approval by the full Senate. Senators
Smith (R-NH), Chafee (R-RI), Reid (D-NV), and Boxer (D-CA),
the bill's sponsors, are anticipating a vote on the bill
soon.On 3/15, the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee overwhelmingly approved this bill, which provides
increased funding and authority to states to clean up former
industrial sites known as brownfields. The bill's sponsors
defeated efforts by Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) to weaken the bill by
restricting the federal government's enforcement authority
over polluters. On 3/7, the House Energy and Commerce
Committee also held a hearing on brownfields, but members of
this committee have not yet developed a House bill.

...

Public Lands

Two House Resources subcommittees plan to hold a joint
hearing to discuss whether the Forest Service's new rule to
ban roadbuilding in many areas of national forests would
hinder energy policy. The subcommittees will review an
energy department study, which found that the new roadless
rule could have a negative impact on gas supplies. The
subcommittees also intend to consider the effect of the rule
on coal mining and other mineral extraction.

On 4/3, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
held a hearing on access to public lands for oil and gas
drilling. The committee heard from representatives of the
U.S. Geological Survey as well as a number of drilling
proponents, such as the American Petroleum Institute.
Although drilling on public lands increased substantially
under the Clinton administration, drilling advocates are
pushing for access to the 9 percent of public lands that are
still off-limits. They also complain that environmental
protections on the lands open to drilling are increasingly
onerous.

On 3/28, the House Resources Committee approved H.R. 601,
Rep. Simpson's (R-ID) bill to restore hunting in a portion
of the Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho by
redesignating that section of the monument as a preserve.
Environmentalists did not oppose this bill, because the
Interior Department will oversee hunting activities in the
preserve, and the government did not intend to prohibit
traditional hunting in the preserve when the monument was
created.

On 3/21, the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
heard testimony from the U.S. Geological Survey about its
preliminary assessment of oil, gas, coal and coal-bed
methane reserves in the 21 national monuments designated by
President Clinton since 1996.

On 3/15, the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
considered access to energy reserves on federal lands, with
witnesses discussing restrictions designed to protect
natural resources. The subcommittee also addressed offshore
drilling for natural gas. Environmental witnesses pointed
out that restrictions to resources on public lands serve
important purposes and are compatible with appropriate
development.

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.

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

On 3/15, the House unanimously approved Rep. Burton's (R-IN)
Small Business Relief Act (H.R. 327). This bill 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.

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
advocates 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. Graham's nomination
must be ratified by the Senate, but hearings have not yet
been scheduled.

...

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
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.

...........

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 Rainforest Action Network April 19, 2001


Rainforest Action Network - Monthly Email Newsletter
April 2001


Welcome!  Thank you for being a partner in Rainforest Action Network's
campaigns.  Read on to get the latest news and learn how you can help
save the world's rainforests.

In this issue:

1.) Boise Cascade and President Bush Attack Roadless Policy
2.) Victory!  Chile Project Cancelled!  
3.) Day of Action puts pressure on Citibank.
4.) Victory!  Great Bear Rainforest is Protected!
5.) T-shirt Winner announced!  Are you next?

____________Boise Cascade Attacks Roadless Policy_______________

Written by Laura Fauth, Publications Editor

Timber industry giant Boise Cascade has emerged as the sole logging
industry opponent of the Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation
Policy, an initiative that has been widely praised as the most
significant forest conservation measure of the last one hundred years.
Adopted earlier this year, the roadless policy protects 58.5 million
acres of wild, pristine national forest roadless areas from new road
construction, commercial logging, new oil and gas leases, and mineral
development.

More Americans participated in the three-year policy process than in any
other federal rule-making process ever initiated. The Forest Service
held more than six hundred public meetings, including several in every
national forest. During the official public comment period, a
record-breaking 1.6 million Americans submitted comments, more than 95
percent of which supported the strongest possible protection for
remaining roadless areas.

However, neither the thoroughness of the rule-making process nor the
unprecedented public support for the initiative deterred Boise Cascade
from attempting to undermine the policy. Boise Cascade is the lead
plaintiff in a lawsuit against the policy, and has asked for a
preliminary injunction barring the policy from taking effect. The
roadless initiative was originally scheduled to take effect March 13;
however, the Bush administration, in one of its first official acts,
postponed the date to May 12. In a court motion filed on March 16, the
administration offered to postpone that date still further, probably
until at least early summer, effectively granting Boise Cascade's
request.

Boise Cascade's shameless opposition to the roadless policy is hardly
surprising given the company's record as one of the country's top
loggers and distributors of old growth forest products. Over the past
few years, hundreds of leading corporations have acknowledged the global
forest crisis and committed to eliminate their purchases of wood
products from endangered forests. Boise Cascade, on the other hand, is
working to increase its logging and distribution of old growth wood in
the United States and around the world.
As the only logging company to oppose the roadless policy in court,
Boise Cascade has once again shown itself to be the dinosaur of its
industry. The policy will preserve some of the world's last ancient
forests, protect critical fish and wildlife habitat, and provide an
invaluable source of clean water, all while affecting only 4 percent of
national forest timber production. With this in mind, it is time for
Boise Cascade to rethink its outdated business practices and begin
considering the legacy that we will leave for future generations.

What You Can Do
Please call on Boise Cascade to catch up with public values by dropping
its lawsuit against the roadless policy, and by committing to a
responsible forest policy that includes phasing out the logging and
distribution of wood from all old growth forests. Write to George Harad,
CEO, Boise Cascade Corporation, 1111 W. Jefferson St., PO Box 50, Boise,
ID 83728.   Or go to this link
http://www.ran.org/info_center/aa/aa153_boise.html

Here is a sample letter:

Dear Mr. Harad:
I am writing to express my deep concern about Boise Cascade's opposition
to the Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation Policy. I strongly
support the roadless policy-as do the vast majority of the 1.6 Americans
who submitted comments regarding the initiative-along with the strongest
possible protection for all of our remaining old growth forests.
The roadless policy will preserve some of the world's last ancient
forests, protect critical fish and wildlife habitat, and provide
Americans with an invaluable source of clean water, all while affecting
only 4 percent of national forest timber production. I believe it is
critical that we protect not just these areas, but all of our remaining
old growth forests.
I urge you to drop your lawsuit against the Forest Service Roadless Area
Conservation Policy as the first step towards an ecologically
responsible forest policy that includes phasing out the logging and
distribution of all wood from old growth forests. Please respond and let
me know that I can count on your support for the Roadless Area
Conservation Policy.

Sincerely,

______Victory! Boise Cascade Cancels Cascada Chile Project_______

Written by Laura Fauth, Publications Editor

Boise Cascade has disclosed that it is canceling its controversial
Cascada Chile project in southern Chile (Action Alert 142). Slated to be
the world's largest chip mill and Oriented Strand Board (OSB) facility,
the Cascada Chile project was expected to double the rate of logging in
southern Chile's temperate rainforests.

Intense local and international pressure from concerned citizens,
businesses, and environmental groups, combined with legal action in
Chile, had successfully delayed the project for years. Chilean
organizations Geo Austral, Defensores del Bosque Chileno, and Renace
were instrumental in the victory. Many U.S. groups also actively opposed
the controversial project, which was targeted in a 1999 Rainforest
Action Network Action Alert.

Southern Chile holds nearly one-third of the remaining temperate
rainforests on Earth. These forests are home to many unique forms of
plant and animal life, including the world's smallest deer, the pudu,
which stands only fifteen inches high; the alerce tree, which lives up
to 4,000 years; and the araucaria, an "archetypal" tree whose ancestors
date back 200 million years. Ninety percent of the species found in
Chile's native forests are found only in Chile.

Boise Cascade remains one of the top importers of old growth wood from
Chile. The Central Bank of Chile has found that Chile's unprotected
native forests will be completely gone in twenty years if current forest
practices remain unchanged.

___________________Citibank Day of Action_______________________

Written by Ilyse Hogue, Finance Campaigner

An incredible alliance of groups-Free the Planet, Student Environmental
Action Coalition (SEAC), Student Peace Action Network (SPAN), Student
Alliance to Reform Corporations (STARC), Just Act:Youth for Global
Justice, the Young Democratic Socialists, and the Ruckus
Society-conspired to bring more than one hundred student organizers from
around the world (as far away as Zimbabwe) to spend the week exploring
ways to steer the global financial sector, and specifically Citi, in an
environmentally sane direction.

After a lot of hard work and lots of late night brainstorming around the
campfire, our collective commitment to confront Citigroup's devastating
grip on communities and ecosystems around the world is stronger than
ever. The students enthusiasm was apparent in every workshop, from
strategic campaigning to media to direct action climbing. Each panel
generated inspiring discussions about the negative impacts of Citi's
lack of vision, and about potential leverage points for influencing this
giant.

The April 11th Day of Action was our next big opportunity to show Citi
that we mean business. Students and communities organized all over the
country! Whether was an informational picket, a teach-in, guerilla
theater, or a non-violent direct action, the actions showed Citigroup
that bankers will not tolerate their destructive practices. Around the
world, hundreds of millions of people are raising their voices and
demanding a global economy that puts principles ahead of profits. From
the South Bronx to U'wa territory in Colombia, we must stop Citigroup's
destruction.

To find your local tentacle of the Citimonster :
http://www.citibank.com/branches/
http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/
http://www.salomonsmithbarney.com/abt_sb/brnchloc.html

__________________Great Bear Rainforest______________________

Written by Shannon Wright, Communications Director

On April 4, 2001 the government of British Columbia, in coordination
with environmental organizations, logging companies, and First Nations,
announced the largest rainforest conservation measure in North American
history.  Some 3.5 million acres-an area four times the size of Rhode
Island-of ancient rainforests will be immediately protected or put into
deferral.  This region, referred to as the "Great Bear Rainforest," is a
wildlife hot spot and is considered one North America's biological gems.

The agreement culminates what has at times been a contentious and highly
confrontational dialogue, but represents a rare example of successful
collaboration among industry, environmentalists, native peoples, rural
communities, and government.

The consensus agreement package contains a combination of protected
areas and deferrals amounting to more than 3.5 million acres, plus a new
ecosystem-based approach to planning, an independent body of scientists
and economists, government to government protocols and a "managing
change plan" for economic diversification.

ForestEthics, Rainforest Action Network, and the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) have targeted U.S. customers of the B.C. logging
industry in a successful effort to transform the wood product
marketplace, and stem the tide of wood from ancient rainforests.
Pressure has also come from major customers in Europe and Japan.  Forest
protection organizations commenting on today's announcement called on
concerned U.S. corporations to help ensure that as the plan is
implemented over the next two years, that it translates into real
protection for the remaining intact rainforest valleys and the region's
biodiversity.

The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest contiguous temperate rainforest
left in the world. It is home to extremely rare and endangered wildlife
including white spirit bears, grizzly bears, salmon and eagles.  Despite
its ecological and recreational value, nearly every intact watershed on
the B.C. coast had been slated for road building or clearcut logging
over the next decade.


________________T-shirt Winner Announced_____________________

RAN is working to reduce the amount of paper we use.  You are helping us
by reading these Action alerts via email instead of the print version.  
If you have a friend or friends you'd like to help get more involved in
the fight to save the rainforest, send us their email(s) and we'll sign
them up for our email updates.  You could win a free RAN T-shirt in the
exchange!  

This month's T-shirt winner is Komara Surya.  Komara responded to our
recent action alert and won a RAN T-shirt in a random drawing.  We'll
continue giving away one T-shirt a month while supplies last.  Please
only one contest entry per member.

Email ranmembers@ran.org with the names and electronic addresses of
those who you know would like to get more involved.  Include T-shirt
contest in the subject line.


If you'd like to give an additional donation you may do so online at:
http://www.ran.org/scripts/ran/join_start.pl/

As always, we welcome your comments regarding this newsletter.  Email
ranmembers@ran.org or call Megan at 415-398-4404.

AOL Links:

<a href="http://www.ran.org/info_center/aa/aa153_boise.html">link to
boise letter</a>
<a href="http://www.citibank.com/branches/">link to find citibank</a>
<a href="http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/">link to find
citibank</a>
<a href="http://www.salomonsmithbarney.com/abt_sb/brnchloc.html">branch
locator</a>
<a href="http://www.ran.org/scripts/ran/join_start.pl/


*******
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA  94104
tel: 415-398-4404
fax: 415-398-2732
URL: http://www.ran.org/


from Defenders of Wildlife April 19, 2001



TAKE THE PLEDGE: Join the   Campaign to Defend America's Environment
VANISHING WILDLIFE:   White House plan denounced as . invitation to extinction'
MOUNTING DANGER: Watch   out Mother Earth!
WHAT THEY'RE   SAYING: Environmental rollbacks earn rebukes
LOUD AND CLEAR:   E-petitions surpass 1 million to save Arctic refuge
SPECIAL OFFER: Wildlife   checks cheaper than your bank's
GLOBAL WARMING:   Strongest evidence yet that humans are to blame

1.   TAKE THE PLEDGE: Join the Campaign to   Defend America's Environment      

Earth Day arrives   Sunday with our environment facing its greatest threats in a generation. Since   1970, the year of the first Earth Day, there's never been a more urgent need   for all Americans to renew our commitment to our planet's health.       

                      
  

      The wealthy special interests have mounted an unprecedented assault on   environmental progress made over the past 30 years under both Democratic and   Republican White Houses. It's a war that jeopardizes our quality of life, the   wildlife we cherish and the wild places we enjoy. Big Oil, Big Timber and Big   Mining want more and more profits, and after giving their largest-ever   campaign contributions in last year's elections, they're lobbying the White   House and Congress to roll back environmental protections. As the nation   observes Earth Day, it's time for all of us to stand together to stop the   special interests now.  

That's why today we've launched the Campaign to Defend America's   Environment. It's a partnership of concerned organizations determined to   make the voices of all Americans heard in the halls of power.  "The   special interests now lobbying so hard to weaken our environmental protection   laws have a huge financial advantage, and they've spent millions to   influence politicians," Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger   Schlickeisen said. "But we've shown before that we can defeat the   special interests if we work together and mobilize the vast majority of   Americans who want to protect the environment for our children and future   generations. This campaign will help us do both. It is a coalition of leading   environmental groups and individuals joining together to make a   difference."

   Join us today. As part of your Earth Day observance, go to our new Web   site, http://www.DefendEnvironment.org,   and take the pledge to defend America's environment. Ask your family and   friends to take the pledge, too. By doing so, you will join in sending the   clear message that this land belongs to all Americans -- not the special   interests.  
   

2. VANISHING WILDLIFE: White House plan   denounced as . invitation to extinction'

 The Bush budget would severely weaken the Environmental Protection Act by  letting Interior Secretary Gale Norton decide which animals and plants should   be protected. And it would render meaningless a provision of the law that  allows citizens to directly petition the government to protect wildlife.  Citizens could still go to court, but the budget would bar the federal  government from spending any money to enforce the results of the lawsuits.   Defenders' Schlickeisen called the proposal "an invitation to extinction." He told the Los Angeles Times, "The idea that she would   be given discretion to decide which species, and when they would be listed,   would be to invite a total emasculation of the act." Added Congressman   Edward Markey of Massachusetts, "If American citizens can't sue to assure   the federal government protects endangered species and their critical   habitats, who will? The animals?"

3.   MOUNTING DANGER:

Watch out Mother Earth!Powerful special interests have unprecedented support in the White House.    The latest evidence: The just-released Bush budget. The air we breathe, the water we drink, our natural wonders and wildlife . all are threatened by the spending plan for fiscal year 2002. It slashes spending for all natural resources and environment programs by $2.1 billion or 7.3 percent. The Congressional Budget Office says that's actually 11 percent below what's needed to maintain purchasing power after accounting for inflation. According to the respected Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in fact, Bush's plan would leave environmental and natural  resources programs nearly $45 billion short of the amount needed to maintain services over the next decade.  It's very hard to conclude that the president's intent is anything other than hurting our environmental  protection programs, emasculating our conservation  programs, and doing it by defunding them through his budget," Defenders' Schlickeisen said.

4. WHAT THEY'RE   SAYING: It's 'open season on our planet'                

An Atlanta  Constitution editorial said: "Bush and Cheney seem to  be gearing up to push fuel consumption as though it were  crack cocaine. This is terrible policy." The San Francisco Chronicle noted that the Bush budget "appears almost singularly focused on increasing  production" of energy rather than on conservation.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune pointed out that the budget   shows "a stinginess quite at odds with the White House spin and a shortsightedness hard to justify at a time of large surpluses." And in the Baltimore Sun, Johns Hopkins University Medical School professor John Gartner wrote, "Mr. Bush has declared open season on  our planet. Gartner added, "Though Mr. Bush seems unassailable, if he becomes known as the  anti-environmental president, he could sink his career. But by then, half the planet could be under water after global warming has melted the polar ice caps."

5. LOUD AND CLEAR: E-petitions surpass 1 million to save Arctic refuge

E-petitions have topped the 1 million-mark from our Web site, SaveArcticRefuge.org. But despite that overwhelming show of support for protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Big Oil remains determined to drill inside America's greatest wildlife sanctuary. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that even employees of the British oil giant BP question the safety of new drilling technology that Big Oil touts as "environmentally sensitive." Those employees told the Journal that the technology has "the potential for a natural catastrophe." State of Alaska inspectors discovered last month that almost a third of the safety shutoff valves failed to close during tests at one drilling platform at Alaska's Prudhoe Bay. And secondary valves often fail as well, BP's own technicians say. On Sunday, 92,400 gallons leaked from a corroded pipeline at the Kuparuk oil field -- one of the largest spills ever on Alaska's North Slope.

6. SPECIAL OFFER: Wildlife checks cheaper than your bank's

     

Help save wildlife and habitat by purchasing 200 earth-friendly   special edition checks for as low as $8.95! Wolf and dolphin check designs   feature spectacular photographs by Jim Brandenburg, James Watt and Michael   Nolan. You can select from two designs, featuring wolves or dolphins, with   four different images each. 

  

Wolf Checks
  Wolf Checks

  

Dolphin Checks   
  Dolphin Checks

  

By using these checks, you'll raise awareness of endangered wildlife. And   for each item sold, a $2 donation goes to Defenders' programs to help save   wolves, dolphins, bears, panthers, wild birds and other animals. All orders   include checks printed on recycled paper, one-part deposit slips, check   register and a FREE recycled checkbook cover. 

 To order,
  phone   1-800-354-3588 or   click here: http://www.defenders.org/village/checks.html  

7.   GLOBAL WARMING: Strongest evidence yet that humans are to blame   

Two research teams working   independently came to the same conclusion in new studies on global warming .   greenhouse gases from human activity are causing ocean temperatures to rise.   The scientists at the National Oceanographic Data Center and the Scripps   Institution of Oceanography called their studies the strongest evidence yet   that humans are to blame for global warming. The studies used computer models   to show that increases in the temperatures of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian   oceans over the past 50 years are exactly what would be expected in relation   to emissions of greenhouse gases over that period.

  
     
  

*   FORWARD THIS ISSUE TO A FRIEND.
  HELP SPREAD THE NEWS
  ABOUT WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION. *

  
     

    


  
  

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 Union of Concerned Scientists April 20, 2001


EARTH DAY ACTION ALERT
FROM THE
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS

Tell Vice President Dick Cheney that renewable energy
and energy efficiency must be a part of a balanced
national energy policy.

ISSUE:
The president's energy task force, headed by Vice
President Dick Cheney, is expected to release their
recommendations on federal energy policy in the next
few weeks. The recommendations are expected to focus
heavily on increasing energy production but will also
deal with renewable energy, energy efficiency and
environmental concerns.

ACTION:
Please contact the Vice President this Earth Day.

Contact information is below, but you can also take
action through our website at:
http://www.ucsusa.org/act/act_cleanen_action.html


from Alaska Rainforest Campaign April 20, 2001


Alaska Rainforest Update:

Roadless Rule Under Attack!

By May 4th, President Bush will determine the fate of the remaining undeveloped portions of America's Tongass and Chugach National Forests!

It was your participation that encouraged the U.S. Forest Service to issue the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, earlier this year. Now the Bush Administration is ignoring you! Your voice is needed NOW to show President Bush that the overwhelming majority of Americans support protecting our remaining wild forests.

The landmark Roadless Rule will protect more than 60 million acres of national forest land in 39 states, including our two largest national forests- Alaska's Tongass and Chugach. The rule, which would prevent new road construction and logging, should have gone into effect in March, but the Bush Administration delayed its implementation until May 12.  Now, even worse, the Administration has shown its true colors by failing to defend the Rule in court. The ultimate decision on whether the Administration will develop the wildlands of our national forests or preserve them for clean water, recreation, and future generations.

By May 4 the Bush Administration will state whether or not it will defend the rule in court. This is why you need to take action today!  PLEASE SEND A FREE FAX TODAY from www.akrain.org to President Bush urging him to protect America's last unspoiled National Forest lands.

Help Ensure Wilderness for Alaska's Chugach National Forest:

In the 1920's the Grizzly Bear of California was driven to extinction, only to survive on a state flag. We must prevent a similar tragedy in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula by taking action to protect critical habitat from development threats. Wilderness will ensure permanent brown bear habitat while also providing for recreation, clean drinking water and other ecological benefits. The Forest Service has the opportunity to recommend wilderness in the Kenai Peninsula and across our northernmost National Forest-- but they need to hear from you to make this possible.

The Chugach National Forest -- pristine forests, wetlands, rivers, and fish and wildlife habitat of the Copper River Delta, Prince William Sound and Kenai Peninsula -- has not one acre of designated wilderness. Now the Forest Service is proposing recommended mostly "rock and ice" for wilderness, not the biologically important habitat.

Please contact our Forest Chief, Dale Bosworth, to let him know you "strongly support wilderness in the biologically rich areas of Alaska's Chugach National Forest."  Ask that he please consider wilderness recommendations for: the entire Wilderness Study Area of Prince William Sound, the wetlands of the Copper River Delta, critical Brown Bear habitat in the Kenai Peninsula, the Twentymile Valley and the Big Islands of Prince William Sound.

Chief Dale Bosworth
Phone: (202) 205-1661
Fax:     (202)-205-1765
Email: dbosworth@fs.fed.us

Want more information? Contact Michelle Wilson at the ACE  (907) 274-3665 or michelle@akcenter.org

To speak with someone directly please e-mail info@akrain.org or call 907-747-8292.

Thanks for your support.

Alaska Rainforest Campaign Staff.


from Environmental Defense April 20, 2001


You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155

Urge your friends to take action on global warming.

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/globalwarming5/forward?rk=qpqUq8d1Xpa-W

We encourage you to take action by May 19, 2001

Celebrate Earth Day. Take action on Global Warming

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

Celebrate Earth Day. Take action on Global Warming.

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

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/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155  

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 Charles Schumer
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton


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

I am deeply disappointed that President Bush has gone
back on his campaign promise to reduce carbon dioxide
from power plants, and rejected the international agreement
to reduce greenhouse gases. I am asking you, as my
Representative, to express your dismay on these matters
to the President.

The science is clear that greenhouse gases are warming
our earth. The international community has spent a
decade designing an international treaty to start combating
this problem. With a careless wave of his hand, President
Bush has rejected this effort, and has offered no other
solutions. What is more, while power plants emit 40
percent of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide -- the
greenhouse gas most responsible for global warming,
Bush has refused to try to reduce their emissions.

Doing nothing on global warming is unacceptable, and
fake solutions will not work either. President Bush
must be persuaded to change his mind. In addition,
Congress can take action now, where clearly we have
no presidential leadership. In the House of Representatives,
please cosponsor HR1256, a bill introduced by Representatives
Waxman and Boehlert. And in the Senate, please cosponsor
S 556, a bill introduced by Senators Jeffords and Lieberman.
These bills will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
power plants.

Thank you.

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


from the Wilderness Society April 20, 2001


You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155

Urge your friends to take action on global warming.

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/globalwarming5/forward?rk=qpqUq8d1Xpa-W

We encourage you to take action by May 19, 2001

Celebrate Earth Day. Take action on Global Warming

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

Celebrate Earth Day. Take action on Global Warming.

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

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/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155  

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 Charles Schumer
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton


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

I am deeply disappointed that President Bush has gone
back on his campaign promise to reduce carbon dioxide
from power plants, and rejected the international agreement
to reduce greenhouse gases. I am asking you, as my
Representative, to express your dismay on these matters
to the President.

The science is clear that greenhouse gases are warming
our earth. The international community has spent a
decade designing an international treaty to start combating
this problem. With a careless wave of his hand, President
Bush has rejected this effort, and has offered no other
solutions. What is more, while power plants emit 40
percent of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide -- the
greenhouse gas most responsible for global warming,
Bush has refused to try to reduce their emissions.

Doing nothing on global warming is unacceptable, and
fake solutions will not work either. President Bush
must be persuaded to change his mind. In addition,
Congress can take action now, where clearly we have
no presidential leadership. In the House of Representatives,
please cosponsor HR1256, a bill introduced by Representatives
Waxman and Boehlert. And in the Senate, please cosponsor
S 556, a bill introduced by Senators Jeffords and Lieberman.
These bills will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
power plants.

Thank you.

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


from Rural Advancement Foundation International April 20, 2001


RAFI
Rural Advancement Foundation International
www.rafi.org  


GenoType - April 19, 2001

Frequently Unasked Questions about the International Undertaking on
Plant Genetic Resources

A new RAFI Communique attempts to address ten unasked questions
governments and farmers should know about the draft treaty of the
International Undertaking.  RAFI Communique No. 69 (March/April, 2001)
is available in text or PDF format at RAFI's website www.rafi.org  If
the burning public environmental issue is global warming and the
collapse of the Kyoto Agreement, the "hot topic" for poor farmers is
access to agricultural biodiversity and a new treaty being negotiated
next week in Spoleto, Italy.  Crop genetic diversity makes it possible
for farmers to feed people and to develop new plant varieties capable of
managing climate change.  The International Undertaking on Plant Genetic
Resources at FAO is intended to become a legally-binding treaty to
ensure the conservation, exchange, and enhancement of crop genetic
resources as the best way to address climate change as it affects food
security.  The negotiations are in trouble.   Ongoing for six years now
- the last two years within a 40 country Contact Group, battle fatigue
is grinding diplomats down.  At the heart of the revised Undertaking
lies a multilateral system (MLS) that would assure "facilitated access"
within its membership to an annexed list of food crop species.  Despite
endless deliberations, senior policymakers, the media, and the public
are unaware of the issues involved or their importance to world food
security.   The major barriers to the agreement are six countries:  four
in the "North" and two in the "South".  RAFI believes that some of them
- including the USA - are not essential to a successful treaty.  Just as
with the greenhouse gas agreement in Kyoto, the U.S. will not join the
global initiative to protect the greenhouse in Spoleto either.     

Issue:  The Biodiversity Convention adopted at the Rio Earth Summit
almost ten years ago reaffirmed national sovereignty over genetic
resources.  But Rio left unresolved the unique problem of crop germplasm
critical to world food security, the status of genetic resources
collected before the treaty, and the central role of Farmers' Rights.  
Now the unresolved issues from Rio have come home to roost in Rome.
Sovereignty, security, benefit sharing, the role of public science, and
private monopolies seem to be in conflict.  The search for common ground
is being conducted through an obscure but vital International
Undertaking at FAO.  The little teapot tempest is also threatening to
dominate the World Food Summit this November. If, as some predict, the
negotiations collapse, food security, farmers, and the hungry will
suffer terribly.

Economic considerations: Beyond calculation.  Failure is unthinkable.

Policy implications: Negotiations on the revised Undertaking at FAO will
profoundly affect the world's ability to respond to climate change.
Failure will lead to a rapid reduction in the exchange of plant breeding
stocks between countries and institutions.  Agricultural research will
be severely damaged.  The future of the CGIAR's (Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research) 16 centre, $340 million annual
budget, and half million seed samples along with the CGIAR's work on 30
food crops is also threatened.       

Fora:  The FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
and the Contact Group meeting in Spoleto, Italy April 22 to 28, 2001.
Depending on progress, the Undertaking should be endorsed at the World
Food Summit Five Years Later ("Food Fifth"?) November 9-15 in Rome and
success or failure, will swing back full circle to the Rio+10 Heads of
State conference in South Africa in 2002.

The full text of the RAFI Communique No. 69 (March/April, 2001) is
available in text or PDF format at RAFI's website www.rafi.org


from the Green Party April 20, 2001


TWO IMPORTANT EVENTS!

1. Save the Date!
Fundraiser for Green Party of New York State with RALPH NADER
Wednesday, May 16
5:30-9 PM
Manhattan, tentatively at the Orensanz Art Center on
Norfolk Street (and Houston) in the Lower East Side
Also Featuring:
- Other Special Guests
- Green Party Speakers
- Music and food


For New York City Residents:
2. Green City-Wide Candidates Forum
Sponsored by the NYC Greens Search & Screening Panel
Meet the candidates who are looking to run as Greens for
Mayor, Comptroller and Public Advocate:
- Norman Siegel
- Stanley Aronowitz
- Mitchel Cohen
- Lenni Brenner
- Walter Iwachiw
- Christopher Brodeur
Thursday, April 26
7 - 10 PM
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
Trains: A, B, C, D, E or F to West 4th Street:
1,9 to Christopher Street.


from League of Conservation Voters April 21, 2001


Callahan previews LCV "Citizen Guide" at Earth Day "Morning Newsmakers"
appearance

WASHINGTON (April 20, 2001) -- Today, Deb Callahan, president of the
League of Conservation Voters, marked the 31st Earth Day by giving the
Bush administration a poor environmental grade for its first 100 days in
office. During the National Press Club. s "Morning Newsmakers" program,
Callahan previewed "Bush and the Environment: A Citizen. s Guide to the
First 100 Days," a complete assessment of President Bush. s environmental
activities.

To read the full review, go to
http://lcv.org/news/releases.htm

_________
LCV depends on support from its members to help build America the
pro-environment Congress that it deserves. Please join LCV in its fight to
prevent the hard-won progress of the last 30 years from being dismantled.
http://lcv.org/join1


from the Green Party April 21, 2001


Green Party of New York State E-News Vol. 1, No. 5, April 21, 2001

In this issue:
1. Introduction
2. Action and Activity alerts (AAAs)
- Legislative Alert: Minimum Wage
- Campaign 2001: Support Greens In New York City Elections
- Support Free Speech, Help Grandpa Get His Show Back!
- Tell Staples to Stock Recycled Paper!
3. Meetings and Events
- NYC FUND RAISER FOR THE GREEN PARTY OF NEW YORK STATE WITH RALPH NADER!
- NYC Green Candidates Forum, April 26
- Earth Day 2001, April 22 Rally In NYC
- Earth Day Lobby and Rally 2001, April 23 In Albany
- Stop The Executions! Rally For A Federal And State Moratorium On The
Death Penalty, May 5 In NYC
4. Featured Local: Tompkins County Greens
5. News, News Links, Resources
- Greens Target Council Race
- State Green Parties Blast President Bush's Reversal on Steps to Stop
Global Warming
- How Low Can You Go Dept.: (Mark) Green Puts Nader, a Mentor, at a Distance
- Vote Fraud in Tennessee: Worse than Florida?
- No More Hot Air from the Democrats
- If Dems Fail, Greens May Strengthen
- Greens See Breakthrough in French Municipal Polls
- Interview with Colombian Senator Ingrid Betancourt
6. Letters: Poetry and Prose, by Ian Wilder and Kimberly Wilder

1. INTRODUCTION
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. Special thanks to Ann Link, who is now coordinating the News
and Featured Local sections. 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: Friday, April 20, 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. ACTION AND ACTIVITY alerts ( AAAs)

Legislative Alert: Minimum Wage Update
A $6.75-an-hour minimum wage bill passed the NY State Assembly (A5132 -
Nolan) in early March. In the State Senate, some are blocking a similar
bill, saying the Senate should wait to see what the federal government does
on the minimum wage. The Working Families Party is seeking help in
targeting Senators Hannon and Marcellino on Long Island; Hunger Action is
planning several phone-ins and actions on the minimum wage in the next
month, and Greens plan to do a local minimum wage event (Albany) for May
Day. For more information and to help, contact Mark Dunlea,
Dunleamark@aol.com, or call 518 286 3411.

Campaign 2001: Greens In New York City Elections, By Jerry Kann
The Green Party offers an exciting message of environmental activism and
political renewal - to quote Ralph Nader, "cleaning up the environment, but
also cleaning up the politics." Obviously Greens want to hit the ground
running in the race for New York State Governor in 2002. Certainly an
excellent way to accomplish that is to promote Green principles and values
to the eight million residents of New York City in 2001. The Green Party
has three goals in running candidates for public office in 2001:FIRST, to
elect Greens in those districts where they have a realistic chance of
victory. SECOND, to train a whole new "generation" of Green activists in
the practicalities of electoral politics. THIRD - and perhaps most
importantly - to build the Green Party. The elections will give Greens a
chance to present their ideas and show the voters that there is a
progressive, commonsense alternative to the do-nothing Republicans and
Democrats. Earlier this year, the New York City Greens constituted a Search
& Screening Panel to recruit candidates to run as Greens for the citywide
offices of Mayor, Public Advocate, and Comptroller. On the evening of
Thursday, April 26, at Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square South,
the Greens will hold a forum to "audition" a number of potential
candidates. Among these will probably be such figures as writer and
professor Stanley Aronowitz, former City Council member and mayoral
candidate Sal Albanese, and Columbia University scholar and Black Radical
Congress leader Manning Marable.
Activists such as Julia Willebrand and Mitchel Cohen may also be seeking
the endorsement of their fellow Greens for citywide office. At present
there are nine Green Party candidates for New York City Council. The most
recent candidate-in-considering is poet and performance artist Penny
Arcade, who recently announced her intention to run as a Green for City
Council in the 2nd district in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Running in
the 51st council district in Staten Island is experienced Green candidate
Hank Bardel. In Queens there are fully five enrolled Greens running: Lori
Zett (Dist. 24) in Briarwood; Jerry Kann (Dist. 22) in Astoria; Ann Eagan
(Dist. 26) in Long Island City and Sunnyside; and two very well-known
Greens, Evergreen Chou and Paul Graziano (Dist. 20) in Flushing. Running
for borough president in Queens is Dorothy Williams-Pereira.In Brooklyn,
Michael Emperor, who earlier this year organized a brand new Green local in
Bay Ridge, will be running in the 43rd district. Craig Seeman, Green Party
state chair and by far the most experienced candidate for public office
among Greens in New York City, will be running in the 33rd district. This
area - encompassing Greenpoint, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, part of
Park Slope, and portions of downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights - is
notable for having more registered Green voters than any district in the city.
Several Council candidates will be seeking the Green endorsement in their
races - notably Democrats Jeanette Evans (Dist. 29) and Joan DeCamp (Dist.
30) in Queens, and Independent Gloria Mattera (Dist. 39) in Brooklyn. A
delegation of Greens helped defeat an attempt by some current City Council
members to overturn term limits, a decision made by New York City voters in
two public referendums. There are 36 "open" (term-limited) seats in City
Council this year. Also, the ghoulish Rudolph Giuliani will not be able to
run for re-election as a result of the term limits mandate.Without a doubt,
2001 REPRESENTS A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GREEN PARTY. Greens can
field a viable slate of candidates to present the Green message. Surely if
Greens believe in the Ten Key Values, they ought to be ready and anxious to
talk about those values to their fellow citizens. IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET
INTO THE GAME! Greens from all over the city still have time to file the
necessary papers and get out into their communities to spread the word.
Nothing will be gained by sitting on the sidelines and tsk-tsk-tsking at
the same old corrupt crowd that runs the city right now. Malcolm X pointed
out a generation ago that the people in power had misused
their power and he also understood that those people had to be challenged
directly. Greens can have a tremendous impact this year. All they have to
do is get out into the political arena and speak their minds. They are
certain to find people ready to listen.

Support Free Speech, Help Grandpa Get His Show Back!
Dear Green Friends (and I don't mean Martians):
Please think about helping Grandpa Al Lewis in his current struggle for
Free Speech on WBAI 99.5 FM. Grandpa Al helped put the Green party on the
ballot in NY. We owe him. We should also want to help him because he is a
great activist for trying to reform the prison industrial complex and he
actually helps and writes to prisoners. Grandpa Al has had a show on WBAI
for many years. I am 99% sure that it is a
volunteer spot. But, it is so important that he have a voice and a platform
to preach about politics and prisons. Because of current anti-democratic
practices at 99.5 FM WBAI; a very controlling manager; and a National board
which is going corporate, Grandpa
Al has been thrown off the air for violating a "gag rule" and talking about
the struggle. Please call or FAX the Interim General Manager, Ms. Utrice
Leid, and demand that she give Grandpa back his show with NO CONDITIONS.
The station office phone is: 212-209-2800
The station FAX is : 212-747-1698
The on-air phone for when lines are open: 212-209-2900
Please do this little bit for Grandpa Al. Or, if you have time, learn more at:
www.wbai.net
www.savewbai.tao.ca
www.pacificampaign.org
1-800-825-0055 Concerned Friends of WBAI hotline
1-646-230-9588 Pacifica Campaign (the national struggle)
At the end of this conflict, decisions will be made about just how free OUR
speech is. Congressman Major Owens has chimed in on this fight and aligned
it with a fight to save all non-corporate media. So, it could have
consequences for us in the next round of elections.

Tell Staples to Stock Recycled Paper
Send an e-postcard to Staples, telling them to start carrying tree free and
100% post-consumer recycled, process chlorine free paper in all of their
1,125 locations, but especially in their local store so you can buy it! A
ton of virgin paper requires 17 more trees and 7000 more gallons of water
than it takes to produce a ton of 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
Process chlorine-free paper greatly reduces the release of the carcinogen
dioxin and other toxins known to kill aquatic life and damage human health,
particularly that of low-income people living near paper mills. You can do
2 things, each of which will take less than 2 minutes, to help this effort.
First, please click on http://cw2k.capweb.net/newdream/letterstate.cfm and
send your own e-postcard to Staples. Second, send this message to friends
who are interested in forest protection and responsible paper consumption
(but please don't spam it).

3. MEETINGS AND EVENTS

NYC FUND RAISER FOR THE GREEN PARTY OF NEW YORK STATE WITH RALPH NADER!
MAY 16, 5:30 PM TO 9 PM
Tentative site: Orensanz Art Center in the Lower East Side
ALL PROCEEDS TO HELP OPEN A GREEN PARTY OFFICE AND HIRE A FULL-TIME STAFF
PERSON!
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS! TO VOLUNTEER, CALL MASADA
DISENHOUSE AT 718 855 2263 OR E-MAIL HER AT MASADA@AKULA.COM

NYC Green Candidates Forum, April 26
On Thursday, April 26, 7 p.m. at Judson Memorial Church on Washington
Square South, the Greens will hold a forum to "audition" a number of
potential candidates.

EARTH DAY 2001, APRIL 22 RALLY IN NYC
March and rally in New York City on Sunday, Apr. 22. March from Times
Square, noon, to Dag Hammarskjold park at the United Nations. Rally begins
1 pm at U.N.
NO MORE NUCLEAR POWER
FIGHT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
STOP THE BUSH ROLLBACK OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
BUILD A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE
The action is being held in conjunction with the April 17-30 meeting of the
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) to determine
what energy technologies are "sustainable." The U.S., Canada, Britain and
France are pushing the concept that nuclear power should be considered a
sustainable technology, and its use promoted across the globe. We need to
tell the CSD that nuclear power is deadly, not sustainable. We should
encourage the use of clean renewable energy sources and increased energy
efficiency. We must create the climate for a sustainable future and we can
only do that by acting and raising our voices together. Join us. Speakers
include Barry Commoner, Queens College, Harvey Wasserman, Karl Grossman,
John Passacantando (Executive Director, Greenpeace USA); Michael Mariotte
(NIRS), Wenonah Hauter (Public Citizen); Debby Katz (Citizens Awareness
Network), Peer De Rijk (WISE-Amsterdam), Richard Worthington (Earthlife
South Africa), David Rovics (renegade singer/songwriter), Craig Michael,
Riverkeepers. For more information and a list of sponsors, contact Michael
Mariotte or Cindy Folkers at NIRS, 202-328-0002, nirsnet@nirs.org, and
check NIRS' website, www.nirs.org. We will send bulk flyers to anyone
willing to distribute them.

EARTH DAY LOBBY AND RALLY 2001, APRIL 23 IN ALBANY
There will be an Earth Day Lobby and Rally on Monday, April 23 at the State
Capitol. Genetic engineering will be a key issue, along with superfund and
energy issues. Puppets, banners and creative ideas are needed for the rally
at noon. Please also bring information, buttons, etc. for the Greens table
at Earth Day Lobby Day. Your participation in Earth Day Lobby Day 2001 will
not only help the environmental movement, but will also serve as an
important learning experience for those who want to know more about New
York State government and environmental issues. Teachers and students are
especially welcome!
THE SCHEDULE*
9:30 - 10:10 am Registration
10:10 - 10:25 am Welcome Address by Val Washington, Environmental
Advocates
10:25 - 10:40 am Keynote by Dr. David Carpenter, University at Albany
School of Public Health - PCBs
10:40 - 11:00 am Speech by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver**
11:00 - 11:20 am Speech by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno**
11:20 - 12:00 pm Bill Briefings & Tips on Lobbying
12:00 - 12:45 pm Rally at the Capitol and/or Lunch with your Lobby Team
(please bring your own lunch)
1:00 - 1:30 pm Senate Lobby Meetings
1:30 - 2:00 pm Assembly Lobby Meetings
2:15 - 3:00 pm Debriefing and Networking
*Schedule subject to change
**Invited
THE ISSUES
While you are welcome to voice local environmental concerns to your
legislators, we will all lobby on the following issues for maximum impact:
ASTHMA
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUPS
HEALTHY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS
URBAN/OPEN SPACE
REGISTRATION
Registration is $5 (students and those on limited income are free) and
available via the Web at
http://www.envadvocates.org/public_html/edld01/registration.html
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Laura DiBetta at 1-800-SAVE-NYS
Fax: 518-427-0381
Email: edld@envadvocates.org
Visit: www.envadvocates.org

STOP THE EXECUTIONS! RALLY FOR A FEDERAL AND STATE MORATORIUM ON THE DEATH
PENALTY, MAY 5 IN NYC
The Campaign to End the Death Penalty is sponsoring a moratorium rally on
Saturday, May 5 at Union Square in NYC at 1pm. The East Village Green Party
chapter has been very involved in this fight to pass a moratorium
resolution in the NY City Council.
Featuring:
- William Nieves & Darby Tillis - exonerated death row prisoners
- Rick Van Valkenberg - Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation
- Michael Letwin, president of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW 2325
- Religious leaders, activist, lawyers, students & more
- Excerpt from the play "The Exonerated"
Across the country, people have been protesting the injustices of the death
penalty: from sleeping lawyers, to lying prosecutors and police, to
racially biased courts. As a result, both Illinois and now Maryland have
temporarily suspended executions; even Texas is seriously considering
calling a moratorium. However, amidst this outcry against the death
penalty, President Bush plans to continue his legacy of chief executioner
by presiding over the first federal execution in 38 years, that of Timothy
McVeigh, despite the fact that the Justice Dept. came out with a report
last Fall about the great racial and geographical disparities on the
federal death row. Here in NY, City Council Speaker Peter Vallone is
blocking a resolution pending in the Council which calls for a national and
state moratorium on the death penalty. Don't let these pro-death penalty
politicians turn back the clock on our movement! We want a moratorium on
federal and state executions now! For more info and a list of sponsors and
endorsers, or to endorse: contact CEDP at (212) 577-3443 or
cedp_nyc@yahoo.com or NYADP at (914) 946-4456 or
nyadp@bestweb.net.

4. FEATURED LOCAL: Tompkins County Greens
Tompkins County Green Activities - by Dave Breeden
Since the election, the Tompkins County Greens have been building on our
successes in publicizing the Greens and Nader's campaign (we're now the
"official" opposition in Ithaca, having come in second to the Democrats in
city returns for the presidential election). Toward that end, we've started
to establish our group by writing a constitution, establishing a website
www.tcgreens.org - check it out!) and doing outreach to a variety of local
activist groups. We're tabling at local events like Howard Zinn's talk at
Cornell on April 12, have had members appear on a local cable TV talk show,
and are generally working to grow the party. Our next big event will be an
"Open House" on April 11. The idea behind the
open house event is to encourage people to become active Greens. It's a
get-together for current greens and a membership drive for anyone willing
to listen. We want to educate and motivate! There will be literature on
general green policies, topic brochures, petitions, and other tabling
information. Mark Dunau (former NY Senate Green candidate) will be speaking
on, "Why become an active Green?" It hits on the 'act locally think
globally' issue. He will share his personal experience with us to help
encourage people to jump on the Green wagon! Also, there will be a table of
information on our events we are sponsoring for and after earth day! We
have a lot of hope that this will help us find lots of new members. Greens
from other areas are always welcome to join us at our meetings. We meet on
the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at Beverly Martin Elementary
School in Ithaca. Check the website for further details.

5. NEWS, NEWS LINKS, RESOURCES

GREENS TARGET COUNCIL RACE, by John Rizio Hamilton
March 19, Brooklyn Courier-Life, Boro-Politics section
Craig Seeman, chair of the New York State Green Party, announced that he is
a candidate for City Council in the 33rd district, covering Brooklyn
Heights, a portion of Park Slope, and Greenpoint/Williamsburg. Seeman, who
has run for City Council before, said that the Green Party believes this is
the Council race they can be most competitive in citywide. "I think it's a
strong district for me to run in," he said.
There are three Green political clubs in the district (Park Slope, Downtown
Brooklyn and North Brooklyn), and when Seeman ran in a 1997 special
election for state Assembly, he received 26 percent of the vote in the
downtown portion of the district, which is included in the councilmanic
district. Additionally, he said, in some northern parts of the district,
Green presidential candidate Ralph Nader broke 20 percent of the vote."This
Council race will probably be the strongest Council race the Green Party
could run anywhere in the city," said Seeman, who acknowledged that he was
an underdog.One source scoffed at Seeman's assertion, saying that high
turnout due to the mayoral race will swamp the smaller Green vote."There is
a certain population that is going to reflexively, with no Giuliani on the
ballot, is going to vote straight Democratic. Secondly, the Hasidic
community, even if their candidate doesn't win the Democratic primary, is
probably going to
make their peace with whoever does," said the source. Seeman is jumping
into a crowded field that includes District Leaders Steve Cohn and
Elizabeth Rose Daly, Community Board 2 member Ken Diamondstone, attorneys
David Reiss and Steve Somerstein, and Brooklyn Law School Professor David
Yassky. [Note from Craig Seeman: I haven't run for City Council before. I
ran for office before though, the Greens have run for council before (Sonya
Ostrom '99). Reporter states "Green Party believes this is the Council race
. ." I said that but he may have changed it to make the race appear more
important.]

STATE GREEN PARTIES BLAST PRESIDENT BUSH'S REVERSAL ON STEPS TO STOP GLOBAL
WARMING, CALLING IT A PATENT SELL-OUT TO OIL AND COAL LOBBIES -- ASGP Press
Release, Mar. 16
The Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) issued a press release on
Friday, March 16, lambasting Bush's reversal of White House policy on
reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and describing it as "reckless in its
disregard of the evidence of worldwide climate change, a blow against
international efforts to impede global warming, a sell-out to oil and coal
industry lobbies, and a facile betrayal of a campaign pledge."
Carol Miller, a New Mexico Green Party activist and public health expert,
said, "Watching the President so quickly break a significant campaign
promise is of great concern to the ASGP. Not only does it demonstrate a
willingness to protect corporate profits instead of the environment and
public health, it is destructive to democracy itself." She added, "At a
time when citizens are cynical about government and turning away from
voting, this action validates the commonly held belief that politicians
will say anything to get elected." The ASGP press release described Bush's
new policy as "a second major setback, after the Clinton-Gore sabotage of
the international climate change meeting in the Hague, in November 2000"
and called for "drastic reductions in the consumption of fossil fuels (of
which the U.S. remains the largest consumer), conversion to alternative
energy sources such as wind and solar power, sustainable development and
economic policies, and the preservation of forests and other natural areas
which help process atmospheric carbon dioxide." The Association of State
Green Parties is a national federation formed in
1996 and comprised of 29 state Green parties. For more press releases and a
weekly news circular with published news and opinion about Green political
issues, see the ASGP website at www.greenparties.org. How Low Can You Go Dept.
(Mark) Green Puts Nader, a Mentor, at a Distance for Campaign, By ADAM
NAGOURNEY NY Times.
March 10, 2001-- Mark Green, the New York City public advocate and a protégé
of Ralph Nader, has moved to distance himself from the man he describes as
his mentor, declaring that Mr. Nader will not come to New York to campaign
on his behalf in the mayoral race. Mr. Green said Mr. Nader shared much of
the blame for Al Gore's loss to George W. Bush last year.
"It's not going to happen," Mr. Green said in an interview when asked if he
wanted Mr. Nader to campaign for him in this year's four-way Democratic
primary. Mr. Green said he was unhappy with Mr. Nader's decision to wage an
aggressive campaign for president through the end, and said he had
repeatedly urged him in conversations to stay out of battleground states,
where a strong Nader showing might tip the outcome to Mr. Bush.
The move by Mr. Green away from Mr. Nader suggests the extent to which Mr.
Nader's stock has fallen among Democrats since last year's presidential
election: Mr. Green worked for the consumer advocate for 10 years, and Mr.
Nader wrote an introduction to one of Mr. Green's books. Just two years ago,
Mr. Green recruited Mr. Nader to campaign with him on the weekend before the
Democratic primary for Senate, chartering a jet to fly him from an
appearance in New York City in the morning to one in Buffalo in the
afternoon. (Mr. Green went on to lose that primary to Charles E. Schumer.)
Over the years, Mr. Green has often cited his association with Mr. Nader as
one of the qualifications he brings to public life.
Mr. Green's decision to back away from his association with Mr. Nader
reflects concerns by him and his supporters that the affiliation may be
invoked against him by his opponents in the months ahead. Voters in New York
City Democratic primaries tend to the left side of the ideological scale, so
such a line of attack may prove particularly potent. Beyond that, a number
of Democrats believe that Mr. Green, who has long been a leader in the
liberal wing of his party, has been making a calculated attempt to shift to
the center in preparation for his mayoral campaign, and
drawing some distance from Mr. Nader would clearly help him accomplish that
goal.
In an interview, Mr. Nader said he was not concerned that someone who had
been such a close associate was now pushing him away. "Anything that can
lighten my schedule is very appreciated," Mr. Nader said. He refrained from
directly criticizing Mr. Green, although he disputed Mr. Green's account of
advising Mr. Nader to stay out of battleground states. "I don't recall that
he did," Mr. Nader said. "And if he had said something like that, I would
have remembered."
Mr. Green's spokesman, Joe DePlasco, said Mr. Green was adamant in his
recollection, and pointed to an article in Newsweek, published just before
Election Day, saying that Mr. Green had voiced such concerns in a
conversation with Mr. Nader. In the interview on Thursday, Mr. Green said
that he felt sorrow about voicing any critical remarks about Mr. Nader,
given their long association, and that he was "proud of the decade I spent
with him as a young lawyer from 1970 to 1980." But Mr. Green noted that he
was one of Mr. Gore's earliest supporters, and said that he had long
disputed Mr. Nader's assertion that there was little difference between Mr.
Bush and Mr. Gore. He also said he was upset that Mr. Nader had been
critical of the Israeli government for its aggressive response to the
Palestinian uprising in recent months. "As an all-out Gore supporter, from
1999, I was dismayed that he ran, and dismayed that he went into
battleground states - including Florida - at the end," he said. "I urged
Ralph not to run, fearing that he could cost Gore the election. And then
when he did run, at the end I urged him to stay out of battleground states
and not to attack Gore."
Mr. Nader insisted he had devoted hardly any of his resources to Florida,
which Mr. Gore might well have won without Mr. Nader in the equation. He
suggested, with a laugh, that he might not be jumping ship on Mr.Green if
their situations were reversed. "I would never do that," he said. "Unless,
if somebody becomes pro-Exxon, that's a different person. If somebody is
caught with his or her hands in a cookie jar, that's a different person. But
if somebody is as progressive, or more progressive than me, than that's not
a different person."
Mr. Green repeatedly refused to speculate on whether his opponents would use
his association with Mr. Nader against him. "I'm not going to guess what my
opponents may or may not do," he said. "If that's the worst they can say,
I'm the next mayor." (NEW YORK CITY GREENS MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT
THAT! - Ed.)
VOTE FRAUD IN TENNESSEE: WORSE THAN FLORIDA?, by Catherine Danielson, March
13, AlterNet,
Black voters were told to get behind the white voters. They were told to
remove NAACP stickers from their cars, or leave the polling place without
voting. "You know what it is to stand at the back of the bus," said one
election volunteer. For full article, go to
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10589
NO MORE HOT AIR FROM THE DEMOCRATS, by Molly Ivins, March 22, Chicago
Tribune
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Democrats in the U.S. Senate have an unusual
opportunity coming up in the next few weeks. One could even call it unique,
if unique were not a forbidden word in newspapers. The Democrats can prove
that everybody who voted for Ralph Nader was right. It's not often that a
party gets to do a thing like that. The McCain-Feingold campaign-finance
reform bill hit the Senate floor this week with Democrats wobbling all over
God's little acre.
Despite the heroic stand of several Republican senators who have come out in
favor of the bill, Democrats will get--and deserve--the blame if the bill
fails.
This is one of those rare moments when the political system has the clarity
of High Noon. We like to think of political fights as a morality play of
good versus evil, when in reality they almost never are. Most serious
political fights are over decisions that are 51-49. This one isn't. It's
about whether there are two political parties or one--the Money Party.
Either the Democrats stand for something or they don't, and if they stand
for letting the current system of legalized bribery continue, then we're
better off voting for Ralph Nader.
The opportunity here for the D's is clear, particularly since the
Republicans are off to such an incredibly fast sprint-start in proving the
case for McCain-Feingold. Gee, what a record. Hard to see how the influence
of campaign contributions on politics could get clearer than the credit-card
industry's purchase of a harsher bankruptcy law, industry's purchase of the
repeal of rules to prevent repetitive stress injuries and High George
Dubya's 180 on CO2. As Joseph Welch once said to Sen. Joe McCarthy, "Have
you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of
decency?"
That McCain-Feingold is an imperfect instrument is beyond argument. It's not
as though we are accustomed to flawless legislation from Congress. The truth
is, unless we start by cleaning up the soft money in politics, we'll never
get anything more done.
One understands the Democratic money people are in full flower against
McCain-Feingold on the grounds that the D's actually have an edge in raising
soft money. Are these, by any chance, the same people who have brought such
distinction to their party via James Riady, a Buddhist temple, tangled
flow-through schemes and their happy acceptance of immense donations from
Marc Rich? Think how much these folks have done to improve the party's
standing with the public. By all means, let's follow their lead.
President W. Bush, who is so fond of citing the Texas Legislature as a font
of bipartisan wisdom, will be interested to learn that last week the Texas
Senate voted unanimously for the first real campaign-finance reforms in the
state's history. Since Texas is the Wild West of campaign
finance--essentially no rules, absolutely no limits--this is a startling
development.
True, state Sen. Florence Shapiro's bill is not strong gargle, but it does
prevent hidden corporate contributions and forces out-of-state PAC
contributions into the open.
One of the annual delights of the debate over campaign-finance reform is the
appearance of new friends of the 1st Amendment; they spring up like
dandelions in April. With a few honorable exceptions, those who carry on
over the dire 1st Amendment implications of campaign-finance reform are
summer soldiers and sunshine patriots when it comes to freedom of speech.
Their sole interest is in the peculiar proposition that money is free
speech.
We never hear from them when anything but big political bucks are at stake:
In those nasty, gut-check fights when freedom of speech has to protect ugly
and repellent ideas, these Fairweather Firsters are nowhere to be found. But
their pompous and condescending lectures on freedom of speech are a treat
for connoisseurs of hypocrisy.
Please believe that all citizens have a role in this fight: Wobbling
Democrats and heroic Republicans need to hear a steady drumbeat of support
from the public. From C-SPAN junkies to Americans so cynical they haven't
bothered to vote for years, this fight is your fight. Speak up or forever
hold your peace.

IF DEMS FAIL, GREENS MAY STRENGTHEN, BY John Nichols, March 22, 2001,
Madison Capital Times
Molly Ivins, the Texan who should have been elected president last year,
allows as how the big question of the current political moment is not
whether George W. Bush is a crooked appendage of corporate America. Not even
Republicans can deny that reality without giggling.
The mystery of the moment is whether Democrats who are supposed to be
mounting the opposition to Bush are the other crooked appendage of corporate
America.
Ivins suggests that if Senate Democrat defectors kill campaign finance
reform in coming days, they will prove Green presidential candidate Ralph
Nader was right when he condemned both the Democrats and Republicans as
equally beyond redemption. "It's about whether there are two political
parties or one - the Money Party," argues Ivins.
"Either the Democrats stand for something or they don't, and if they stand
for letting the current system of legalized bribery continue, then we're
better off voting for Ralph Nader."
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., offers a similar message, suggesting
that if Democrats do not begin to mount a credible challenge to Bush, they
will prove Nader right. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich was even more
blunt, suggesting that the Democratic response to Bush proves the party of
Roosevelt and Truman is now officially "dead."
This sort of talk is music to the ears of David Cobb, a staff attorney with
the Community Legal Defense Fund in Houston and veteran Bush battler. Don't
get Cobb wrong, as a passionate foe of corporate excess he wants to beat
Bush and the Republicans. He just doesn't believe the Democrats will ever
rise to the challenge.
"There are a lot of good Democrats, progressive people who really believe in
all the right things," says Cobb. "But their views are not being reflected
by the national Democratic party leadership. When Democrats in Washington
sell out on basic issues like campaign finance reform, Democrats at the
grass-roots level start asking: Where is the political opposition to these
corporations going to come from?"
Cobb is working with Madison's Ben Manski and others to build the Green
Party as a national political force - in large part because he has lost
faith in the willingness of Democrats to stand up to corporate campaign
contributors. (An associate of the Program on Corporations, Law and
Democracy, he'll speak at 7 tonight at the UW Memorial Union on how
community groups are challenging corporations on environmental, sweatshop
and development issues.)
Like Ivins, Cobb thinks congressional Democrats face a critical test this
spring. If they fail to mount a credible and consistent opposition to Bush,
hey will push millions of Americans to look anew at the message carried by
Nader and the Greens in last year's campaign.
"When people who want a populist, passionate opposition to Bush realize that
the Democrats have let them down," says Cobb, "they'll start to understand
just how much America needs the Green Party."
GREENS SEE BREAKTHROUGH IN FRENCH MUNICIPAL POLLS, March 12, Paris (AFP)
With its impressive result in Sunday's municipal elections, France's Green
party has taken a step closer to achieving its goal of replacing the
Communists as the second party of the left, commentators said Monday. The
party scored well in a number of key cities -- notably Paris, where it won
12.35 percent of the vote -- and immediately struck a deal with Socialist
front-runner Bertrand Delanoe which should ensure a strong Green presence
in the city's municipal council.
The Greens won 15.5 percent in the northern city of Lille, 12.5 percent in
Montpellier in the south and 16.5 percent in Besancon in the east -- here
too requiring the Socialists to make an arrangement to ensure victory in
next Sunday's second round.
The achievement was seen as a vindication of the party's decision to put
forward separate lists in as many towns as possible, instead of running on a
joint ticket with the Socialists -- a move preferred by other parties in
Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's coalition, such as the Communists.
"The tendency we first saw in 1995 (the last municipal elections) is firming
up. Wherever the Greens were able to present a list, they had a vote worthy
of a party with real weight inside the plural left coalition," a party
statement said."The Greens have confirmed their progress throughout the
country. Autonomy has paid off," said Le Monde newspaper. According to the
daily Le Figaro, "the 'ecolos' see as within their grasp their hopes of
supplanting the Communist Party (PCF) as the Socialists' main partner."
The Communists fared badly in Sunday's poll, with Transport Minister
Jean-Claude Gayssot defeated in the southern town of Beziers, and the towns
of Montlucon and Sens swinging to the right. After next Sunday's second
round, the PCF could find itself without any town of more than 100,000
inhabitants, Le Monde reported. "The PCF was happy to strike a national deal
with the Socialists, but it has been of absolutely no use," it said.
Under the deal, Socialist candidates agreed to stand down in a number of
towns to allow the PCF to lead a united left-wing list, but in no town did
Communists mount a serious challenge to incumbent right-wing mayors. The
Greens have two ministers in Jospin's government, including Environment
Minister Dominique Voynet, whose defeat in the eastern town of Dole was one
of the party's few disappointments. The Communists have four ministers.
INTERVIEW WITH COLOMBIAN SENATOR INGRID BETANCOURT
Following is an interview with Senator Ingrid Betancourt, from the Green
Party of Colombia, Partido Verde Oxigeno. She is planning to run as a Green
Party Presidential Candidate in Colombia in the coming election and will be
attending the Global Green Conference in Canberra. She has just written a
book, La Rabia en el corazón (Frence title "La rage au coeur"), which is
being distributed in France. During her visit to Paris to introduce the
book, some of the media headlines were "Ingrid Betancourt, a woman
threatened with death...", "The woman to kill...", "The warrior from the
Andes", "The Passionata of the Andes", "Colombia is governed by mediocrity
and Heroine." The following interview was made with Diana Rodriguez Rojas.
DRR: Why was the presentation of your book so successful?
IB: The French identified with a struggle motivated by ideals. They don't
act it out there because they have everything, but they appreciate that
there is a country where the struggle is necessary for human dignity. Nobody
before me succeeded in making a best seller of a book that speaks only about
Colombia. The media here in Colombia ignore it and there there [sic] is an
interest.
DRR: Ambassador Restrepo said that you promoted yourself at the expense of
the image of Colombia.
IB: That's a very selfish attitude when the possibility to inform the rest
of the world what we are experiencing in Colombia is offered
DRR: What positive result for Colombia stems from the boom in sales of your
book?
IB: Today, they no longer confuse Colombia with Bolivia. They now know what
is occurring here and there is an immense solidarity and willingness to
help. If the world takes interest, things will not be allowed to continue
this way.
DRR: Why did you write your book in French and launched it in France?
IB: I hope it gets to Colombia. I wrote a book two years ago and it was
never published here. It's the punishment towards someone who speaks without
fear or restrain.
DRR: Will you run for the presidency in 2002?
IB: Yes, I will run in 2002. The time limit has elapsed. Colombia has the
right to have a radical option, clean, and free. There is need for a
structure of Government that is decent and effective and I can't see that
the present options can do the job.
DRR: Why have you been absent from Congress during this term?
IB: Congress has closed all doors for me. I have introduced 15 projects and
they have all been refused. I have requested five debates and I have not
been allowed not even one. Each time I request to speak, I am denied. The
challenge is to succeed in making my voice be heard.

6. LETTERS:
POETRY & PROSE
WAVES by Ian Wilder
for Fritjof Capra
molding solar ellipses
measuring continental crusts
aching to be still
pointillist crests
canalizing troughs of sunlight
an emptiness closer to spirit than science
narwhals, seahorses, starfish, plankton
packets of electromagnetic energy
viscera constantly shedding
re-identifying
***
If
you can
read this you
are more qualified to
be president than George W. Bush
If you can understand this, then you could lead the whole, free world. And,
why not? You are good and wise and were taught some small lessons about
democracy at that school you went to. But, really, don't run for President.
It is a faraway, huge compromise with the greedy rich. Something ugly like
fame--a beautiful wish that devours you and causes you to go blithely
through life trampling on the rights of other people. Instead, take this
great ambition, this desire for good, this inner know-ing that your will
counts and run for local office. Find out about your hometown school board.
Consider running for city council on the Green Party line. Or, become town
dogcatcher and set all the puppies free!
By Kimberly Wilder


from Rural Advancement Foundation International April 21, 2001


RAFI
Rural Advancement Foundation International
www.rafi.org  


GenoType - April 20, 2001

Supporting the
Treaty to Share the Genetic Commons

Those on the RAFI list-server are aware that we try to keep our e-mail
messages as few and short as possible.  Unfortunately, we seem to be in
an especially frantic season with many new developments coming forward
all at the same time (next week will see a RAFI News Release that will
send a shock wave through the biotech industry, for example).  

We are taking the unusual step of attaching a draft Treaty to Share the
Genetic Commons and an accompanying letter from the international
working group preparing the Treaty.  RAFI, along with 11 other civil
society organizations and indigenous peoples organizations have been
actively involved in the drafting work.  We believe the draft Treaty
represents an important policy departure from the positions taken by
many governments and many other intergovernmental treaties and that it
deserves everybody's careful attention.  

PLEASE NOTE that this is a "work-in-progress".  We believe it should be
discussed by CSOs meeting now in New York at the CSD and during the
PrepCom for Rio+10 as well as within each organization and in each
country.  The working group welcomes all advice. In RAFI's opinion, the
final Treaty text need not be finalized within civil society until the
second PrepCom later this year.  

In the meantime, signing the note (below) attached to the draft Treaty
(as either an organization or as an individual) signifies your support
in principle, for the essential ideas in the draft and your willingness
to participate in the process.  At the end of the day, each party will
have to consider the final text and decide at that time whether or not
they wish to support it.

Some have already suggested that the text is less a Treaty than a
Charter.  RAFI disagrees.  We want this text to be negotiated by
governments and others and we want it to have the weight of law - to
become a legally-binding commitment.  We understand how hard this will
be to achieve, but we are not looking for worthless paper victories.  We
hope you will join us in helping to set this new standard for
international negotiation and agreement.

An Open Letter to CSO colleagues follows from the 12 members of the
working group ...          

Responses to the following should go to:

The Treaty Initiative to Share the Genetic Commons:
Email: Treaty@foet.org
Fax: 202 429 9602
If you need additional information:
The Treaty Initiative to Share the Genetic Commons
1660 L Street NW, Suite 216
Washington, DC  20036
USA
Tel  (202) 466-2823

Please do not send your responses to RAFI...


Dear Colleague,

We are writing to you to ask your support in a civil society process
that will lead to a Treaty to Share the Genetic Commons, which we
propose to have adopted by governments and civil society at the Rio+10
Conference in South Africa next year.  A copy of our draft treaty text
is attached as a "work-in-progress".  Our hope is that we will have an
opportunity to discuss the proposed treaty and the strategy surrounding
its acceptance both by e-mail and during the PrepCom for Rio+10 at the
UN in New York beginning April 30th.    

CONTEXT STATEMENT

We, the undersigned, would like to enlist your active support in a new
initiative to establish the Earth's gene pool, in all of its biological
forms and manifestations, as a global commons to be jointly shared by
all peoples.

Our aim is to prohibit all patents on plant, animal, and human life
including patents on genes and the products they code for, in their
natural, purified or synthesized form, as well as chromosomes, cells,
tissues, organs and organisms including cloned, transgenic and chimeric
organisms.

We feel the time is right for a broad challenge on all patents on life
and believe that this initiative can rally widespread public support
across the entire political spectrum and among every major social
constituency and interest group.  

How does this initiative differ from current efforts underway - the
Biological Diversity Convention, the International Undertaking on Plant
Genetic Resources, TRIPS, etc. - to establish a global regime to govern
and regulate the use of biological resources?  Our initiative adopts
some common themes but differs in one very fundamental respect.  Unlike
the other initiatives, we oppose the extension of intellectual property
rights to any living thing as well as the components of all living
things.  We believe that our evolutionary heritage is not a negotiable
commodity.  While we hail the good intentions of both the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Undertaking on Plant
Genetic Resources (IU), their goal of equitably sharing the earth's
biological heritage can only be realized by prohibiting all commercial
patents on life.

We agree with the position that the gene pool and its products are a
global commons - a position often put forward by the life science
companies and some governments, including the United States.
Unfortunately, the life science companies have misinterpreted and
misappropriated the term "global commons" to claim unlimited access to
the world's genetic diversity for the purposes of converting it into
private intellectual property.  They have failed to understand that
because the Earth's gene pool, in all of its biological forms and
manifestations, is a global commons and, therefore, a product of nature,
it cannot be claimed, in whole or in part, as intellectual property.

We agree with the position, often extolled by the group of 77 and China,
that governments and Indigenous Peoples have the sovereign
responsibility to oversee the biological resources within their borders
and determine how they are managed and shared.  However, because the
gene pool is a global commons, it cannot be sold by any institution or
individual as genetic information.

All of the current arrangements and consultative initiatives, to the
extent that they are based on the principle of selling "prospecting
rights" to genetic information and extending intellectual property
protection to life, are unacceptable mechanisms for governing the gene
pool in the Age of Biology.

The Treaty to Share the Genetic Commons is designed to make every
government and Indigenous Peoples a "caretaker" of their geographic part
of the global genetic commons and to establish the appropriate statutory
mechanisms to ensure both national sovereignty and open access to the
flow of genetic information, in the spirit of collective responsibility
for our shared evolutionary legacy.

It is our intention to reach out to civil society organizations,
political parties, and governments around the world to enlist broad
popular support for this initiative.  We are on the cusp of an historic
transformation from the Age of Physics and Chemistry to the Age of
Biology.  It is critical, at the dawn of this new era, that we establish
our collective responsibility for stewarding the earth's gene pool.

Those of us writing to you today wish to express our strong commitment
to the core message and goals in the draft treaty.  We also wish to
assure you and our other colleagues in civil society that your advice
and input are both needed and welcome and that we fully expect the
language of the text to be altered with discussion.  In sending you this
draft at this time, we are seeking your ideas as well as asking for your
support, in principle, for the values expressed in the treaty.  Could
you please sign and return the enclosed form, and contact us with your
thoughts at: treaty@foet.org ?  Could you also let us know if you or
someone from your organization will be in New York on April 30th for the
Rio+10 PrepCom and would be available to attend a brief information
meeting on the treaty?

We look forward to discussing this with you by e-mail and in person  in
the days ahead.


Yours sincerely,

Alejandro Argumendo, Director, Asociacion Quechua-Aymara ANDES /
Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Network (IPBN)
Bill Christison, President, National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) /
Board Member, Via Campesina
Neth Dano, Executive Director, South East Asian Regional Institute for
Community Education (SEARICE)
Benedikt Haerlin, International Coordinator, Greenpeace Genetic
Engineering Campaign
Debra Harry, Executive Director, Indigenous People's Council on
Biocolonialism (IPCB)
Randy Hayes, President, Rainforest Action Network (RAN)
Camila Montecino, Centro de Educacion y Tecnologia (CET))
Pat Roy Mooney, Executive Director, Rural Advancement Foundation
International (RAFI)

Andrew T. Mushita, Director, Community Technology Development Trust
(CTDT)
Jeremy Rifkin, President, Foundation on Economic Trends (FOET)
Vandana Shiva, Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and
Ecology
Martin Teitel, President, Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG)

*  Yes, add our organization as a signatory to the Treaty Initiative.

Signature: ____________________________________

Printed Name: ____________________________________

Title: ____________________________________

Name of Organization: ____________________________________

Address: ____________________________________

____________________________________

Telephone: ____________________________________

Fax: ____________________________________

E-mail: ____________________________________


Please return this form to:
The Treaty Initiative to Share the Genetic Commons:
Email: Treaty@foet.org
Fax: 202 429 9602
If you need additional information:
The Treaty Initiative to Share the Genetic Commons
1660 L Street NW, Suite 216
Washington, DC  20036
USA
Tel  (202) 466-2823


-- DRAFT --

THE TREATY TO SHARE THE GENETIC COMMONS


We proclaim these truths to be universal and indivisible;

That the intrinsic value of the Earth's gene pool, in all of its
biological forms and manifestations, precedes its utility and commercial
value, and therefore must be respected and safeguarded by all political,
commercial and social institutions,

That the Earth's gene pool, in all of its biological forms and
manifestations, exists in nature and, therefore, must not be claimed as
intellectual property even if purified and synthesized in the
laboratory,

That the global gene pool, in all of its biological forms and
manifestations, is a shared  legacy and, therefore, a collective
responsibility,

And,

Whereas, our increasing knowledge of biology confers a special
obligation to serve as a steward on behalf of the preservation and well
being of our species as well as all of our other fellow creatures,

Therefore, the nations of the world declare the Earth's gene pool, in
all of its biological forms and manifestations, to be a global commons,
to be protected and nurtured by all peoples and further declare that
genes and the products they code for, in their natural, purified or
synthesized form as well as chromosomes, cells, tissue, organs and
organisms, including cloned, transgenic and chimeric organisms, will not
be allowed to be claimed as commercially negotiable genetic information
or intellectual property by governments, commercial enterprises, other
institutions or individuals.

The Parties to the treaty - to include signatory nation states and
Indigenous Peoples - further agree to administer the gene pool as a
trust.  The signatories acknowledge the sovereign right and
responsibility of every nation and homeland to oversee the biological
resources within their borders and determine how they are managed and
shared.  However, because the gene pool, in all of its biological forms
and manifestations, is a global commons, it cannot be sold by any
institution or individual as genetic information.  Nor can any
institution or individual, in turn, lay claim to the genetic information
as intellectual property.

--  Draft : Version 7  --


from Center for Marine Conservation April 23, 2001


Your support is needed for creating no-take Marine
Protected Areas in the South Atlantic to help restore
depleted fish populations.

You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20568B0423052410C144

Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/South_Atlantic_MPAs/forward?rk=8pqUq8d141q5W

We encourage you to take action by May 21, 2001

South Atlantic MPA Scoping Hearings

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

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is currently
asking the public to identify specific marine habitats
that they believe to be important for future consideration
as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Please help support
the use of no-take MPAs as a fishery management tool
in the South Atlantic by responding to this alert and/or
attending one of the nine public scoping meetings.

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

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/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20568B0423052410C144  

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
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Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Chairman Fulton Love


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

I am a resident of the United States and am very concerned
about the state of South Atlantic marine fish populations
and their habitats. Please consider this letter with
any other comments the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council receives during the scoping process on the
establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Today, 4 of the 15 South Atlantic fish species for
which there are data are already candidates for listing
under the Endangered Species Act; 13 of those 15 South
Atlantic reef fish are currently overfished. Habitats
crucial to healthy fish populations are being rapidly
degraded. I urge you and other members of the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council to use a scientifically
based network of no-take marine reserves as an important
fishery management tool to help protect and restore
depleted fish populations and to conserve essential
habitat.

Marine reserves are an effective means to help restore
depleted fish populations, protect essential habitat,
and provide a reference point against which the ecological
health of fished areas can be measured. A new report
issued by the National Research Council and a consensus
statement issued by a group of world-renown scientists
indicated, as have numerous prior reports, that marine
reserves are a successful management tool. Also, in
many other parts of the world no-take marine reserves
have proven effective in helping to restore and protect
fish and important habitats. There is every reason
to believe the use of marine reserves by the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council will achieve the
same end.

Thank you for considering my views.

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Earthhope Action Network/environment & conservation activism & wildlife protection