home of the wildlife conservation environmental
and freedom activist
Environment Action
Alerts for May 1- May 7, 2002
 
Roadless Area Protection
Call In Day Today
Actions for Alaska
on the Agenda
New Hampshire First State
to Tackle Global Warming

Help Protect Oceans
from Overfishing
Good News
from Kenya
Act Now to Save
America's Ocean Fish

Don't Dump Waste
in Our Waters
Enviro Action
May 1, 2002
ETC Responds to Purdue's
Pro-Terminator Campaign

Harmful Stewardship Contracting
and Biomass Provisions Dropped
NRDC Legislative
Watch 5/2/02
Stop Financing Environmental
Destruction / Tibet-China

Save our last wild
forests with a call!
U'wa Denounce US
Terrorism in Columbia
Federal Funding of
Abstinence-Only Education

Correct Email address for
CEO of Morgan Stanley
Gov. Davis, Become Leader
in Renewable Energy Revolution
DENlines May 3, 2002

EarthNet News
May 03, 2002
Protect Yellowstone
from Snowmobiles
Help Protect Air Quality
in our National Parks

California Activist Network
Action Alert May 6, 2002
Many Thanks
on the Farm Bill
Senate Energy
Bill Update

National Parks Require
Gas Masks?
Roadless Area Conservation
Sponsor Deadline This Week
Oxy Announces Plans
to Leave U’wa Land!

NRDC Earth
Action 5/7/02
Marine Wildlife Threatened
by Defense Department Bill
No Environmental
Exemptions for Military




from American Lands May 1, 2002

To: All Activists
From: Tiernan Sittenfeld, US PIRG
Date: April 30, 2002

Subject: Roadless Area Protection Call In Day Tomorrow

PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 1ST, AND URGE THEM TO
BECOME ORIGINAL COSPONSORS OF THE "NATIONAL FOREST ROADLESS AREA
CONSERVATION ACT!"  YOU CAN CALL THE CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD TOLL FREE AT
888-223-4066 OR AT 202-224-3121 AND ASK FOR YOUR REPRESENTATIVES OR CALL
THEIR OFFICES DIRECTLY.

Our cosponsor drive is off to a great start, but we want to get as many
original cosponsors onto the bill as we can in the next few days. Please
call your Representative and any other Members of your state delegation
who you think would be interested in cosponsoring the bill and ask them
to sign on in order to represent the wishes of the American people who
want to protect our last wild places.  Even if your Representative is
already on the bill, please call and thank him or her. Please call this
Wednesday, May 1st, and urge your friends and colleagues to call as
well.  

SAMPLE RAP (please adjust this as you see you fit):  

Hi, my name is _____ and I'm a constituent calling from _______ (city or
town).  I'm calling to ask Representative _______ to become an original
cosponsor of the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act.  

This bill would simply codify the roadless rule that was shaped by the
greatest outreach in federal rulemaking history, including the more than
2.2 million comments submitted by the American public.  The
administration has failed to implement the roadless rule, so we're
looking to Congress to help protect our last wild places.  

Will Representative _______ sign on before May 8th?  (If the staffer
says the Member is already on, just say thank you.)  

For more information please see http://www.americanlands.org/ or
http://www.ourforests.org   Thanks!


Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org


from Alaska Rainforest Campaign May 1, 2002

1. CALL-IN DAY, TOMORROW!
2. TONGASS WILDERNESS PLAN TO BE ISSUED BY MID MAY
3. JUDGE ORDERS CONTINUED BAN ON MOST HARVESTING IN THE TONGASS

****

WILD FORESTS CALL-IN DAY – WEDNESDAY, MAY 1
Just ONE FREE CALL Helps Protect Roadless Areas in the Tongass and Chugach National Forests and other wild forests nationwide. (Phone number and sample message included below.)

With the Bush Administration still dragging its heels nearly a year after its pledge to implement the National Roadless Area Conservation Rule, Congress is ready to say enough is enough and ensure the Roadless Rule takes effect. The Roadless Rule protects the last remaining untouched, unprotected wild areas of America’s National Forests – one-quarter of which are within the Tongass and Chugach in Alaska.  Alaska’s rainforest has the most to gain from roadless protection and the most to lose by anti-conservation rollbacks.  America’s National Forests in Alaska have the most existing logging roads, the most areas without roads, and face the overwhelming threat of 33 timber sales in roadless areas that should be protected by the Rule.

In the next few weeks, leaders in the House of Representatives will introduce legislation to codify the Roadless Rule. Led by Reps. Jay Inslee (D, WA-1) and Sherwood Boehlert (R, NY-23), the drive is on to get as many original cosponsors onto the bill as possible in the next few days and you can help!

On WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 wild forest supporters from across the country will be participating in a CALL-IN DAY to urge their Representatives to become original cosponsors of the “National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act.” Take part by calling the Capitol switchboard TOLL FREE at 888-223-4066 or at 202-224-3121. Ask for your Representative and tell them you want their support on the bill. (Don't worry if you miss the May 1 date - go ahead and call in. Every call counts!)

Sample message:

Hi, my name is _____ and I'm a constituent calling from _______ (city or town).  I'm calling to ask Representative _______ to become an original cosponsor of the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act.  This bill would simply codify the roadless rule that was shaped by the greatest outreach in federal rulemaking history, including the more than 2.2 million comments submitted by the American public.  The administration has failed to implement the roadless rule, so we're looking to Congress to protect our last wild places including the Chugach and Tongass National Forests in Alaska, the crown jewels of the National Forest System.  Will Representative _______ sign on before May 8th?  (If the staffer says the Member is already on, just say thank you.)  Thanks!

****

TONGASS WILDERNESS PLAN TO BE ISSUED BY MID MAY

According to reports from the Tongass National Forest supervisor’s office, the Tongass Wilderness Plan will be issued by mid-May, commencing a 90-day public comment period.

We will alert everyone as soon as we are made aware of the exact date of the release. In the meantime, we still have limited quantities available – free of charge – of fact sheets and pre-printed postcards that organizations and individuals can use to participate in the comment period. If you and/or your organization are interested in receiving a supply of the postcards, please contact Laurie Cooper (laurie@alaskacoalition.org) with your request in multiples of 20 for the postcard and/or flyer.

Background:
The development of a new Tongass Wilderness Plan will provide Alaska Wilderness supporters with the opportunity to help safeguard the remaining unprotected temperate rainforest wildlands on the Tongass National Forest. By court order, the U.S. Forest Service has had to revisit its management blueprint for the Tongass National Forest. Originally developed in 1997, the Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) was ruled illegal because it failed to consider new wildlands eligible for long-term protection under the National Wilderness Preservation System. As a result, the USFS will issue a supplemental plan which we expect to include an Alaska Rainforest Conservation alternative. Stay tuned for information on how you can participate in the upcoming 90-day public comment period.


*****

NEWS ON THE TONGASS: Judge's order continues to bar harvest in most Tongass wilderness

04/28/2002 - Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2002.  The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.
Judge allows limited Tongass timber harvests

KETCHIKAN (AP) - Right-of-way clearing for the Swan Lake-Lake Tyee electrical intertie and five other timber harvests on the Tongass National Forest can proceed, according to a ruling Friday by U.S. District Court Judge James K. Singleton.

They were the only exemptions granted by Singleton in an injunction that otherwise prohibits the U.S. Forest Service from permitting timber harvest or road building in roadless areas until 45 days after the agency completes the final supplemental environmental impact study ordered by Singleton in March 2001.

The agency has said the supplemental environmental impact statement should be finished later this year.

The five timber sales to proceed are the Upper Carroll, South Lindy, Four Leaf, South Arm and King George, according to the Forest Service.

The sales contain about 62 million board feet of timber in the Craig, Ketchikan and Wrangell areas.

The ruling is similar to what the industry and Forest Service had requested at a hearing earlier this year.

Singleton ruled a year ago that the Forest Service violated federal law when it failed to consider some areas for wilderness designation in issuing the 1997 Tongass Land Management Plan. At the time, he issued an injunction that halted logging on the Tongass. He lifted it two months later, pending a hearing on the issue.

At the February hearing, conservation groups argued that an injunction would protect high-value wilderness from irreparable harm.

Tom Waldo, attorney for the environmental law firm Earthjustice, said the environmental groups in the case are pleased with Friday's order, although it didn't go as far as they had hoped.

"It gives some breathing room ... so there's some possibility of  protecting these areas in the wilderness review that's taking place right now," Waldo said.

The order Friday may not stop the Forest Service from planning timber sales in areas under review for wilderness designation, but would stop a decision in such cases, Waldo said.

Pat Veesart, executive director of the Sitka Conservation Society, said his group is focusing its attention on the wilderness review.

"Can the Forest Service make a fair decision on these areas while they are simultaneously planning timber sales in them?" he asked. "We'll see."

Singleton's ruling comes at a critical time for Southeast Alaska's timber industry, said Alaska Forest Association President George Woodbury, who runs a forest products consulting business in Wrangell. Timber companies are preparing to enter the woods to replenish their wood supply, he said.

"I think we're in good shape for the shape we're in," he said. "Winter inventory is getting low and interruptions would be difficult. We're very happy to have that decision."

Right-of-way clearing for the 57-mile Swan Lake-Lake Tyee electric intertie is scheduled to start this summer. The overland power line will connect Ketchikan with Petersburg and Wrangell.

Copyright (c) 2002 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

*****


from Greenpeace May 1, 2002

Greenpeace's
Positive Energy Newsletter
April 22-28, 2002
v 2.14

Time for Greenpeace’s CLEAN ENERGY NOW! campaign’s
weekly good news update!!!

Inside this edition:
- New Hampshire First State to Tackle Global Warming
- CEC to Fund Feasibility Study of Ocean-Based Energy
Systems
- Never Too Young to Be Involved

+ + + + +
New Hampshire First State to Tackle Global Warming

New Hampshire lawmakers became the first in the country to
pass a law to reduce global warming.  The measure is aimed
at reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide,
and nitrogen oxide – thus addressing global warming, acid
rain, smog and airborne mercury poisoning contributions by
fossil-fuel power plants.  Although some environmentalists
have opposed a part of the bill that allows credit-trading
with out-of-state utilities for those unable to cut local
emissions by 2007, others have supported the plan and
called the compromise a major step forward. Even though
the new rules for emissions pale in comparison to the Kyoto
Protocol, the measure will serve as a model for other
states and the federal government to follow New
Hampshire’s initiative and take action in curbing our role
in climate change.

To read more about New Hampshire’s initiative, go to:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2002/2002L-04-22-06.html
and
http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/local2002/clean_air_law7466_2002.shtml

+ + + + +
CEC to Fund Feasibility Study of Ocean-Based Energy Systems

In the near future, California could be using ocean-wave
energy systems to meet some of its energy needs.  The
prospects of using wave actions to generate electrical
energy is not new by any means, Pacific Gas & Electric Company released a report in 1991 looking into potential energy conversion of wave energy into usable energy.  With
funding from the California Energy Commission, a group of researchers and experts will survey the California coast to study the feasibility of using sea swells as a potential
source of renewable energy in the upcoming weeks.  Initial
assessments indicate a potential of 23,000 MW of ocean-
based electricity could be generated along the northern
coast alone, making this technology appealing to conscious
energy users and advocates who want California to adopt a
diverse clean energy portfolio. Although wave energy is
effectively non-polluting, there are environmental
considerations that still have to be explored, including
its impact on sea life. In addition, there are still a
few technical challenges that will need to be overcome to
make this concept economically competitive with traditional
sources of energy.  Even so, experts are excited about the reality of establishing wave-energy electricity converters in the near future – the World Energy Council estimates
that the equivalent of twice the global electricity
production could be harvested from the world’s oceans.

Check out this animation showing how wave energy works:
http://www.techreview.com/articles/visualize0102.asp


+ + + + +
Never Too Young to Be Involved

Not sure if kids can be committed, effective activists?
Well South Australian Premier Mike Rann recently announced
that his 11-year-old daughter convinced him to
go "green" and we believe kids can help convince their
fellow Californians to go "green" as well.

More and more, we, at Greenpeace, hear from kids who want
to get involved, and we would like to remind our readers
that Greenpeace does have a Volunteer Network in the
San Francisco/Bay Area. There are plenty of opportunities
for people of all ages to work with other Southern
California activists and political teams or along side
Greenpeace campaigners in our San Francisco office.  

If interested, please contact Ashby Smith, our Outreach
Coordinator,  by phone at:
(415) 255.9221 x 314
or via email at:
ashby.smith@sfo.greenpeace.org.

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


from Defenders of Wildlife May 1, 2002

DEN Alert: Help Protect Our Oceans from Overfishing

A U.S. House committee is about to consider legislation to stop the
overfishing of our oceans. America's ocean fish are at serious risk.
Nearly half of all federally managed U.S. fish populations are at
dangerously low levels. The fishing industry now has the capacity
to catch and kill more fish than the oceans can produce. For every
pound of shrimp caught in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, four
pounds of fish and other marine life are discarded, dead or dying.
What's more, dredged or bottom-trawled each year are areas roughly
150 times as large as all the forests clear-cut worldwide. That is
damaging and destroying essential fish habitat.


WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please send your representative a FREE fax and tell them there is a
solution - the Fisheries Recovery Act of 2001 (H.R. 2570) This
legislation is good for the fish, other ocean wildlife, fishermen,
and fishing communities because it promotes long-term sustainable
fishing practices. The bill may be considered as early as MAY 2,
so please send your fax TODAY. Thanks for helping to protect our
precious marine resources.


INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:

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

http://www.denaction.org


SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear Representative:

I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor the Fisheries Recovery Act
of 2001, H.R. 2570.  Our country's ocean fish are in crisis because
of government mismanagement.  Nearly half of all federally managed
U.S. fish populations are at dangerously low levels. We now have
the fishing capacity to catch more fish than the oceans can produce.  
This, coupled with damaging fishing practices, has put more than
30 federally managed fish species at risk of extinction.

Instead of managing our ocean resources primarily for extraction,
we must put conservation first.  The Fisheries Recovery Act of 2001
can help fix many of the problems with current management.  It
requires an end to overfishing reduces the killing of ocean life
such as turtles, sea birds and sharks, and will protect fish
habitats from damaging fishing practices.  H.R. 2570 also directs
fishery managers to consider the overall health of ocean ecosystems
while making management decisions.

The future of America's fishing communities, and our ocean
resources, depends on your leadership.  Please co-sponsor the
Fisheries Recovery Act of 2001. Thank you for considering my
comments.

Sincerely,

___________________________________________________________

To SUBSCRIBE to DENlines, visit Defenders' website at:
http://www.defenders.org/den or send an e-mail to
DEN@defenders.org and put the word SUBSCRIBE in the
subject line, and your name and address in the text area.  
___________________________________________________________

DENlines is a biweekly publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a
leading national conservation organization recognized as one of
the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its
habitat and known for its effective leadership on saving
endangered species such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders
advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect
species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders
is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 480,000
members and supporters.

                       Defenders of Wildlife
                  1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 1400
                       Washington, DC 20005
                     http://www.defenders.org
                     http://www.kidsplanet.org        
           Copyright (c) 2002 by Defenders of Wildlife


from Global Response May 1, 2002

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

(NOTE: If an ad appears at the top of this message, we are as displeased as
you are. We've asked Topica to stop this practice.)

Thanks to all who have sent letters to Kenyan government officials
supporting Kenyan environmental and indigenous organizations who are
struggling to save Kenya's remaining forests.  There's good news from
Nairobi: a court order halting the Kenyan government's plans to excise some
70,000 hectares of forests, including forest areas occupied by the
indigenous Ogiek people.  The order is temporary, but it is welcomed with
great relief by environmentalists in Kenya and around the world.

For background on the struggle and Global Response's Action Alert from
January 2002, please see
http://www.globalresponse.org/gra_index/gra0102.html.

For the good news, see IRIN article dated 24 April, 2002, at
Http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27444

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

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 international 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
skills for global citizen cooperation and earth stewardship.

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

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 international 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
skills for global citizen cooperation and earth stewardship.


from American Oceans Campaign May 1, 2002

America's ocean fish are at serious risk because of
government mismanagement. We now have the capacity
to catch and kill more fish than the oceans can produce.
On May 2, a key subcommittee in the House of Representatives
will review draft fishery management legislation. We
need your help again to ensure strong fish management
reform and ocean protection measures receive the adequate
attention. Please let your Representative know you
care about the plight of our ocean fish and urge his/her
co-sponsorship of the Fisheries Recovery Act.

You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/oceanfish/wkxwk74278xdjb

Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/oceanfish/forward/wkxwk74278xdjb

We encourage you to take action by June 30, 2002

Act Now to Save America's Ocean Fish

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

America's ocean fish are at serious risk because of
government mismanagement. We now have the capacity
to catch and kill more fish than the oceans can produce.
In too many cases, federal fisheries managers react
to overfishing and other wasteful fishing practices
after it occurs, which increases the likelihood that
fish populations will remain depleted for years to
come.

The House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife
and Oceans will hold a hearing on legislative proposals
on fisheries management on May 2. With congressional
attention focused on fisheries management legislation,
we need your support to ensure that conservation of
ocean fish populations and ecosystems is our nation's
highest priority.

Consider these facts:
- 31 ocean fish species have been so mismanaged that
they may go extinct.
- The extent of our ocean fish problem is largely unknown
because federal fisheries managers don't even know
the status of 78% of our ocean fish populations.
- For every pound of shrimp caught in the Gulf of Mexico,
4 pounds of fish and other marine life are discarded,
dead or dying.
- An area roughly 150 times the size of the forests
clear-cut worldwide is dredged or bottom trawled each
year. This activity damages and destroys essential
fish habitat.

There is a solution - The Fisheries Recovery Act of
2001, H.R. 2570. The bill was introduced by Representative
Sam Farr of California. Sixty six other members of
Congress have signed on in support. This bill will
stop the overexploitation of our fish and put conservation
first. H.R. 2570 is good for the fish, other ocean
wildlife, fishermen, and fishing communities because
it promotes long-term sustainable fishing practices.
HR 2570 will:  

1. stop overfishing  
2. reduce the killing of non-target fish and other
ocean life  
3. protect essential fish habitats from damaging fishing
practices  
4. require consideration of ecosystem needs when making
management decisions  
5. fund improved research and reporting

This is an important time to weigh in with your support
for fisheries management reform. Please let your Representative
know you care about the plight of our ocean fish and
urge his/her co-sponsorship of the Fisheries Recovery
Act.  

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

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/oceanfish/wkxwk74278xdjb  

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:
Representative Maurice Hinchey


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

Our nation's ocean fish populations are under tremendous
stress. In 2000, a record-high number of ocean fish
stocks (107) were overfished or experienced overfished
conditions. A recent scientific report showed that
31 federally-managed ocean fish species are at risk
of extinction. The nation's ocean environment, fishing
industry, and culture are at risk unless we seriously
take actions to ensure fish populations are sustainable.

Representative Gilchrest, the chairman of the Fisheries,
Conservation and Ocean Wildlife Subcommittee, is holding
a final hearing on fish management legislative proposals
on May 2. With the conclusion of the hearing process,
congressional attention on fisheries management will
elevate.

As my U.S. representative, I ask you to co-sponsor
H.R. 2570 - the Fisheries Recovery Act of 2001. This
bill will strengthen federal management of our ocean
fisheries by addressing many of the problems that have
contributed to fish population declines and habitat
loss. It will improve basic fishery science by involving
fishermen in a cooperative data gathering approach,
stop overfishing, encourage use of fishing gear that
does not damage habitats, and reduce the catch of non-targeted
wildlife such as birds and turtles. Your support of
H.R. 2570 will greatly help the effort to make ocean
conservation a priority.

Ocean fisheries have played an integral role in our
culture and economy for the entire history of our nation.
The continued decline and collapse of many historically
productive fisheries are reminders that fish management
has not kept pace with our capacity to exploit it.
We have a responsibility to protect and manage our
fisheries so that the stocks remain healthy and sustainable
fishing can continue into the future. Thank you for
your consideration.

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

Sincerely yours,


from Act for Change May 1, 2002

Don’t Dump Waste in Our Waters       

The Bush  administration is about to change a Clean Water Act rule to give the Army Corps of Engineers the ability to issue permits allowing industries to dump waste materials into our nation’s waters, destroying many streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands.     

The rule change is motivated by the Bush administration’s desire to promote mountaintop removal coal mining, where coal companies blow the tops off of mountains to reach seams of coal, then dump millions of tons of waste into nearby streams, burying them and killing all the animals and plants that live there. The new regulation would also allow hardrock mining operations and other industries to bury waters with their wastes.      

Urge the President to uphold the Clean Water Act’s goal of protecting our  nation’s waters and stop this rule change.      

Take action!


from National Wildlife May 1, 2002

May 2002 Edition

In This Issue:

Saving the Arctic: A Grassroots Victory!
In a victory for wildlife over wildcatters and grassroots over greed, the Senate on April 18 defeated attempts by Alaskan Senators Frank Murkowski and Ted Stevens to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The Senate vote might have been different without the grassroots support of citizens across the nation, including the hundreds that attended a "Rally for the Arctic" in Washington, DC, in early April.

Arctic Rally


Action Briefings: Read the latest updates on the Senate Farm Bill and a vote in the House to weaken the president's authority to designate national monuments. Find out what you can do to urge the Bush administration not to weaken the Clean Water Act.

Calls to Action: The U.S. Senate is expected to vote soon on a "Fast Track" trade bill that ignores key steps needed to protect wildlife and the environment. Click here to urge your senators to support a trade policy that allows economic development and conservation to proceed hand-in-hand. You can also send a letter to your lawmakers urging them to support a commonsense solution to saving salmon in the Pacific Northwest by clicking here.


Greening the Corps: NWF outlines reforms for a "greener" Corps and urges Congress to uphold President Bush's proposal to cut the Corps budget by 7 percent. Find out what you need to know about the congressional budget process.


Making a Difference: Missouri couple's enthusiasm for protecting wildlife and wild places leads to the formation of a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting their local wildlife refuge.

Regional News: Michigan conservation groups launch campaign to phase out mercury in the state. Check out the EnviroCalendar for other happenings in your state or region.


The full issue of EnviroAction is available at: www.nwf.org/enviroaction We look forward to receiving your feedback. Please email us at info@nwf.org or call us at
1-800-822-9919.
To unsubscribe to NWF's EnviroAction newsletter,
click here.
Sign up here to receive NWF Action alerts and be notified when your help is most needed on critical conservation issues.
click here.
Click here to support NWF conservation efforts.

NWF logo
(c) 1996-2001 National Wildlife Federation. All rights reserved. Read more About NWF and Your PRIVACY.


from ETC Group May 1, 2002

ETC Genotype
1 May 2002
www.etcgroup.org


ETC group responds to Purdue University's recent efforts to promote genetic seed sterilization - or Terminator -- as an environmental protection technology. The full response is available on the ETC group website: http//www.etcgroup.org

Background:
An article by Purdue Agriculture Communications (distributed by AScribe Newswire on April 19) quotes Purdue University professors and one University of Oklahoma law professor who unabashedly promote Terminator technology - claiming that it was developed as an environmental protection tool.

It is revisionist history, and a cynical strategy, to suggest that Terminator was developed as a biosafety tool.

Civil society organizations and farmers worldwide are alarmed and insulted by the campaign to promote Terminator as a biosafety mechanism. It is unacceptable and dangerous to suggest that agriculture is dependent on genetic seed sterilization as a method for minimizing genetic pollution from genetically modified plants.

The promotion of Terminator seeds as a "green" solution to GM pollution is the Trojan Horse of biotechnology. If Terminator
technology wins market acceptance under the guise of biosafety, it will be used as a monopoly tool to prevent farmers from saving and re-using seed.

Most of the over 800 million malnourished people on this planet live in rural areas and depend upon farm-saved seed for their survival. Member nations of the Food and Agriculture Organization should follow the leadership provided by FAO’s Ethics Panel and its Director-General and pass a resolution condemning Terminator technology.


from American Lands May 1, 2002

To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: May 1, 2002

Harmful Stewardship Contracting and Biomass Provisions Dropped from Farm Bill

First of all, many thanks to all those who made calls or sent faxes or
emails to stop the stewardship contracting and biomass provisions in the
Farm bill - it made a real difference.  

Second, sorry about the lame ads.  Topica started doing this without my
permission.  I've asked it to be stopped, but if they won't, we will be
moving our list elsewhere and would recommend that all other non-profits
do the same.

House and Senate conferees were not able to reach agreement on most of
the forest related language in the Farm bill, and as a result, these
provisions including stewardship contracting and biomass subsidies were
dropped from the bill.   A vote on final passage on the Farm bill could
occur as soon as tomorrow.

This is a very positive development, but we are expecting that the
stewardship contracting and biomass language could reappear in the
coming months as a rider on the Interior appropriations bill.  So the
fight is probably just beginning.  We will continue tracking this issue
and will keep you posted on any new developments.  

For now, many thanks are owed to Senate conferees who concluded that due
to the controversial nature of this program, it was premature to change
its status from a pilot program into permanent authority until the
existing pilots can be fully reviewed and analyzed.  Please fax a brief
note (on your organization's letterhead if possible) thanking the
following Senators for their support and hard work on the Farm bill to
protect the National Forests.

Senator Fax Number
Sen. Tom Daschle 224-7895
Sen. Tom Harkin 224-9287
Sen. Patrick Leahy 224-3479

Also please thank the following Senators for their support for
responsible safeguards in the stewardship program which were rejected by
the House conferees.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman 224-9026
Sen. Barbara Boxer 415-956-6701
Sen. Ron Wyden 228-2717

And once again, me deepest gratitude for all of your outstanding work to
stop this dangerous legislation.  

Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org


from Natural Resources Defense Council May 2, 2002

Natural Resources Defense Council's

LEGISLATIVE WATCH

May 2, 2002

******************************
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 ! =

5/2/02

The Senate passed its much-debated energy bill, after defeating
amendments to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil
drilling. The Senate is also beginning debate on trade legislation
that lacks protections for U.S. environmental laws. The House will
soon take up a bill to designate Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the sole
repository for the nation's high-level radioactive waste. The House is
also working on the Defense Authorization bill, which currently
includes language that would exempt the military from some
environmental laws.

...

Budget/Appropriations

On 3/20, on a party-line vote, the House passed a Republican FY '03
budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 353) that backs the Bush
administration's proposed cut of $14 billion from environmental
programs over the next five years. House Democratic leaders opposed
the cuts in environmental priorities and offered amendments restoring
this funding in committee, but their efforts were defeated. On 3/21,
the Senate Budget Committee considered a Democratic resolution that
would restore and increase environmental and natural resources funding
levels well above those requested in the administration's budget
proposal. As the House and Senate are not likely to close the gap
between their competing resolutions by mid-May, they will likely pass
separate budget plans to guide their work for the rest of the year.

See NRDC's analysis of the Bush budget.
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abudget03.asp

For a step-by-step guide to our annual odyssey through resolutions,
reconciliations and appropriations, see NRDC's budget process fact
sheet.
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/fbudg.asp

...

Clean Air and Energy

= N O T E ! =
On 4/25, the Senate passed the Energy Policy Act of 2002 (S. 517)
after rejecting, on 4/18, amendments from Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) and
Sen. Stevens (R-AK) to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil
drilling by votes of 46-54 and 36-64, respectively. As originally
written, the energy bill would have improved energy efficiency and
expanded the use of clean renewable energy sources. But amendments on
the Senate floor altered the bill dramatically, gutting vehicle fuel
economy improvements, exempting certain oil and gas industry
operations from federal drinking water protections, and extending
government protection against liability to the nuclear industry.
Additional amendments in the final days of debate further weakened the
bill by removing a strong energy efficiency standard for air
conditioners, allowing incineration of garbage to qualify as a
renewable energy source, and including language to shield renewable
fuel producers from legal challenges if their gasoline additives are
later found to be harmful to public health or the environment. The
Senate dealt an additional blow to efforts to increase vehicle fuel
efficiency when it rejected, by a vote of 57-42, an amendment by Sen.
Carper (D-DE) and Sen. Specter (R-PA) that would have directed the
Department of Transportation to cut the amount of oil passenger cars
and light trucks consume by one million barrels per day by 2015.

= N O T E ! =
The House and Senate energy bills differ significantly, most notably
in that the House bill (H.R. 4) would allow oil drilling in the Arctic
refuge. Unlike the House bill, the Senate includes a provision
increasing the use of renewable fuels -- mostly ethanol -- in gasoline
by five billion gallons by 2012. [Note -- The last edition of
Legislative Watch incorrectly referred to five billion 'barrels,'
instead of 'gallons,' of renewable fuel. NRDC regrets the error and
apologizes to our readers for any confusion.] The Senate bill also
would ban MTBE (a gasoline additive that has contaminated drinking
water), require companies to report their emissions of greenhouse
gases, and require electric providers to produce 4-5 percent of their
energy from new, renewable resources. The House bill includes over $33
billion in tax incentives that are largely for the oil, coal, and
nuclear energy industries. The Senate bill includes $15 billion in
incentives, about half of which would be available to improve energy
efficiency in vehicles, appliances, and buildings, as well as to
increase the use of solar, wind, and other cleaner alternative energy
sources. House and Senate conference committee members will likely
need several months to negotiate a compromise bill.

= N O T E ! =
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee expects to consider
S. 556, a bill co-authored by committee chair Sen. Jeffords (I-VT) and
Sen. Lieberman (D-CT), at the end of May. The bill seeks to reduce
four types of power plant emissions by imposing mandatory cuts in
carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury emissions.
No action has been taken on the House companion bill (H.R. 1256),
which was introduced on 3/27/01 by Rep. Waxman (D-CA) and Rep.
Boehlert (R-NY). The Bush administration opposes regulating carbon
dioxide emissions, arguing that the costs on the economy would be too
high. The administration has announced a proposal that would regulate
only three of the four worst power plant pollutants, reversing a Bush
campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas that
contributes to global warming.

NRDC has detailed an energy policy that would provide a secure energy
future without destroying wilderness or rolling back environmental
safeguards in reports including Dangerous Addiction: Ending America's
Oil Dependence
(http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/oilsecurity/securityinx.asp)
and A Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st Century
(http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp).

...

Clean Water

= N O T E ! =
On 4/24, the House Resources Committee approved H.R. 3908, Rep.
Hansen's (R-UT) bill to reauthorize the North American Wetlands
Conservation Act, which has served to restore and preserve wetlands
throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada since 1989. The bill
includes two amendments from Rep. Gilchrest (R-MD) -- one would
increase funding for the act's programs from $250 million to $325
million over five years, while the other would shift about 20 percent
of funding from projects outside the United States to those within the
country.

= N O T E ! =
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee postponed a session
to consider The Water Investment Act of 2002 (S. 1961), a bill
introduced on 2/15 by Sens. Graham (D-FL), Jeffords (I-VT), Smith
(R-NH), Warner (R-VA), and Crapo (R-ID), that would authorize
significant increases in funding for cleaner water. Environmental
groups are seeking to ensure that the bill provides incentives for
states and cities to fund water quality projects that are good for the
environment, such as stream buffers, wetlands protection, stormwater
controls, and smart growth initiatives. The bill may be taken up on
5/2. On 3/20, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
considered the House companion bill, The Water Quality Financing Act
of 2002 (H.R. 3930), sponsored by Rep. Duncan (R-TN). This bill would
increase the level of funding available to states for clean water
projects under the Clean Water Act by $1 billion per year, up to a
total of $6 billion in 2007. The White House objects to the cost of
these bills, claiming that it needs the money to fund the war on
terrorism.

...

Climate Change

On 4/17, the House Science Committee held a hearing to address the
funding and direction of federal climate science and technology
programs. Rep. Boehlert (R-NY), committee chair, addressed the
administration's proposal to create and fund two new research
programs, the Climate Change Research Initiative and the National
Climate Change Technology Initiative, voicing concern that the
programs are not yet clearly defined. Researchers testifying at the
hearing stressed the need for better coordination between the
scientists who conduct climate change research and develop related
technologies and consumers, policymakers, and industry.

...

Endangered Species

On 3/20, the House Resources Committee held a hearing on two bills
that would modify the Endangered Species Act, making it harder for the
government to protect endangered and threatened species. Rep. Walden's
(R-OR) H.R. 2829 and Rep. Pombo's (R-CA) H.R. 3705 would impose a
higher burden on federal agencies to obtain additional scientific
information on species and mandate additional review of that data,
resulting in delay and additional hurdles before protections could be
put in place.

...

International Environmental Protections

= N O T E ! =
On 4/26, the Senate began debate on H.R. 3009, a bill to lower tariffs
imposed on some products from South American nations. The bill is
expected to expand into a larger trade measure that will include
language granting "fast track" authority to the president to negotiate
new trade agreements. Sen. Kerry (D-MA) plans to offer an amendment to
the bill that would strengthen its environmental and public health
protections. On 12/6/01, after intense lobbying by the White House and
House Republican leaders, the House, by one vote, passed a
corresponding trade authority bill (H.R. 3005) introduced by Rep.
Thomas (R-CA). Democratic leaders, as well as environmental, consumer,
social justice, and labor groups, opposed H.R. 3005 because it fails
to ensure adequate environmental and labor standards and could
undermine current protections.

...

Lands

= N O T E ! =
House and Senate negotiators reconciled the final differences between
the House and Senate versions of the farm bill, H.R. 2646 and S. 1731,
respectively, on 5/1. The final bill would encourage farming on
ecologically fragile lands, allow hundreds of projects that would
expand logging in national forests, and authorize up to $450,000
apiece in taxpayer subsidies to factory farms, whose waste management
practices pose environmental and health threats (environmentalists had
called for stronger limits on these subsidies). Overall, funding for
conservation programs totaled $17.1 billion of the $73.5 billion bill.
The House and Senate are scheduled to debate and vote on the final
bill today.

On 3/20, the House Resources Committee approved, on a mostly
party-line vote of 23-18, H.R. 2114, Rep. Simpson's (R-ID) National
Monument Fairness Act. The bill is opposed by Democrats on the
committee because it would restrict the president's authority to
create national monuments under the Antiquities Act by requiring
congressional consent within two years after a president designates
any national monument over 50,000 acres, thereby preventing quick
presidential action to protect significant and environmentally
sensitive public lands and resources.

Also on 3/20, the House Resources Committee approved, along another
nearly party-line vote of 23-18, a provision in H.R. 3853 offered by
Rep. Radanovich (R-CA) that effectively overturns a Clinton
administration policy banning recreational jet skis in national parks
by delaying the deadline for the ban for two years.

...

Nuclear

= N O T E ! =
On 4/25, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved by a vote of
41-6 a resolution to designate Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the sole
repository for the nation's high-level radioactive waste. On 4/8,
Nevada governor Kenny Guinn (R) vetoed the Bush administration's
recommendation of the site, beginning a 90-day window during which
Congress can override the veto. The House subcommittee on Energy and
Air Quality voted to override Gov. Guinn's veto on 4/23 by a vote of
24-2. Floor debate is expected in the House next week. Opponents of
the selection of Yucca Mountain, 90 miles from Las Vegas, believe that
the proposed facility would not adequately protect the public and the
environment from radiation contamination.

...

Public Health

On 3/21, Sen. Clinton (D-NY) and Sen. Reid (D-NV) introduced the
National Health Tracking Act (S. 2054), a bill to protect children's
health by tracking data on local, regional, and national causes of
chronic health conditions. Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) introduced a companion
bill, H.R. 4061, on 3/20 in the House.

...

Toxic Waste

On 3/10, Sen. Boxer (D-CA) held a hearing on the federal Superfund
program to address the slowing pace of cleanup and the Bush
administration's proposal to shift cleanup costs from polluters to
taxpayers. The administration's FY '03 budget request for the EPA does
not reauthorize the current "polluter pays" tax for toxic cleanups,
and would shift the $700 million cost to taxpayers.

...

Wilderness and Wildlife Protection

= N O T E ! =
On 4/25, the House Subcommittee on Military Readiness approved by a
voice vote the Defense Authorization bill, H.R. 4546, including
provisions that give the Department of Defense broad exemptions under
the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The bill
moved to the House Armed Services Committee on 5/1, where language was
approved that would transfer control of a large portion of Utah public
lands from the Bureau of Land Management to the Defense Department.
Democratic leaders and environmentalists argue that the exemption
provisions have not received adequate review, that stakeholders have
not been allowed to comment on the provisions, and that language in
existing laws already provides flexibility for the Defense Department
to seek exemptions on a case-by-case basis.

...

For information on the environmental voting records of members of
Congress, see the League of Conservation Voter's National
Environmental Scorecards at http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/index.asp

...........

2) About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe

NRDC distributes three bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all
of them or to join our activist networks, go to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp

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 500,000 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 Global Response May 2, 2002

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

NOTE ABOUT ADS: At our request, Topica agreed to screen the ads it is now
placing at the top of our QRN messages. We're working on finding an ad-free
alternative. Please bear with us in the meantime.  Thanks, --GR.

Global Response has long been concerned about Chinese government projects
like the Three Gorges Dam and its policy of turning Tibet into a
resource-extraction colony with terrible consequences for the environment
and the Tibetan people.  We are very glad to join International Rivers
Network and Students for a Free Tibet in a campaign to pressure the  Morgan
Stanley company to stop helping China finance such environmentally
destructive projects.  Please exercise your consumer power in this campaign!

*****************************************************
GLOBAL RESPONSE ACTION #3/02
Stop Financing Environmental Destruction/ Tibet-China
May-June 2002
*****************************************************

“The company, its management and directors are very much committed to a
safe, clean and enduring environment.”
– Philip Purcell, CEO of Morgan Stanley, at shareholders meeting March 19,
2002

"We'll see if Mr. Purcell turns  these words into actions. We've proved
Morgan Stanley’s involvement in some of the most environmentally and
socially destructive projects in the world.”
– Doris Shen, International Rivers Network

The Chinese government continues to mount industrial development projects
on a colossal scale, with huge environmental and human costs. As human
rights and environmental activists living outside China, one of our main
points of leverage in China is through the western corporations and
financial institutions that invest in these destructive projects.  In recent
years, the World Bank has been pressured into refusing participation in
ventures like the Three Gorges Dam and the Chinese colonization of Tibet
because of human rights and environmental concerns. Other financial
institutions have also committed to investment guidelines for social and
environmental sustainability.

Morgan Stanley, however, continues underwriting bonds for the China
Development Bank and the People’s Republic of China, without applying any
environmental or social safeguards.  The largest securities company in the
U.S., Morgan Stanley’s business also includes the Discover credit card,
which is used in 40% of American households.  If you’ve got a Discover card
in your wallet, you are linked to some of the most environmentally
destructive activities in China and Tibet, including:

Three Gorges Dam:
Close to 2 million people will lose their homes, land and livelihoods when
the world’s longest reservoir (350 miles) is filled. Chinese critics of the
dam have been beaten and jailed (Amnesty International is currently seeking
release of four prisoners of conscience who spoke out against Three Gorges
Dam).  The U.S. Export-Import Bank and the World Bank both refused to
finance Three Gorges, but Morgan Stanley has no such scruples.  It manages
and owns 35% of the China International Capital Corporation, which serves as
the Three Gorges Project Corporations’ advisor for raising overseas capital.
Morgan Stanley also underwrites bonds for the China Development Bank, whose
top loan commitment is the Three Gorges Dam.

Resource Extraction in Tibet:
Morgan Stanley’s underwriting supports China’s “Go West Campaign,” building
railroads and oil/gas pipelines to facilitate resource extraction in Tibet.
Since China’s 1949 invasion of Tibet, more than 1.2 million people have died
due to political persecution, imprisonment, torture, execution and famine;
over 6,000 nunneries and monasteries were destroyed.

The environmental toll has been devastating. Under  Chinese occupation,
almost half of Tibet’s forests have been logged, causing severe erosion and
decimating wildlife. The Tibetan plateau is now gravely contaminated by
uncontrolled mining, industrialization and nuclear waste.  Water
contamination in Tibet flows downstream in rivers that sustain an incredible
47% of the world’s population, according to research by the Tibetan
Government in Exile.

Morgan Stanley underwriting supports two monumental infrastructure
projects: 1) PetroChina’s gas extraction in Tibet and the construction of a
pipeline that will carry Tibet’s gas to the industrialized cities in eastern
China, and 2) the Gormo-Lhasa Railway, which raises serious concerns about
further environmental degradation of the Tibetan plateau; the railroad will
also facilitate  further colonization and militarization of Tibet.

Morgan Stanley also helped raise $450 million from American investors for
Chalco, China’s largest aluminum company. Chalco’s aluminum processing plant
in Tibet releases toxic smoke laden with fluorides, which destroy the area’s
crops and kill Tibetan nomads’ livestock.  Chalco’s IPO prospectus admits
its Tibet plant exceeds airborne emission limits.

REQUESTED ACTION:  Morgan Stanley says that by June 30 it will announce an
environmental policy.  Timely letters can pressure Morgan Stanley to adopt
and implement strong and effective guidelines for sustainable development,
as recommended by the World Commission on Dams and the Tibetan Government in
Exile.  For a stronger impact, we can boycott Morgan Stanley's services,
including asset management, Discover insurance, and the Discover credit
card.

***************************************************
BACKGROUND:  GUIDELINES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

WORLD COMMISSION ON DAMS – The WCD report, Dams and Development: A New
Framework for Decision-Making, was released in 2000. It draws on
internationally recognized norms including the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the UN Declaration on the Right to Development, and the Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development. It emphasizes the participation
and the rights of affected populations in project planning, implementation
and management.  See www.unep-dams.org.  For an evaluation of the Three
Gorges Dam according to some of the WCD guidelines, see “Rogue Traders,” at
www.boycottdiscover.org/index2.html.  For the International Rivers Network
Three Gorges Dam campaign, see http://www.irn.org/programs/threeg/.

GUIDELINES FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT
IN TIBET – The Tibetan Government in Exile’s guidelines aim to enhance the
capacity of the Tibetan people to fully participate in the development of
their land and to control the use of their natural resources. See
www.tibet.com/aidTibet.html.

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

REQUESTED ACTION:  Please write a polite letter to the CEO of Morgan
Stanley.

· Express your dismay that Morgan Stanley directly and indirectly helps
China raise money to finance environmentally destructive projects that also
undermine human rights.  These projects include the PetroChina pipeline, the
Gormo-Lhasa Railway, Chalco’s aluminum processing plant in Tibet, and the
Three Gorges Dam.

· Urge Morgan Stanley to adopt and implement environmental and social
policies that govern core business operations including underwriting.
Specifically recommend adoption of the guidelines of the World Commission on
Dams and the Tibetan Government in Exile.

· Tell Mr. Purcell that until his firm adopts such guidelines and can
demonstrate that no funds secured by Morgan Stanley support the Gormo-Lhasa
Railway, the Three Gorges Dam and other harmful projects, you will boycott
Morgan Stanley's services, including asset management, Discover insurance,
and the Discover credit card.  If you currently hold a Discover card, tell
him you will not use your card until your concerns are satisfied, and you
will actively encourage others to do the same.

(Note: other credit cards may also be linked to financial institutions with
troubling investment portfolios. You can help raise consciousness by asking
your credit card company to screen its portfolio for environmentally and
socially destructive projects.)

ADDRESS:  Philip J. Purcell, CEO
    Morgan Stanley
    1585 Broadway, Floor 39
    New York City, NY 10036
    U.S.A.

FAX:     Int’l code + 202-761-0058
Email:   Phil.Purcell@morganstanley.com
CC email to:  threegorges@irn.org

NOTE RE. IMPACT:  A personal letter from you, mailed with a stamp, will have
the most impact on decision makers.  Second in impact is a personal fax.
Third is a personal email. Thanks for doing the most you can to make this a
successful campaign!

This Global Response Action was issued at the request of and with
information provided by Students for a Free Tibet (www.tibet.org/sft) and
International Rivers Network (www.irn.org). For information on Tibet, see
www.tibet.com and www.tew.org/. For updates on the Morgan Stanley boycott,
see www.BoycottDiscover.org.  Also see www.morganstanley.com.

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

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 international 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
skills for global citizen cooperation and earth stewardship.


from Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund May 2, 2002

Greetings,

Please call your representative TODAY or FRIDAY, May
2-3, and urge them to become original cosponsors of
the "National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act!"
You can call the Capitol switchboard toll free at 888-223-4066
or at 202-224-3121 and ask for your representative
or call their offices directly.

WE CAN TELL YOU YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AT OUR ACTION CENTER.
See the bottom of this message.

------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND:  
Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Sherwood Boehlert
(R-NY) have drafted a bill to legislate the National
Forest Roadless Area Conservation Rule that was finalized
by the previous administration on January 12, 2001.
The roadless rule is the most significant forest conservation
legacy in decades, as it prohibits new road construction
and nearly all logging on 58.5 million acres of wild
forests. These areas are particularly important as
sources of clean water, fish and wildlife habitat and
quality recreation. Unfortunately, the Bush administration
has worked to undermine the roadless rule and aided
efforts that have resulted in delaying its implementation
since last May. Hence, we are calling on Congress to
protect these wild forests. The original cosponsor
drive is off to a great start, but we want to get as
many original cosponsors onto the bill as we can in
the next few days. Please call your Representative
and any other representatives from your state who you
think would be interested in cosponsoring the bill
and ask them to sign on in order to represent the wishes
of the American people who want to protect our last
wild places. If your Representative turns out to be
already on the bill, they always appreciate a word
of thanks. Please call TODAY or FRIDAY, May 2-3, and
urge your friends and colleagues to call as well.

-----------------------------------------------------
SAMPLE RAP  
(please adjust this as you see you fit):  
Hi, my name is _____ and I'm a constituent calling
from _______ (city or town). I'm calling to ask Representative
_______ to become an original cosponsor of the National
Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act. This bill would
simply codify the roadless rule that was shaped by
the greatest outreach in federal rulemaking history,
including the more than 2.2 million comments submitted
by the American public. Because the administration
has worked to undermine the rule and aided delays in
its implementation, we are looking to Congress to protect
our last wild places. Will Representative _______ sign
on before May 8th? (If the staffer says the Member
is already on, just say thank you.) Thanks!

---------------------------------------------
TO LEARN YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
1. Go to the Earthjustice Action Center at: http://ga0.org/pvtm/index.tcl?nkey=w5niwb2h78xw86
2. This will take you to your subscription management
page. At the bottom of the "Contact Information" area,
click on the button "View Full Profile". It will display
all your congressional delegates - click on any one
to get their current mailing address & phone.  

IF YOUR ADDRESS INFORMATION IS INCOMPLETE, we won't
be able to determine who your delegates are; please
just click the button "Edit Profile" and add the necessary
address information.

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

Please tell your friends to make a call TODAY or TOMORROW
to help protect more than 58 million acres of wild
forests. Click the link below:

http://ga0.org/join-forward.html?domain=earthjusticeaction&r=Pd1aAPE1uPDy

If you received this message from a friend, you can
sign up for The Earthjustice Center at:

http://ga0.org/earthjusticeaction/join.html?r=Pd1aAPE1uPDyE


from Rainforest Action Network May 2, 2002

“ . . . our Mother Earth is suffering, she will soon die and at that
moment we will be left without a mother, without food, without heat,
without cold, without the moon and without the sun.  Only then will they
look for an U’wa to seek an explanation, but will they find one?  We
make an urgent, international call to all our supporters, asking for
their help in defense of the U’wa culture." - - U’wa Statement 4/16 (see
below)

IN THIS POST:

1. U’WA DC TRIP REPORT
2. U’WA STATEMENT: PETROLEUM – “BLOOD OF MOTHER EARTH”
3. WASHINGTON POST 4/20: An Unnatural Journey for Nature's Cause
4. URGENT ACTION THIS FRIDAY 5/3: PROTEST OXY SHAREHOLDER MEETING IN
   LOS ANGELES!!

1.First, a heartfelt thanks to the thousands who came to Washington DC
last week in what was a truly empowering few days in solidarity with the
victims of Bush’s “war on terrorism” both at home and abroad!! We filled
the streets, workshops, teach-ins, and the halls of Congress to demand
peace, justice, and an end to US military aid to Colombia and around the
world!  

After being detained by Customs agents at the Miami airport for two
hours (despite having had all the proper documentation), the U’wa began
their trip at a press conference for the Colombia Mobilization to
denounce US military aid to Colombia.  The conference also exposed the
devastating toll of fumigation on the peoples and ecosystems of the
Amazon and highlighted the social, cultural, and environmental violence
suffered by indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombians, labor leaders and other
sectors of civil society.  The following day, Roberto Perez, President
of the U’wa Traditional Authorities joined a 9/11 victim, a Korean War
veteran, and a member of the Black Radical Congress for a press
conference held at the Japanese-American Memorial to make an urgent call
for peace and justice for those innocent civilians suffering from Bush’s
open-ended “War on Terrorism.”  On Saturday, close to 100,000 people
took this message to the streets—demanding justice and peace from
Colombia to Palestine.  Meanwhile, at the Colombia Mobilization
Teach-in, the U’wa joined other Colombian indigenous leaders in sharing
some of the stories and struggles of the country’s 84 different
indigenous nations.  In the afternoon, Mr. Perez joined representatives
of the Coca Cola union to expose the corporate interests behind Plan
Colombia and US military aid and the way in which corporations are using
the conflict to boost their profits. The U’wa also spoke to thousands of
people rallying Sunday morning in front of the World Bank as part of the
Mobilization for Global Justice.  Police prohibited the march from
passing by OXY’s DC headquarter as planned.

The U’wa also garnered significant media coverage, doing interviews for
Pacifica’s “Our Americas,” NPR’s Latino USA, the Washington Post, La
Jornada, The Nation, in addition to coverage on CNN and CBS.  The U’wa
also brought their message to Capital Hill, where in personal meetings
with aides and a Congressional briefing, the U’wa told of their life and
death struggle to protect their land and culture, and their fears that
more military aid to OXY’s pipeline will only exacerbate the existing
conflict.  But, in a testimony to OXY’s aggressive lobbying efforts, the
U’wa were informed by each aid they met with that OXY had paid a visit
just two weeks earlier.

For the U’wa, this trip represented a first step in what they are
calling their second wave of resistance to OXY’s oil project and US
military aid, or “Plan Washington,” as Mr. Perez has called it.  The
U’wa have since returned to Colombia, inspired by the determination,
dedication, and creativity of all the activists who continue to stand
beside them and lend their voices to the cry of hundreds of thousands in
Colombia calling for peace and an end to US-sponsored violence in their
country.  Both U’wa leaders who traveled to the US are currently in a
ten-day period of meditation, fasting, and prayer with community elders.

2. U’WA STATEMENT: April 16, 2002

PETROLEUM - Ruiría “Blood of Mother Earth”

I.   Petroleum, Militarization and Human Rights
II.  Petroleum and Economic Impacts
III. Petroleum, Environment and Territory
IV.  Petroleum and Regional Development


I. PETROLEUM, MILITARIZATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Among the Universal principals that mark U’wa culture is the respect of
the basic right to life for humans and all living beings that exist on
this Mother Earth.

Contrary to the theoretic concept that the white man teaches respect for
both human and natural life and how to achieve a balance between them,
we know, as U’wa, through our responsibility in defense of the universe,
that sacred elements cannot be negotiated.  PETROLEUM AS A SACRED
ELEMENT CANNOT BE SOLD IN THE MARKET BECAUSE IT IS PRICELESS.  To sell
this precious liquid is to sell our lives and the lives of future
generations. Do we have the right to make decisions on the lives of our
future generations?

By being a precious and sacred liquid, its simple existence implicates
wealth.  But this is only a material and temporary distraction because
what we really find in the petroleum-rich regions is a society castrated
of all its rights-- social, political, economic, cultural,
environmental-- and the sovereignty of its people.  This is why the
petroleum-rich regions are the richest regions, and at the same time the
poorest regions.  This concept is indisputable because the true wealth
made off petroleum stays in the hands of the multinational corporations
and in the developed countries, while in our regions we only find
extreme poverty and violence is the daily bread of life.

In the U’wa case, up until the present day, the Colombian government has
not allowed us the legitimate right to make a cultural objection,
allowing us to define true “development” for Indigenous Peoples.  This
is how institutional trickery is carried out--by passage of
anti-indigenous laws and the repression by the army.  The last example
was carried out using the pretext of keeping citizens safe, but what it
really does is safeguard the economic capital of the multinational
petroleum corporations while limiting Universal Human Rights and
violating the international human rights.  Today, without this
recognition, we are forced to be refugees in our own lands.

The social crisis that is present in our region is the result of the
abundance of petroleum where the armed actors are in a continuous
battle, where the civilian population- including indigenous people- find
themselves in the crossfire, feeling fear and disoriented, everything
around them is unexplainable.  The only sure thing is that many more
indigenous people will die and then will be able to rest peacefully on
the breast of our Mother Earth.  Others of us are committed to defending
our rights until our death, as it is better to die with dignity,
defending what is ours, defending all within the universe, and not be
silenced and become a silent participant in our own destruction.

The right to live in peace is a fundamental constitutional right, but
continues being only a “right” which never materializes into reality.

PETROLEUM: BLACK GOLD OR EXCREMENT OF THE DEVIL?

Another negative effect that petroleum brings us is the infamous PLAN
COLOMBIA  whose mission is not to fight the drug war, nor to fight the
guerilla groups, but instead to guarantee the stability of the
exploitive multinational companies in indigenous lands.  In other words,
PLAN COLOMBIA IS THE SAME AS THE INVASION BY PETROLEUM COMPANIES OF
INDIGENOUS LANDS (GENOCIDE, ETHNOCIDE AND ECOCIDE).  We U’wa ask, do the
Colombians that support this famous PLAN COLOMBIA really understand the
irreparable damage being done to Colombia?  We U’wa clearly understand
the consequences that accompany this project.  This is why our highest
authorities consistently reject this PLAN COLOMBIA.  They say: EVERY
PERSON THAT SUPPORTS OR BENEFITS FROM THIS PROJECT IS AN ENEMY OF HUMAN
LIFE AND NATURE, AND IS A MAN OF WAR, OF DEATH AND OF LIES.

II. PETROLEUM AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS

The economic base of the U’wa is agriculture, meaning that the fertility
of the earth is the necessary condition to feed our families.  Ruiría
(petroleum) is a substance that nourishes the earth.  Today this
substance finds itself in crisis, and our efforts to stabilize our
nutritional base ends up being only good intentions because the earth no
longer produces.  We are in a food crisis, the malnutrition of our
People is imminent, and all of this, because of this sacred substance
that today contaminates our lives, the water, the soil, the air and the
heart of humans, etc.

At the same time, we are surprised to find ourselves without the legal
and institutional expertise needed to fulfill our responsibility as U’wa
to TAKE CARE OF OUR MOTHER EARTH, OUR LAND, AND OUR SACRED TERRITORY,
because it is life itself.  To deny this right is to ignore our history,
the U’wa world, our health and our education.  In other words, to ignore
the difference of our culture is like burying us alive by taking away
our right to protest this unconsulted and forced annihilation.  We can
say that the children of the earth are left without mother and without
father, not because our gods chose it to be this way, but because it is
the wish of the multinational corporations and the Colombian government,
because they understand and apply the teachings of economic capital as a
starting and ending point for human development without taking the
humans into account.

On the other side, if we look at the negative economic effects that are
left by the petroleum projects, these also affect our economy for the
following reasons:
- Increased price of the land, not allowing us the right to have
collective or individual ownership to this property
- We are only able to see from afar the products of the market, because
we cannot afford them.  We are simply not beneficiaries of the petroleum
industry.  We do not serve a purpose in the workforce or social market,
and are only granted the right to be silent, to watch and accept all
that the foreigner says and offers us.

III. PETROLEUM, ENVIRONMENT AND TERRITORY

In 1995, as ancient U’wa indigenous people, we protested officially in
front of the Colombian government, to the multinational petroleum
company, OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM OF COLOMBIA, OXY, and to the world.  We
protested and rejected all petroleum activity in our sacred U’wa
territory.

We rejected, and continue to reject, the presence of the petroleum
companies (ECOPETROL, OXY, SHELL, TEXACO, REPSOL, AMOCO, etc.) in the
lands of our Sikuani (Guahibo) relatives in the Arauca department, and
in our lands, that only generate an environmental, social, cultural and
land crisis.  

We denounce the direct impact that we U’wa have faced.  We see the lack
of water in our communities.  We see that everyday the volume of this
precious liquid diminishes and every summer is harder and harder to get.
Meanwhile the general increase in climate has affected our crops, the
animals we raise and the wild animals as well.

Because of all of the activities that are conceived and carried out in
the exploration, extraction, transportation and commercialization of
this product, the environment in our region is in crisis today.  
Contaminated rivers, destroyed vegetation, displaced indigenous
communities, annihilation of flora and fauna, polluted air, etc.  The
State, through its legal and political institutions, everyday continues
to invade sacred lands of indigenous people. They do not understand, nor
will they understand, that we, as U’wa, are the true caretakers of the
environment because it is a part of our lives, and is inherent to our
existence.  Therefore, to destroy the environment is to self-destruct
ourselves.

We inform Colombia and the world that we U’wa- by laws already long in
existence- have the absolute right to all soil and subsoil rights,
recognized by the Spanish Crown and ratified by article 332 in the
Constitution of 1991.  Therefore we manifest that we are not willing to
cede, and much less are we willing to renounce our territorial rights.  
On the contrary, we ask the MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINES, ECOPETROL AND
OXY AND THE OTHER ASSOCIATED CORPORATIONS TO CANCEL THE ASSOCIATED
SIRIRI CONTRACT THAT IS FOUND WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF OUR LEGALLY
RECOGNIZED U’WA TERRITORY.  At the same time, we take this opportunity
speaking about petroleum to once again demand ANDRES PASTRANA ARANGO-
the head of the Colombian government- order the $18,000,000,000 pesos
that are due to complete the saneamiento (effort to purchase the
remaining lands held by farmers within U’wa territory) as ordered by the
INCORA (Colombia Institute of Agricultural Reform) in 1999.

IV. PETROLEUM AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Because of the explanations above, we U’wa say that petroleum is not an
ingredient in regional or national development. On the contrary, it is a
factor that has destroyed our culture, has ignored our right to this
earth, our right to life, our right to be different. It has negated and
continues to negate our right to live in a healthy environment and live
in peace.

We make an urgent, international call to all our supporters, asking for
their help in defense of the U’wa culture.  We will continue to oppose
any petroleum project in our territory, because it will hurt, ignore and
violate our maximum, fundamental right to life (cultural integrity), our
culture, peace, a healthy environment, our territory, and the
sovereignty of the People.   Colombian brothers and sisters, our Mother
Earth is suffering, she will soon die and at that moment we will be left
without a mother, without food, without heat, without cold, without the
moon and without the sun, only then will they look for an U’wa to seek
an explanation, but will they find one?

U’WA TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES

3. An Unnatural Journey for Nature's Cause
Leaders of Colombia's U'wa Tribe See Protests as a Fight for the Simple
Life

By Steve Twomey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 20, 2002; Page B03
Armando Tegria Vincunada has not been made bug-eyed by the sights or
skittish by the cacophony of Washington, even though this is his first
visit to the United States, even though he dwells in Colombia's outback,
where his people measure distance in days of foot travel, where there
are no cars, phones or TVs. He has no wish to play tourist, dine well or
shop till he drops. He thinks Washington is nothing but man's things,
not nature's. He doesn't care for it.
Tegria arrived Tuesday. With him was Roberto Perez Gutierrez. They are
diminutive men who, every so often, open a plastic bag and withdraw a
snack in the form of dried, green leaves they carried from the U'wa
lands on the flight from Bogota to Miami to here. Tegria is treasurer of
the U'wa people, and Perez is president.

The U'wa number 5,000 and live in the wrong place, in the sense that
their corner of Colombia -- a place of cloud-shrouded mountains, brawny
rivers and fertile plains in the northeast, near Venezuela -- is being
probed for oil and has been ensnared in violence between government
forces and leftist guerrillas.

With expenses underwritten by the U'wa Defense Working Group, a
coalition of U.S. groups that support the tribe, Tegria and Perez have
come as part of this weekend's mass protests and seminars in Washington,
some of which are aimed at U.S. military aid for Colombia. They will
tell anyone they can that the U'wa, who are agrarian, are threatened by
the oil companies and by the fighting around them. They feel the world
closing in. Coming to the United States was difficult, Tegria said, but
he must tell Americans "that we are not going to stand for this."

He was sitting in a Lilliputian studio at WPFW (89.3 FM) in Adams
Morgan, where he and Perez had just been interviewed for Pacifica Radio,
a translator rendering their Spanish into English. Tegria, who is 29 and
has a daughter back home, wore slacks and a vivid lime green,
long-sleeved shirt; Perez, who is 50 and has 10 children, wore a black
T-shirt and pants. Tegria was dressed more Western than he would be at
home because, he said, "we're respecting your culture."
He did not seem particularly curious about the radio equipment, the
elevator that took him to the second floor or anything else about the
city around him. But then, the U'wa know about modern life and have been
exposed to it within Colombia and, in Perez's case, on previous trips to
the United States. The U'wa just don't like it.

"They very clearly have chosen not to assimilate," said Patrick
Reinsborough, a spokesman for the U'Wa Defense Working Group.
To Tegria and Perez, a city is literally unnatural. Washington may be a
goal for millions of tourists, but its roads, architecture and vehicles
replaced God's things. "Everything's been changed," Tegria said.
"Everything."

"A real interesting thing for me," he said, "is an untouched forest."
The U'wa feel a special bond with the Earth, so much so that at one
point, the entire tribe promised to commit suicide if oil exploration
persisted, a vow since withdrawn. "We call ourselves the caretakers of
all natural resources," Perez said.

Tegria has noticed that in a city, "you have to rely on money for
survival," whereas the U'wa don't. "You rely on the land." If he wishes
to drink, he drinks. There are rivers. But here, people seem to have to
pay for things to drink. And they seem to have to pay to get from one
place to another. At home, Tegria said, "I can travel four, five, six
days, and it doesn't cost me anything." Walking never does.

Outsiders have tried to entice the U'wa into accepting the coming of oil
companies by dangling modernity before them. "They want to buy our
consciences," Perez said, "our way of thought." It's a strategy that has
worked with other indigenous tribes in Colombia, he said. "But not the
U'wa."

That's why Perez and Tegria are not being tourists. What Washington is,
they don't want to become, they said. They want to lobby for the right
to live simply, they said, to raise beans and corn, get water from the
tap of a river and dwell in basic structures.
To be left alone, in other words?
"Exactamente," Tegria said.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company

4. SAY NO TO OXY'S OIL WAR IN COLOMBIA!!

PROTEST OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM'S ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING!!
Friday May 3, 2002

STAND UP FOR LIFE, LAND, AND CULTURE FOR THE U'WA AND ALL COLOMBIANS!

DON'T LET THE U'WA BECOME THE NEXT COLATERAL DAMAGE
IN BUSH'S WAR ON TERRORISM!

WHAT: Demonstration, Music, Speakers, Street Theater
WHEN: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM, Friday May 3, 2002
WHERE: St. Regis Hotel 2055 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, CA. (Free
three-hour parking available at Century City Shopping Center.  Enter on
south side near Macy's off of Constellation Blvd.)

WHY: While the U'wa indigenous community of Colombia and thousands of
other innocent civilians suffer from OXY's Colombian operations and the
armed actors that the company funds, shareholders are again gathering
behind closed doors to tout profits and celebrate the morally bankrupt
company's record year.  They'll also be patting themselves on the back
for their hijacking of US-Colombia policy, which resulted in Bush's
proposed $98 million corporate welfare package to protect the company's
Cano Limon pipeline under the guise of the "war on terrorism."

The U'wa have made headlines around the world for their decade of
peaceful resistance to OXY's exploratory drilling on their sacred
homelands.  The U'wa have long warned that OXY's project will destroy
their culture, devastate the environment, and escalate the violence to
their homeland-a prediction that is rapidly becoming a reality.  But
stopping OXY's oil operations in Colombia is not only a matter of life
and death for the U'wa, but for all Colombians.  In efforts to protect
their controversial operations in the war torn northeast region of
Colombia, OXY has financed all armed actors in the bloody civil conflict
for close to twenty years-trapping thousands of innocent civilians in
the crossfire.

COME STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE U'WA AND VOICES FROM ALL OVER COLOMBIA
AND TELL OXY TO STOP FUELING TERROR IN COLOMBIA!
For more info contact: kevin@amazonwatch.org 310-420-8245
www.amazonwatch.org
OR IF YOU ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP WITH ORGANIZING EFFORTS CONTACT:
BRETT DORAN, ACTION RESOURCE CENTER 310-392-7656

Sponsored by : AMAZON WATCH   ACTION RESOURCE CENTER ¨ RAINFOREST ACTION
NETWORK ¨ PROJECT UNDERGROUND

---------------------
This is an annoucement only listserve. If you would like to be on an U'wa discussion list please go to  http://igc.topica.com/lists/uwa-int


from American Civil Liberties Union May 2, 2002

TO: ACLU Action Network Members
FR: Jared Feuer, Internet Organizer
DT: May 2, 2002

Oppose Federal Funding of Abstinence-Only Education!

On April 9th, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced HR 4122, a bill that authorizes the continued use of federal funds for "abstinence-only" programs.  By law, any program that also teaches about contraception use or STD prevention is not eligible for these funds.

The overwhelming weight of evidence suggests that programs that include messages about both abstinence and contraception are most effective in delaying sexual activity among young people.  Despite this evidence, opponents of "comprehensive" programs argue that that they do nothing but encourage promiscuity.  This is inaccurate since comprehensive programs appropriately stress abstinence as the only foolproof way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Because of an increased focus on abstinence-only education, comprehensive and medically accurate sex education is becoming the exception rather than the rule.  As a result, more students lack basic information that they need to protect their health.

Take Action!   Abstinence-only programs endanger the well-being of youth and must not be given the support of federal funding.  You can read more and send a FREE FAX to your Representative, asking that they oppose HR 4122 from our action alert at:

http://www.aclu.org/action/abstinence107.html

**********
Help Strengthen the ACLU's Voice in Congress...
Click Below to Become a Card-Carrying Member today!
http://www.aclu.org/action/joinaclu.html


from Global Response May 3, 2002

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

Sorry! The correct email address for Philip Purcell, CEO of Morgan Stanley,
is philip.purcell@morganstanley.com.  We were just a little too informal
calling him Phil.

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

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 international 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
skills for global citizen cooperation and earth stewardship.


from Greenpeace May 3, 2002

Greenpeace's Positive Energy Newsletter
April 29 – May 5, 2002
v 2.15

Time for Greenpeace’s CLEAN ENERGY NOW! campaign’s weekly
good news update!!!

Inside this edition:
- Governor Davis: What’s Your Plan?
- Join the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Program List-Serve.
- South Africa Ratifies the Kyoto Protocol!

+ + + + +
Governor Davis What’s Your Plan?

On the local and city level, Californians are using
their voting power to show their support for
renewable energy development. The passage of propositions
B and H in San Francisco, and the recent decision by the
Los Angeles Community Colleges District to commit to
investing in solar power and green buildings, proves
that the people are rising up, and working together to
diversify California’s energy portfolio. California needs
leadership on the state level that will mirror the wishes
of the people of California. What’s Governor Davis doing
about California’s energy crisis?

Davis has consistently turned a blind eye to the needs
of the people of California and the environment, locking
the state into a gas-based energy supply. What can we do
about it? The election for the governorship this November
is a perfect opportunity to call on Governor Davis to show leadership on climate protection and make
climate/energy concerns a key issue in his gubernatorial
race this year.

Take action!
Urge Gov. Davis to show leadership by supporting clean
energy development and climate protection!
http://www.cleanenergynow.org/bin/takeaction.fpl?action_id=122

+ + + + +
Join the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Program List-Serve

In the U.S., there is increasing interest by individuals,
businesses, and governments alike, to perform surveys
that monitor greenhouse gas emissions, to help facilitate emissions reductions. The EPA has recently
established a message list on their website for posting
information related to inventories of greenhouse gas
emissions with a focus on technical information. The goal
of the list is to provide a forum for those who wish to
share data and methodologies on how to help stop global
warming.

For information on how to subscribe, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/emissions/list-serv.html

To learn more about California’s Climate Action Registry
visit:
http://www.energy.ca.gov/global_climate_change/

+ + + + + +
South Africa Ratifies the Kyoto Protocol!

On March 13, 2002, Environmental and Tourism Affairs
Minister Mohammed Valli Moosa announced the ratification
of the Kyoto Protocol by Parliament.  Jan Pronk, Special
Envoy to the United Nations and Secretary General for the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), who was
instrumental in the development of the Kyoto Protocol,
was present at the historical passage. By ratifying the
Protocol, the country will develop a legal instrument
through which greenhouse gas emissions can be monitored
and reduced. South Africa’s ratification is particularly
important because the country will be hosting the WSSD in
Johannesburg later this year.  At the WSSD, Greenpeace
will be highlighting the fact that providing renewable
energy for all, particularly the 2 billion people
currently living without power, will help slow global
warming and will have not have the devastating affects on
poorer communities that drilling and mining often do.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.choose-positive-energy.org
and sign the petition in support of the
Choose Positive Energy Campaign.

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

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

Want to do more?  Become a Greenpeace Member!
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/join2/cen.htm


from Defenders of Wildlife May 3, 2002

A Bi-weekly Update from Defenders of Wildlife:
Working to Save Wildlife and Wild Lands

WAR ON WOLVES: Killings threaten lobos in Rocky Mountains
IN THE OIL PATCH: Condor chick is covered with crude
THERE THEY GO AGAIN: Norton's Interior tries to stop critical report
ABOVE THE LAW? Pentagon pushing for exemptions from environmental laws
BUSINESS AS USUAL: Congress crafts flawed energy and farm bills
SUCCESS STORIES: Winning new protections for wildlife
SAVE OUR WHALES: Help stop the slaughter


1. WAR ON WOLVES: Killings threaten lobos in Rocky Mountains

A spate of killings is threatening the comeback of endangered gray wolves in Wolf the northern Rocky Mountains. This spring, federal agents under pressure from politicians and ranchers have killed 16 wolves suspected of preying on livestock. That's even though livestock losses are rare, and when predation does happen, Defenders of Wildlife compensates ranchers. The latest killings of wolves come as some Western states are pushing hard to strip legal protections from these magnificent animals. Idaho's legislature passed a law this year giving ranchers the right to kill any wolf the moment it steps onto private property.

To help protect wolves, go to www.savewolves.org, and spread the word about the threat to wolves by sharing this edition of DENlines with friends.

2. IN THE OIL PATCH: Condor chick is covered with crude

Just when it was beginning to flap its stubby wings and become less vulnerable to ravens and crows, the first California condor brooded and hatched in the wild in 18 years faces a man-made threat to its survival. The chick?s father stuck his head into a pool Condor of crude near a newly drilled oil well in California's Los Padres National Forest, apparently thinking it was water. When the father flew back to his nest, the oil got on the chick. Wildlife biologists are closely monitoring the chick because oil on a bird's feathers can cause death by hypothermia. In Washington, Interior Secretary Gale Norton is said to be very concerned. At the same time, the administration is pushing for more drilling in the Los Padres forest, site of the release of many condors. Learn more about condors: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/birds/calcondor.html

3. THERE THEY GO AGAIN: Norton's Interior tries to stop critical report

Secretary Norton's top deputy -- J. Steven Griles, a former energy industry lobbyist ? tried to quash a report from the Environmental Protection Agency that criticized plans to drill for gas in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, home to eagles, falcons, pronghorn antelope, and the last herds of plains elk. The EPA gave the project the worst rating possible, saying it ignored increases in air pollution and groundwater salinity that would result from drilling. According to the Washington Post, Griles responded by saying, "Those comments can't go out."

To help protect the Powder River Basin, go to www.denaction.org and click on Alert #148.

4. ABOVE THE LAW? Pentagon pushing for exemptions from environmental laws

The Pentagon is pushing to exempt itself from some of our nation?s most important laws protecting the environment and imperiled species, migratory birds, whales and dolphins.

The exemptions aren't necessary to protect national security. The president already has the power to waive environmental rules for national security. But when national security is not at stake, no government agency should be above the law. A new Zogby poll, in fact, finds that an overwhelming majority of registered voters ? 85 percent ? do not want any government agency to be placed above the law. To speak out on this issue, go to www.denaction.org and respond to Alert # 155.

5.BUSINESS AS USUAL: Congress crafts flawed energy and farm bills

The energy bill that finally emerged from the Senate last week could lead to an environmentally damaging compromise with the House, which passed its version of the legislation last summer. "Senate energy legislation began as a promising vehicle for meeting our nation's energy needs, but has been commandeered by special interests and severely weakened by amendments," Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen said. Click here: www.defenders.org/releases/pr2002/pr042602.html to read more."

Also on Capitol Hill, congressional negotiators have produced a major rewrite of federal farm policy that shortchanges family farmers and wildlife. To read Schlickeisen's statement on the farm bill, click here: http://www.defenders.org/releases/pr2002/pr042602b.html

6. SUCCESS STORIES: Winning new protections for wildlife

Together, we have scored a number of important victories for wildlife in recent weeks. We stopped federal agents from launching a massive campaign to poison foxes, badgers, coyotes and ravens in Idaho, won new protections for the endangered silvery minnow and Southwestern willow flycatcher in New Mexico, and convinced the United States government to stop shipments of mahogany illegally cut from vanishing Brazilian rainforests. Successes like those explain why Worth magazine named us one of America's best charities. To learn more about what we're accomplishing for wildlife, read our annual report by clicking here: http://www.defenders.org/annualreport/annualreport.html

7. SAVE OUR WHALES: Help stop the slaughter

Adopt A WhaleSave whaleswww.saveourwhales.org and sign our pe