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 petition. Then please rush a donation today to help us stop this killing. For your tax-deductible contribution of $25 or more we'll thank you with our plush whale toy. Or give the gift of sponsorship and that person will also receive the huggable whale toy, an adoption certificate and a year's subscription to our award-winning DEFENDERS magazine. Visit our Wildlife Adoption Center at http://www.defenders.org/adopt.


Defenders Logo GearSpecial discount on popular Defenders gear. Click here http://www.defendersgifts.org/den


Defenders ChecksSave on the cost of checks that your bank charges you.http://www.cdi-us.com/classic/defenders.asp



DENlines is a bi-weekly update of Defenders of Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues, particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to denlines@defenders.org and put the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Defenders of Wildlife
1101 14th Street, N.W.
Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20005

Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2002


from EarthNet News May 3, 2002

EarthNet News
... a project of the Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------
May 03, 2002  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

This week in EarthNet, find out why we should care
about that often-ignored third branch of government
-- the judiciary. Plus, read about another blow to
Bush's big energy plan in GLIMMER OF HOPE.

And check out a new section focused on population and
the environment, 6 BILLION STRONG & GROWING.

--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet Editor  
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Shadow Congress: Here Comes The Judge
2. Quote of the Week
3. 6 Billion Strong & Growing: The Root of the Problem
4. Glimmer of Hope: Bush: Drill, People: Not So Fast
5. Mercy, Mercy Me: Don't Breathe Easy
6. Jobs and Internships
7. Conferences and Gatherings
8. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info  

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadow Congress
----------------------------------------------------------------------

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

CLICK HERE to demand fair judges.
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/r1qAAaF1mqFt/

America's brand of democracy relies on a delicate balance
of power between branches of government. And enviros
spend a lot of time thinking about legislators and
executives but just as important are the folks who
interpret the law -- our judges. Two of President Bush's
pending nominees for lifetime federal judgeships have
records troubling enough for national environmental
organizations to express serious concerns to the Senate,
which under the Constitution must "advise and consent"
on judicial nominations.  

The first spooky guy is federal trial judge D. Brooks
Smith. Judge Smith endorses a view of federal authority
so limited that he'd effectively do away with our national
environmental laws. He has a long list of rulings on
access to the courts, illegal toxic dumping, and "takings"
of private property unjustifiably threaten environmental
and other safeguards.

The other guy, Lawrence Block, has been nominated to
the Court of Federal Claims, which decides "takings"
claims -- whether companies and developers must be
paid to comply with federal environmental and other
laws. Block has spearheaded efforts to enact extreme
bills to redefine "takings" of property in a manner
that would threaten a wide range of safety, health,
and environmental protections.

Are these really the guys you want making decisions
about our health and green spaces? You can make a difference
on their nominations by sending an email urging your
Senators and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick
Leahy (D-VT) to review the nominees carefully before
determining whether or not to confirm them.

TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/r1qAAaF1mqFt/
Demand fair judges.

FOR MORE INFO:
**Earth Justice: Judiciary and the Environment
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/r7qAAaF1mqFb/EarthJustice
**On Judge Smith
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/f1qAAaF1mqFO/BROOKS
**On Lawrence Block
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/rpqAAaF1mqF6/BLOCK

----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Supreme Court is an institution far more dominated
by centrifugal forces, pushing toward individuality
and independence, than it is by centripetal forces
pulling for hierarchical ordering and institutional
unity.

-- William H Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court

----------------------------------------------------------------------
6 BILLION STRONG AND GROWING
----------------------------------------------------------------------

THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

Enviro groups everywhere are looking hard at the problems
we face. And increasingly they are staring into 6 billion
pairs of eyes -- that is, much of the destruction groups
are concerned about is connected to population growth.
Check out what's going on...

http://actionnetwork.org/ct/vpqAAaF1mqFE/POPULATION_ISSUES
Read about Population & The Environment at our exclusive
Issue in Focus site.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE
----------------------------------------------------------------------

BUSH: DRILL, PEOPLE: NOT SO FAST

Fresh on the heels of the Senate ruling against drilling
in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a decision
handed down by the Interior Department on Monday put
yet another chink in the armor of President Bush's
energy plan. The ruling states that three coal bed
methane leases, lying on 2,500 acres in Wyoming's Powder
River Basin, are illegal because they were issued without
correct environmental studies under the Clinton administration.
This swift kick in the energy plan's rear comes just
two weeks after the EPA ruled that the environmental
impact statement for the project was invalid, pointing
out that such drilling could cause farm damage by making
streams too salty to be used in irrigation. The decision
could impact similar wells that lie on 40 million acres
of public land throughout the western United States,
which are believed to have reserves of 60 trillion
cubic feet of methane gas. Next on the agenda: how
to limit methane emissions from livestock.

FOR MORE INFO:
**Washington Post Article 05-01
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/51qAAaF1mqFU/WA_POST

----------------------------------------------------------------------
MERCY, MERCY ME
----------------------------------------------------------------------

DON'T BREATHE EASY

You might not know it, but right now you are likely
breathing unnecessarily polluted air. According to
a new study, more than half of all Americans breathe
polluted air that can damage their health because the
government doesn't fully enforce clean air laws. The
sad part is that we have standards in place to cut
back pollution, but since they are not being enforced,
nearly 400 counties in the United States have smog
levels above the legal limits.

"It is clearly time to get serious about enforcing
all of the provisions of the Clean Air Act so that
we place Americans' health above business and political
interests," said John Kirkwood, president and chief
executive officer of the American Lung Association.

FOR MORE INFO:
**Reuter News via Yahoo 05-01
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/rdqAAaF1mqFg/YAHOO

TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/4pqAAaF1mqF5/
Tell Bush to Keep the Air You Breathe Clean

----------------------------------------------------------------------
JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

These are a sampling of the over 200 environmental
and activist jobs and internships listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp

Job Title: Northeast Organizer
Organization: Center for Environmental Citizenship
Location: Boston, MA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/v1qAAaF1mqFu/

Job Title: Program Director
Organization: The Ruckus Society
Location: Berkeley, CA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/v7qAAaF1mqFm/

Job Title: Program Director, EcoDesign Corps
Organization: Shaw EcoVillage
Location: Washington, DC
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/vdqAAaF1mqFj/

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lots more events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp

Event: ColoRail Spring Meeting
Location: Englewood, CO
Date: 5/18/2002
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/fdqAAaF1mqFW/

Event: North American Indigenous Mining Summit
Location: Crandon, WI
Date: 6/12/2002 - 6/15/2002
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/f7qAAaF1mqFI/

Event: Mother's and Families for Peace
Location: Asheville, NC
Date: 4/27/2002 - 5/12/2002
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/fpqAAaF1mqF7/

----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVIST PHONE BOOK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121  
White House Comment Line: 202.456.1111  

White House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington,
DC 20500  
Senate Address: US Senate, Washington, DC 20510  
House Address: US House of Representatives, Washington,
DC 20515  

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

Write your own short articles for submission to EarthNet.
We are particularly interested in articles about student
activism on your campus.

For general comments:
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

Submit Jobs/Internships/Volunteer listings at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/add.asp  

Submit Events at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/add.asp

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

Visit the web address below and tell your friends about
this important issue!

http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=san&r=WpqAAaF1jP-q

If you received this message from a friend, you can
sign up for Student Action Network at:

http://actionnetwork.org/san/join.html?r=WpqAAaF1jP-qE


from the Wilderness Society May 3, 2002

****************************
* WILDALERT
* Friday, May 2, 2002
****************************

Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

Thanks to all of you who asked the Park Service to uphold its
decision to phase out snowmobile use on Yellowstone and Grand Teton
National Parks. Just this week, the Environmental Protection Agency
echoed your comment and released its statement supporting the phase
out. Although a final decision by the Park Service will not be made
for months, Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Chris Shays (R-CT) are
working to ensure that your comments are heard by introducing
legislation to ban recreational snowmobile use in the two parks.
Contact your own Representative and ask them to cosponsor the
Yellowstone Protection Act to safeguard these national treasures
once and for all from snowmobile damage:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=1429

BACKGROUND:
In November 2000, after a three-year public process that included 22
public hearings and over 65,000 public comments, the National Park
Service issued a decision to phase out snowmobiles in Yellowstone
and Grand Teton national parks over a four-year period. The
decision -- based on a decade of scientific studies by university
researchers and government agencies -- found that snowmobiles are
damaging the parks' wildlife, clean air, natural sounds and quiet,
as well as the unique experiences that Americans expect to find in
their national parks.

However, at the urging of snowmobile industry, Interior Secretary
Gale Norton directed the Park Service to reconsider its decision,
claiming that science and technology had not been adequately studied
in the original decision. The resulting Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement [SEIS] contains no new scientific or technological
information.  In fact, the SEIS itself points out that the
snowmobile industry failed to provide the Park Service with any
significant evidence that was not already part of the original
decision to phase out snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton
national parks.

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency reasserted its
statement of three years ago by contending that phasing out
snowmobiles "would provide the best available protection to human
health, wildlife, air quality, water quality, soundscapes, visitor
experiences and visibility."

THE YELLOWSTONE PROTECTION ACT
The Park Service is expected to make a final decision on the SEIS in
November. But in the meantime, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Rep. Chris
Shays (R-CT) are introducing legislation, named the Yellowstone
Protection Act, to reinforce the desire of many Americans by making
the ban on snowmobiles a law in Yellowstone and Grand Teton.  

TAKE ACTION:
Ask your Representatives to consider cosponsoring the Yellowstone
Protection Act by sending your comments from our web site:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=1429
Or contact your Representative directly and urge them to consider
cosponsoring the Yellowstone Protection Act with Rep. Holt and Rep.
Shays because:

** Americans want Yellowstone and Grand Teton to remain peaceful
places in winter where bison, elk, and other wildlife are not
harassed by noisy vehicles.

** Snowmobiles in the two national parks continue to cause
pollution, make rangers sick, and prevent visitors from hearing the
eruption of Old Faithful or enjoying the solitude that Americans
expect from their national parks.


Send your letter to:
Rep. __________, U.S. House of Representatives, Wash., DC 20515
U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

If you do not know who your Representative is, you can look it up here:
http://tws.ctsg.com/wac/legDirectory/


***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm

***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm

***************************************************************
To make a gift online to The Wilderness Society, click here
https://secure-net.com/tws/join.asp

***************************************************************
WildAlert is an email action alert system brought to you by The
Wilderness Society to keep you apprised of threats to our wildlands -
in the field and in Washington.  WildAlert messages include updates
along with clear, concise actions you can take to protect America's
last wild places.  You are welcome to forward Wildalerts to all
those interested in saving America's wildlands.

FEEDBACK: If you need to get in contact with the owner of the list,
(if you have trouble unsubscribing, or have questions about the list
itself) send email to <action@tws.org>.

TO SUBSCRIBE: If you have been forwarded this message and would like
to subscribe to the list, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/forms/subscribe.htm or send a message to
wildalert@tws.org with 'SUBSCRIBE' in the subject line and your
email address in the body of the message.

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


from Defenders of Wildlife May 3, 2002

DEN Alert: Help Protect Air Quality in our National Parks

At Yellowstone National Park, there are so many snowmobiles on some
winter days that rangers have worn gas masks to ward off dizziness,
headaches and nausea from the fumes. But against the opinion of an
overwhelming majority of citizens, the National Park Service may be
about to reverse its plan to ban snowmobiles from Yellowstone and
Grand Teton national parks. That's even though the Environmental
Protection Agency said this week that exhaust from the machines
could violate air quality laws, jeopardize human health and pose a
risk to wildlife. The EPA is recommending that snowmobile access
be replaced with access by multipassenger snow coaches. Help
protect our natural treasures from snowmobiles.


WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Send a FREE e-mail to the National Park Service Director Fran
Mainella demanding that she honor the will of the American people
and ban snowmobiles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
The deadline for comments is MAY 29, so please send your e-mail
TODAY. Thanks for letting the Bush administration know you support
a clean, safe national parks.


INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:

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

                        http://www.denaction.org

If you don't have access to the Internet, please mail your letter
to: Winter Use Draft SEIS Comments, Grand Teton and Yellowstone
National Parks, P.O. Box 352, Moose, Wyoming 83012 or e-mail
comments to: grte_winter_use_seis@nps.gov

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear Director Mainella:

I strongly support banning  recreational snowmobiling from
Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. This will enable all
Americans to enjoy our greatest national parks and help make them
clean, safe places where wildlife and natural sounds are undisturbed.
Thank you for considering my views.


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 Natural Resources Defense Council May 6, 2001

========================================
Natural Resources Defense Council's

CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT

NRDC's California Activist Network was formed to mobilize and provide
action tools to Californians and others concerned with protecting the
state's extraordinary wealth of natural treasures and the health of
its citizens.

May 6, 2002
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action alerts--

1. Urge your assemblymember to stand up to the auto industry and
reduce global warming pollution in California

2. Speak out to get rocket fuel out of California's drinking water

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for
how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action alerts
=============

1. Urge your assemblymember to stand up to the auto industry and
reduce global warming pollution in California

During the past six months, we have been tracking the progress of and
asking for your assistance to help pass AB 1058, statewide legislation
that would create the nation's first restrictions on global warming
emissions from automobiles. Motor vehicle emissions account for the
highest percentage of global warming pollution in California (40
percent) than anywhere else in the country.

AB 1058 would authorize the California Air Resources Board to regulate
carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions from passenger
vehicles (including SUVs and minivans), light-duty trucks and all
other personal vehicles in California, while allowing automakers
flexibility in meeting these requirements. Scientists agree that
existing technologies can cut these emissions while actually
*reducing* vehicle operating costs.

In April, the auto industry launched a $3 million misinformation
campaign against AB 1058, lobbying legislators in Sacramento and
spending boatloads of money on media advertising. Meanwhile, the bill
has been approved by both the state Assembly (on January 30th) and
Senate (on May 2nd). Before the bill can be sent to Governor Davis for
his signature, however, the Assembly must approve several amendments
that were added in the Senate that would ensure that the regulations
provide environmental and economic benefits without limiting consumer
choice. But the auto industry has been turning up the pressure on key
assemblymembers to change their original votes, so it's critically
important that we counter their efforts with pro-AB 1058 messages
before members vote later this week.

== What to do ==
Send a message *today* urging your state assemblymember to stand firm
against industry pressure and vote Yes for AB 1058.

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to your assemblymember directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/.


2. Speak out to get rocket fuel out of California's drinking water

A dangerous ingredient in rocket fuel is turning up in drinking water
samples throughout California. Ammonium perchlorate damages the
thyroid gland by interfering with the normal uptake of iodine. Even at
low levels, this type of thyroid suppression has been linked to
delayed neurological development in children, as well as to extremely
rare infant thyroid cancers.

Millions of children and adults in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange,
Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties are exposed
to elevated levels of perchlorate. Fortunately, both the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the California EPA are finally
taking action to regulate this dangerous chemical. Earlier this year,
the U.S. EPA issued a proposed rule that would allow no more than 1
part per billion (ppb) of perchlorate (which it determined to be the
"no effect" level) in drinking water. The California EPA, however,
recently issued a 6 ppb draft public health goal, a level 6 times
weaker than the U.S. EPA's proposal. CalEPA's approach did not
adequately consider perchlorate's impact on infants (who drink formula
prepared with tap water), did not factor in increased infant water
consumption levels, and relied on unethical and scientifically
questionable human volunteer studies.

== What to do ==
Send a message urging the California EPA to set a public health goal
for perchlorate that is at least as strong as the U.S. EPA's proposal,
and that would adequately protect infants.

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to CalEPA directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use the contact information
and sample letter below to send your own message, and please include
your own reasons why getting this dangerous chemical out of
California's drinking water is important to you.

Dr. Yi Wang
Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology Section
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
California Environmental Protection Agency
1515 Clay Street, 16th Floor
Oakland, California 94612
Fax:  510-622-3218
Email:  ywang@oehha.ca.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject:  PHG Project: Strengthen ammonium perchlorate protections in
drinking water

Dear Dr. Wang,

I am concerned that OEHHA's proposed public health goal of 6 ppb of
ammonium perchlorate in drinking water will not adequately protect
infants and other sensitive individuals in California from hazards
associated with this dangerous pollutant. To adequately protect public
health, I urge you to take the following specific steps:

1) Set an immediate standard for perchlorate in drinking water that
would protect *all* Californians, including unborn babies and
iodine-sensitive adults, with an adequate margin of safety.

2) Do not base your standard on ethically and scientifically
questionable studies in which human "volunteers" drank
perchlorate-laced water. Recognizing that such studies may violate
international laws such as the Nuremberg Declaration and the Helsinki
Accord, the U.S. EPA is reconsidering its use of these studies.

3) Provide Californians with a full disclosure of the health risks
associated with drinking perchlorate-contaminated water and the extent
of contamination in their communities.

4) Implement an immediate plan to further protect drinking water
sources from contamination.

5) Require polluters to pay the full cost of cleanup of perchlorate
contamination throughout the state.

Again, I urge you to act as quickly as possible to insure that
Californians are protected from the harmful effects of this hazardous
chemical.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

==================================================
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.

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.

EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and calls out urgent environmental
issues at the national level and from around the country. 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.

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to
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
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
California Activist Network email: wildcalifornia@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 American Lands May 6, 2001

To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: May 6, 2002

Subject: Many Thanks on the Farm Bill

Many thanks to all those who called, faxed and emailed your Senators and
Representatives to oppose stewardship contracting and biomass in the
Farm Bill.   These provisions were removed thanks in part to a number of
key House and Senate offices that weighed in on our behalf.  The bill
passed the House last week, is expected to be approved by the Senate
this week and signed by the President soon after.

Please fax a brief note (on your organization's letterhead if possible)
thanking the following Representatives and Senators for their support
and hard work on the Farm bill to protect the National Forests by
removing stewardship contracting:

Representative Fax Number

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) 226-4077
Rep. Eva Clayton (D-NC) 225-3354
Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO)   226-0938

Senator Fax Number
Sen. Tom Daschle 224-7895
Sen. Tom Harkin 224-9287
Sen. Patrick Leahy 224-3479
Sen. Jeff Bingaman 224-9026
Sen. Barbara Boxer 415-956-6701
Sen. Ron Wyden 228-2717


Stewardship Contracting Not Needed to Pay for Restoration

The main argument that proponents of stewardship contracting offer is
that money is needed to pay for restoration.  However, if harmful always
logging occurs in restoration projects, the need for restoration never
decreases, making this a very ecologically questionable proposition.  As
for the economics, conservationists have a much better alternative to
pay for restoration.  Take money away from harmful activities like
logging and roadbuilding and use them to fund a new ecological
restoration line-item in the budget that we would define.

Stewardship contracting includes three new authorities that the agency
was supposed to test out to see if it benefitted the restoration
objectives of the project.  These authorities are:

Goods for Services

Under this authority the Forest Service can exchange trees to pay for
contracted restoration activities.  This is similar to the purchaser
road credit system that led to the over-construction of roads on the
National Forests.  There are no limits on the volume or size of trees
that can logged and given away.  

Receipt Retention

This is a new off-budget slush fund similar to the Salvage Fund in that
the agency gets to keep 100% of the receipts generated within the
project area.  The Forest Service is frequently imbedding timber sale
contracts within restoration projects.  So any receipts that sale
generates is then kept by the Forest Service to do more "restoration"
projects.  

This raises the concern that money usually spent on reforestation and
mitigation of timber sale impacts will be diverted to simply pay for
more logging projects.  The Inter-agency Salvage Program Review which
reviewed the Salvage Logging Rider concluded that the Salvage Fund gave
the agency an incentive to choose projects that generate revenues over
those that don't.   We can conclude that receipt retention will create
the same powerful incentive for logging.

Designation by Description

This authority allows the Forest Service to skip the requirement of the
National Forest Management Act to mark each tree to be logged.  This
opens the door to uncontrolled logging and abuse of the land by logging
companies.   The agency has already told timber operators that they
intend to use this new authority to "sweeten the pot" to make otherwise
uneconomical projects worth bidding on.

We don't expect that the timber industry or the Forest Service are
likely to give up their efforts to obtain these new authorities, so a
rider fight is likely on the Interior bill.  Meanwhile, we need to
continue building support for revamping the Forest Service budget.  

American Lands Budget Sign On Deadline Extended to May 22

American Lands has crafted an alternative budget for the Forest Service
that proposes to redirect logging and roadbuilding into a newly defined
ecological restoration line-item.  Over fifty groups have already
endorsed this proposal, but we would love to raise that number of one
hundred.  

Please see http://www.americanlands.org/fy_2003_budget.htm to review the
document.  To sign on, please contact me at 202/547-9105 or
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org by May 22.   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 Union of Concerned Scientists May 6, 2001

Dear UCS Action Network:

We would like to thank all of you who responded to our action alerts
by contacting your Senators in support of a clean and sustainable
national energy policy.  Over 27,600 actions were taken using the
Union of Concerned Scientists new user-friendly email and website
action tools. Your efforts played a significant role in demonstrating
to Senators that their constituents support clean cars and renewable
energy.

The Senate energy bill, which was passed in late April after six
weeks of debate, had started off with promise. In the end, it was
severely undermined by amendments that benefit polluting industries.

The final Senate bill represents several missed opportunities for
energy security and environmental and consumer protection:

* It moves the country backward in terms of fuel economy for pickup
trucks and does nothing to improve the fuel economy of cars, SUVs and
minivans--the single most important way to reduce our oil dependence.
* It offers billions of dollars in subsidies and other incentives to
increase the domestic production of fossil fuels.
* It repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA), which
is designed to protect consumers from unfair practices in the
electricity market.
* It benefits the nuclear power industry, including over $2 billion
in tax incentives and R&D funding, limits citizen participation in
licensing and relicensing proceedings, and re-authorizes the Price
Anderson Act, which limits the liability of nuclear power plants in
case of an accident.

However, the bill does contain a few bright spots:

* The first-ever federal renewable energy standard, which requires
that a minimum of 10 percent of all electricity come from wind,
solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources by 2020. This
should double the amount of renewable energy that would otherwise
have been generated by 2020.
* Tax incentives for consumers to purchase cleaner, more fuel
efficient vehicles.
* The sound defeat of efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil drilling.
* Energy efficiency tax incentives and renewable energy tax credits
that will encourage businesses to invest in clean energy technology.
* Provisions for new--as well as upgrading some existing--energy
efficiency standards for various consumer appliances.
* A new program to replace older dirty diesel school buses with buses
fueled by cleaner alternatives.

The next steps:

The Senate energy bill will soon move into House-Senate Conference to
hammer out the differences between the two pieces of legislation.
Then the compromise legislation must pass the full House and Senate
and the President must sign it.

We expect polluting industries to lobby hard to remove the few
environmentally responsible measures that remain in the Senate energy
bill and to make additional efforts to open up the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

UCS will work hard to keep the green provisions of the Senate bill
in place as it is conferenced with the abysmal House energy bill. We
will need your support for responsible energy policy as the
House-Senate negotiations move forward.  Stay tuned for upcoming
action alerts and updates.


from Care2 alerts May 6, 2001

Dear Eco-Activist:

Care2 has been watching urgent environmental issues to help keep
you in the eco-loop. I bet you didn't know that Park Rangers must
wear GAS MASKS to protect themselves from Snowmobile fumes. But
what do the animals do? Today, your help is needed to eliminate the
destructive use of snowmobiles in our national parks!
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4152
**************************************************************

After years of study on snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand
Teton National Parks, the National Park Service has just released
a new analysis of the impact of snowmobiles that supports the
original decision to phase-out these machines. The Park Service
urgently needs to hear FROM YOU that it should uphold its original
decision to phase out snowmobile use and protect our national parks.
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4152

BACKGROUND: In November 2000, after a three-year public process that
included 22 public hearings and over 65,000 public comments, the
National Park Service issued a decision to phase out snowmobiles in
Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks over a four-year period.
The existing mass transit system would be expanded to ensure public
access to the parks. The decision - based on a decade of scientific
studies by university researchers and government agencies - found
that snowmobiles are damaging the parks' wildlife, clean air,
natural sounds and quiet, as well as the unique experiences that
Americans expect to find in their national parks.

TAKE ACTION: Public support is important to ensure the Bush
Administration implements the phase-out. Please support the Park
Service's decision to phase out snowmobile use in Yellowstone and
Grand Teton national parks by sending your public comments.
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4152

Tell them that:

* Americans want Yellowstone and Grand Teton to remain peaceful
  places in winter where bison, elk, and other wildlife are not
  harassed by noisy vehicles.
* Snowmobiles continue to cause pollution, make rangers sick,
  and prevent visitors from hearing the eruption of Old Faithful
  or enjoying the solitude that Americans expect from their
  national parks.
* The original, science-based phase out decision is the only way
  to adequately protect the nation's first national park and
  nearby Grand Teton national park.

TAKE A MOMENT TO HELP OUR NATIONAL PARKS!
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4152

URGENT: Comments must be received no later than midnight,
Mountain Time, May 29,  2002.

Thank You,
Your Friends at
Care2 & thePetitionSite!


from American Lands May 6, 2001

To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: May 6, 2002

Roadless Area Conservation Act Sponsor Deadline This Week

Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) are seeking
original sponsors for legislation that would codify the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule into law.  So far, over 100 congressional offices have
indicated their support in just three weeks.  The deadline for original
sponsors is listed on the Dear Colleague as May 8.  We expect that
sign-ons added by this Friday, May 10 will be included.

Help build congressional pressure against the Bush Administration's
rollback of roadless area protection and the Forest Service's plans for
numerous new roadless area logging projects.  Please contact your
Representative at 202/224-3121 or by fax or email at
http://www.congress.org and urge him/her to be an original sponsor of
the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2002.

If their staff says that they have already signed on, please thank them.
The list of original sponsors will be released when the bill is
introduced next week.

A copy of the Dear Colleague letter sent by Reps. Inslee and Boehlert
and cosigned by 10 other leading Representatives including Rep. Nick
Rahall, ranking Democrat on the House Resources Committee and Rep. Eva
Clayton, ranking Democrat on the Forest Subcommittee of the Agriculture
Committee, is available at
http://www.americanlands.org/dear_colleague.htm   Also, a sample letter
that you can send to your Representative to encourage them to sign on as
a cosponsor is available at
http://www.americanlands.org/sample_letter.htm

Thanks for all your efforts.

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 Rainforest Action Network May 7, 2001

In this Post:
#1. VICTORY! Celebrating Victories, Remaining Vigilant
#2. U’wa Defense Working Group Press Release
#3 NY Times  May 1 Six Colombian Rebels Indicted in '99 Killings
#4 Statement from family and friends of Terrence Frietas
#5 Statement from family of Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahe’ena’e Gay
#6 Washington Post May 2 U.S. Certifies Colombian 'Progress' on Rights

* * * * *
#1  
CELEBRATING VICTORIES, REMAINING VIGILANT

It has been a dramatic week for the U’wa, their supporters and everyone
working for peace and justice in Colombia.  Amidst several US policy
decisions that will escalate the violence in Colombia, comes OXY’s
announcement that they are returning the Siriri oil block, which is
located on U’wa land, to the Colombian government.  What this means is
that the words that so many of us have  written on banners, said in
press releases, and chanted at numerous demonstrations – OXY OFF OF U’WA
LAND! - are coming true!  See #2 the UDWG press release below.  

Although the U’wa are still confirming details and have 10 years of
experiences with OXY’s dirty tricks to make them cautious, they have
received this news with great joy.  This is a major VICTORY!  Despite
assuring investors for 8 years of a major oil strike now suddenly OXY
claims there is no oil in the region. Clearly the resistance of the U’wa
and the pressure of the international solidarity movement demanding
peace and justice in Colombia helped OXY finally see the light.  

This surprise announcement was made at OXY’s May 3rd shareholders
meeting in the wake of a spirited demonstration and media held outside
the meeting by activists from Amazon Watch, Action Resource Center and
Project Underground.  As shareholders and the financial press entered
the meeting, they were greeted by giant OXY soldiers carrying weapons
emblazoned with American flags and "Plan Colombia" logos. The
demonstration educated the shareholders about the deadly link between
OXY’s operations in Colombia, US military aid and the rising body count
of Colombia’s brutal civil war.

This is not the final victory for the U’wa but it is a major milestone.
Guided by the spiritual leadership of their Werjayas (wise elders) the
U'wa struggle for survival has become a symbol of resistance to oil
exploration and corporate led globalization. Over the last 5 years, the
U'wa resistance has inspired a massive international solidarity movement
that has captured headlines with hundreds of peaceful demonstrations.
More recently, the U'wa and their supporters have expanded their
organizing to stop U.S. military aid to Colombia and illuminate the role
of US energy corporations like OXY in hijacking US foreign policy in
Colombia for their own ends.  

It’s an important time for all the thousands of people who have taken
action to support the U’wa struggle to congratulate yourself and do some
CELEBRATING!  Tragically in our struggles for democracy, justice and
ecological sanity victories are all too rare, so don’t miss this one!  
Spread the word and CELEBRATE THIS IMPORTANT VICTORY!

That said, the U’wa and all the peoples of Colombia continued to be
threatened by the escalating war.   This week the Bush administration
turned a blind eye to the human rights crisis in Colombia by providing
human rights certification to the Colombian government.  This
certification is a requirement to release further military aid to
Colombia and has been widely criticized by international human rights
groups.  For full details see #6 below.

As Alex Arriaga, of  Amnesty International USA, said  "It is inexcusable
for the United States to send military aid when the Colombian government
has failed to adequately meet the human rights conditions placed upon
U.S. aid.  In 2001, there was a dramatic increase in political violence
and attacks on human rights defenders.  Meanwhile, impunity continues to
reign for those who violate human rights, whether they are the Colombian
military, paramilitary groups, the FARC, or the ELN.  Without progress
on meeting the benchmarks, U.S. aid will only contribute to more human
rights violations and diminish hopes for peace."

A joint document released in February by Human Rights Watch, the
Washington Office on Latin America, and Amnesty International details
the Colombian government's failure to meet the human rights conditions.  
It is available on line at:

http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/02/colombia0205.htm.

In another development, sad memories were re-kindled last week when
Attorney General Ashcroft indicted 6 FARC guerillas for the murders of 3
U’wa supporters in March 1999.  (See the NY times article #3 below )
Terrence Frietas, Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahe’ena’e Gay were kidnapped
from U’wa territory by FARC guerillas and later found dead across the
Venezuelan border.   The Bush administration is clearly trying to use
these indictments to push their agenda of expanding the so-called "War
on Terrorism"  to protect U.S. oil interests in Colombia.  The families
of the murdered victims have made statements of concern about the Bush
administration’s exploitation of their loved ones deaths, which are
included below. (See #4 and #5)

So as we celebrate this victory remember the spirits of those who have
given their lives as part of the struggle to defend the U’wa land and
culture.  Remember Terry, Ingrid and La’he.  Remember the 3 indigenous
children who were killed in February 2000 when the military attacked
U’wa blockades.  Remember the 20 non-combatants who are being murdered
in Colombia’s war every day.  

What better way to celebrate the sacrifices of so many people than to
insure that as OXY pulls out of U’wa land we continue to build our
movements for justice, peace and ecology. For over 500 years communities
like the U’wa have fought to protect their land and way of life from
waves of invaders.  Now  we have the opportunity to build a new type of
movement with the power to move towards a global society rooted in the
values of justice, peace, sustainability and respect for diversity and
life in all its forms.  

The U’wa will continue to need our support and we will continue to need
their leadership and inspiring example as we show the oil industry that
they can no longer invade pristine ecosystems, violate the rights of
indigenous cultures and de-stabilize the global climate.  We need to let
the oil barons who have taken over the White House know that we will no
longer tolerate wars for oil and that U.S. military aid to Colombia must
stop!

So celebrate this victory, but stay vigilant.  Our work is not done -
but with each milestone, each victory, each action, each celebration we
are getting closer and closer.   

Keep up all the great work everyone!


TAKE ACTION!

CALL OR WRITE YOUR SENATORS, REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY
AND URGE NO MORE $$$ FOR VIOLENCE IN COLOMBIA!

The White House: (202) 456 1414
Capital Switchboard: 202-224-3121

To find your Senators and Representatives, go to www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov

For a thorough breakdown and analysis of US military aid to Colombia, go
to www.ciponline.org/colombia

* * * * *
#2

U'WA DEFENSE WORKING GROUP:
AMAZON WATCH  * ACTION RESOURCE CENTER  * PROJECT UNDERGROUND  *
RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK

For Immediate Release

May 3, 2002            7:30pm EDT
Contacts:  Kevin Koenig-310.420.8245
Patrick Reinsborough-415.722-1846

Occidental Petroleum to Leave U'wa Land!
Company Announces Plans to Leave Controversial Colombia Oil Project

Los Angeles-At its annual shareholder meeting today, Occidental
Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) announced its plans to return to the Colombian
government its controversial Siriri oil block (formally Samore), located
on the traditional territory of the U'wa people.  This follows a nearly
decade-long peaceful campaign by the U'wa to halt the oil project.

"This is the news we have been waiting for.  Sira, the God of the U'wa
has accompanied the U'wa here in Colombia and our friends around the
world who have supported us in this struggle. Now Sira is responding to
us.  This is the result of the work of the U'wa and our friends around
the world," said an U'wa spokesperson.

The U'wa's campaign to protect their people and land from the violence
and environmental destruction that comes with oil projects in Colombia
has garnered international attention and created an ongoing public
relations liability for Oxy. Peaceful U'wa resistance to the Oxy project
has been met with several episodes of violent repression over the years,
in one case resulting in the death of three indigenous children during a
military break up of peaceful U'wa blockades.

The U'wa have repeatedly denounced Occidental's oil operation, saying it
threatens their tribe and will raise the death toll of innocent
civilians caught in the crossfire of Colombia's civil war. Activists
noted that while Oxy's departure from the oil block is a welcomed
development, the threat remains that another company could take over the
area.  In addition, Repsol-YPF is currently looking to develop the
Capachos oil block, also located on traditional U'wa land.

"Oxy's departure from the oil block will be a great victory for the
U'wa," said Atossa Soltani, Director of Amazon Watch.  "Oxy now needs to
commit to staying out of all U'wa ancestral lands permanently."

Last July, Oxy announced that its first exploratory well on U'wa land
turned up dry.  Today the company cited economic reasons for
relinquishing the block, while observers noted that the company's
continuing public relations conflicts around U'wa issue weighed heavily
on the decision. Meanwhile, Occidental also finds itself center stage in
the growing controversy around the Bush Administration's military aid
proposal to hand over $98 million of U.S. taxpayers' money to defend
Occidental's Caño Limon oil pipeline in Colombia, which runs through
traditional U'wa land.

If Congress passes the proposal, this targeted military assistance for
the pipeline will set a dangerous precedent of taxpayers covering
private corporations' security expenses overseas. Critics say this is a
clear case of corporate welfare. Based on last year's level of U.S. oil
imports from Caño Limon, taxpayers will be covering Occidental's
security expenses at the cost of $24 per barrel of oil. Occidental also
finds itself in the spotlight this week with Attorney General Ashcroft's
indictment of six FARC guerrillas for the 1999 murders of three
Americans working in Colombia with the U'wa people. Among the activists
murdered was Terence Freitas who founded the U'wa Defense Project.
Freitas' family issued a statement in opposition to more military aid to
Colombia (available upon request).

The U'wa are expected to release a full statement next week.

-END-


* * * * *

#3
NY Times
May 1, 2002
6 Colombian Rebels Indicted in '99 Killings
By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS

WASHINGTON, April 30 - Six members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, the country's largest rebel group, were indicted today in
connection with the killing of three Americans in 1999, Attorney General
John Ashcroft announced.

A federal grand jury in Washington charged that Germán Briceño Suárez,
the eastern bloc commander of the group, and five other rebels held the
Americans hostage for more than a week, then executed them and dumped
their bodies across the Venezuelan border.

The Americans, who were in Colombia to aid the native Uwa tribe in its
struggle to protect its land from oil exploration, were Ingrid
Washinawatok, 41, of Brooklyn; Terence Freitas, 24, a California native,
and Lahe'ena'e Gay, 39, of Hawaii.

Their killings, for which the rebels claimed responsibility, led the
Clinton administration to reject a role in peace negotiations between
the Colombian government and the rebel group, a force of perhaps 17,000
combatants that has waged a war of attrition for decades.  

Since peace talks collapsed in February, the Bush administration has
asked Congress to loosen restrictions on military aid to Colombia. That
would allow American-trained counternarcotics battalions and attack
helicopters to be used in the fight against the rebels.  All six rebels
are at large, officials said.

The father and girlfriend of Terence Freitas released a statement today
accusing the administration of a exploiting his killing "to justify
further U.S. military aid to the Colombian armed forces."

* * * * *


#4
Statement by Family and Friends of Terence Freitas, One of the Three US
Citizens Killed by FARC


FARC guerillas kidnapped and murdered our son, brother, and friend,
Terence Unity Freitas, in early 1999. Terence was one of three US
citizens taken by FARC after visiting the Colombian indigenous U'wa
community on land coveted by US-based Occidental Petroleum. In
Washington today, a grand jury announced the indictment of FARC
leadership for authorizing the murders, findings that parallel a
separate grand jury investigation taking place within the Colombian
justice system.

Today's announcement fuels the fire for President Bush's proposed
expansion of the war on terrorism in Colombia. We are dismayed to see
the Administration's cynical and exploitative use of Terence's murder to
justify further US military aid to the Colombian armed forces, aid the
President has slated for training the Colombian troops to defend a
beleaguered Occidental oil pipeline. Terence went to Colombia to work
with local communities grappling with the escalation of legal and
extralegal armed violence that Occidental's presence in the region has
wreaked over the last 15 years. To the 2 dozen social organizations in
the Arauca region protesting US military intervention on behalf of
Occidental, oil equals violence. Employing Terence's death as a means to
continue perpetuating violence in Colombia grossly contradicts
everything Terence believed in.

We deplore the use of kidnapping and executions as political, economic,
and military tools. We demand that those responsible in this case be
arrested, given a fair trial, and, if proven guilty, sentenced severely,
with full respect for due process of law in Colombia. However, we object
to twinning the pursuit of justice for Terence's murder with the pursuit
of the war on terrorism.

As we have said from the beginning, we do not believe that meeting
violence with violence is a legitimate means to obtain justice and
peace. It has never worked in Colombia before, and it is certainly not
working now. We are distressed to see the Bush Administration
championing Terence's murder as a rallying cry for war. If it is to be
held up as anything, we implore that it be held up as a mirror
reflecting back to our own country the fractured complexity of
Colombia's civil war and our own stark complicity in it: as long as we
maintain our addiction to oil, Colombia will not see peace.


* * * * *
#5  Statement from the Families of Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahe’ena’e
Gay

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     
May 2 002               

We welcome the Grand Jury indictments against the assassins of our
beloved Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahe'ena'e Gay.  The indictments were
announced yesterday by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. The FARC
commanders who ordered the murders and the henchmen who carried the out
deserve to be brought to justice. Both Colombian or American court
systems are acceptable as long as justice is done.

Terrorism has been going on for a very long time and in many forms.  The
terrorism that killed Ingrid and Lahe'ena'e has long plagued Native
leaders, whether from the Right or the Left.  Just three days ago,
Guillermo Ovalle, an associate of Nobel Peace Prize winner and Quiche'
Indian leader Rigoberta Menchú Tum, was assassinated by unknown gunmen
in Guatemala.

In welcoming the indictments we reiterate that we do not endorse any
actions of war, neither by governments or countries nor by armed bands
of insurrectionists. We endorse only the strongest quest for the truth
to be known and for justice to be done.

Ali El Issa, President The Ingrid Washinawatok El Issa Flying Eagle
Woman Fund for Peace, Justice and Sovereignty

John Livingstone Husband of Lahe'ena'e Gay

* * * * *

#6  

U.S. Certifies Colombian 'Progress' on Rights


By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 2, 2002; Page A20


Secretary of State Colin L. Powell certified yesterday that the
Colombian armed forces have met the congressionally mandated
requirements to suspend and prosecute alleged human rights violators and
to sever their ties with right-wing paramilitary forces accused of
civilian massacres and other
rights abuses.

Certification was required before the Bush administration could spend
any of the $104 million approved for the Colombian military in the 2002
budget.  U.S. and Colombian officials had warned in recent weeks that
they were curtailing counter- narcotics activities in the southern part
of the country because no money was available.

A State Department statement said that "both we and the Government of
Colombia recognize that the protection of human rights in Colombia needs
improvement." Certification had been held up since early this year,
officials said, while U.S. officials worked with civilian judicial
authorities in Colombia and pressured the government to take more
substantive action.

The statement yesterday said that "real progress" has been made. But
human rights groups -- including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty
International and the Washington Office on Latin America -- criticized
the decision, saying that the Colombian government has failed "to take
even minimal steps to meet" the
congressional conditions.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who wrote the restrictions, commended the
State Department for urging the Colombian government to do more. "But
the proof is in the results," he said, "and the results are
disappointing. . . . This certification has more to do with the fact
that U.S. aid was running out than with sufficient progress on human
rights."

Congress required Powell to certify progress in three areas: suspension
of  armed forces members credibly alleged to have committed gross
violations of human rights, or to have aided or abetted paramilitary
groups; armed forces cooperation with civilian judicial authorities in
prosecuting and punishing such members in civilian courts; effective
measures taken to sever military links with paramilitary forces.

Leahy and others have long been concerned that the zeal of the U.S. and
Colombian military in combating the 6,000-troop-strong leftist
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has led them to turn a
blind eye or, in the case of the Colombian military, to collaborate with
the paramilitary United Self Defense Forces, or AUC. Pentagon
assessments have concluded that the AUC poses a greater long-term threat
to Colombian stability than does the FARC.

Formed and funded in the 1980s by landowners who charged that the
military was incapable of defending them against guerrilla attacks and
extortion, paramilitary groups were declared illegal by the Colombian
government in 1989. Since then, the AUC and the FARC have become
involved in the production and export of cocaine and heroin and have
been designated "foreign terrorist organizations" by the State
Department. The AUC is held
responsible by the State Department and by Colombian and U.S. human
rights groups for the majority of the thousands of civilian killings
each year in Colombia. The State Department estimates that the AUC has
more than 10,000 combatants.

As evidence of progress against the paramilitary forces, a senior
administration official told reporters that the second highest ranking
officer in the Colombian Navy, Gen. Rodrigo Quinones, has been
transferred to administrative duties because of allegations of
complicity in two of the largest AUC massacres in recent years. But
human rights organizations noted that, despite the credibility of the
allegations, Quinones has not been suspended from the military nor
turned over to civilian jurisdiction. Last month, he was appointed
military attaché to the Colombian Embassy in Israel.


from Natural Resources Defense Council May 7, 2001

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

May 7, 2002
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action alerts--

Urgent -- House vote this week: Tell your representative not to
approve Yucca Mountain as the country's nuclear waste dump

--Updates on Previous alerts--

Mining Waste/Water Pollution

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for
how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action alerts
=============

Urgent: Tell your representative not to approve Yucca Mountain as the
country's nuclear waste dump

This Wednesday or Thursday, the House of Representatives will vote on
a resolution to designate Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the nation's sole
repository for high-level nuclear waste.

The Yucca Mountain site was recommended by energy secretary Spencer
Abraham, and approved by President Bush, despite findings by the
congressionally designated, independent Nuclear Waste Technical Review
Board that "the technical basis for the DOE's repository performance
estimates is weak to moderate." The review board also listed many
important scientific questions about the safety of the site that
remain unresolved. Just as important, the recommendation fails to
address the issue of transportation, which would involve tens of
thousands of shipments of radioactive waste through 44 states and the
District of Columbia on trains, trucks, and barges -- potentially
exposing millions of people along the routes to radiation.

Nevada's governor, Kenny Guinn (R), has temporarily halted the
designation approval process by vetoing the site recommendation, but
if Congress overrides his veto, the designation will stick. The House
has taken up the matter first (the Energy and Commerce Committee last
week overwhelmingly passed the resolution to override Gov. Guinn's
veto, setting the stage for this week's floor vote).

== What to do ==
Send a message *today* urging your representative to oppose the Yucca
Mountain designation until all the remaining safety and environmental
issues are satisfactorily resolved.

== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your representative directly from NRDC's Earth
Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/. If you prefer to call
your representative, the Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

==========================
Updates on Previous alerts
==========================

MINING WASTE/WATER POLLUTION
Last month we asked you to urge the Bush administration to continue to
prohibit the mining industry from dumping waste from mountaintop
removal mining (where the tops of mountains in Appalachia are blown up
and then dumped in nearby valleys) into streams and wetlands. Despite
your more than 5,000 messages to the EPA, plus bipartisan opposition
in Congress, the administration, at the industry's behest, on May 3rd
announced its decision to legalize this practice, representing the
most significant weakening of the Clean Water Act since its adoption
in 1972. The decision's impact will reach far beyond Appalachia,
however, as the new rule allows the Army Corps of Engineers to issue
permits for disposal of *any* kind of industrial solid waste,
including coal mining waste, hardrock mining waste (which often
contains toxic chemicals such as lead and arsenic), and construction
and demolition debris, in the nation's waters. The administration even
had the audacity to claim that the new rule actually "enhances"
environmental protections because it prohibits dumping trash into
waterways. In truth, this "enhanced" environmental protection is
simply all that remains of the previous across-the-board prohibition
on solid waste disposal, and was added only after a draft proposal
obtained by NRDC showed that the administration intended to allow
trash disposal as well. NRDC and other organizations are committed to
pursuing all legal options available to reverse the administration's
rule change, and we'll let you know when your help is next needed. In
the meantime, thanks to everyone who took action.

==================================================
About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
==================================================

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LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in session and
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The CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT is distributed monthly to
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tools to Californians and others concerned with protecting the state's
natural resources and the health of its citizens. To unsubscribe, send
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==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to
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
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earth Action email: 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 The Ocean Conservancy May 7, 2001

Marine wildlife is being threatened by imminent Congressional
action on the important Defense Department (DoD) Authorization
Bill. Please contact your lawmakers today urging them
not to compromise marine wildlife protection for the
convenience of the DoD.

You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/marinewildlifethreat/wkwxs54v78xdte

Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/marinewildlifethreat/forward/wkwxs54v78xdte

We encourage you to take action by June 6, 2002

Marine Wildlife Threatened by Defense Authorization
Bill

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

The DoD Authorization bill, which already contains
broad exemptions for the military from the Endangered
Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, may
be amended on the Floor to also weaken the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA). The MMPA already provides for
the military to obtain permits to allow for incidental
harm to marine mammals on a case-by-case basis. But
when the U.S. House of Representatives takes up the
Defense Authorization bill later this week, an amendment
may be offered to weaken the MMPA by changing the legal
definition of "harassment." If this amendment is adopted,
it will increase the likelihood that marine mammals
such as whales and dolphins will be injured or killed
by DoD activities.

Now more than ever we all recognize the importance
of national security. But the U.S. military is seeking
to capitalize on widespread concerns over national
security to obtain sweeping, unjustified exemptions
from federal environmental statutes. These laws are
the result of years of public discussion, debate and
compromise and must not be weakened in such a cavalier
manner.

Votes may occur as early as tomorrow, so please respond
immediately and let your Representatives know that
they must not weaken protections for marine wildlife
during House consideration of the Defense Authorization
bill.

Thank you for your help.

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

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

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/marinewildlifethreat/wkwxs54v78xdte

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---------

I urge you to oppose any language in the Defense Department
Authorization Bill (H.R. 4546) that will weaken protection
for marine wildlife. I am a strong supporter of national
security, but I do not believe we need to weaken conservation
laws to have a strong national defense.  

The DoD Authorization bill, which already contains
broad exemptions for the military from the Endangered
Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, may
be amended on the Floor to also weaken the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA).  

The MMPA already provides for the military to obtain
permits to allow for incidental harm to marine mammals
on a case-by-case basis. Thus, there is no need to
weaken this important conservation law to accommodate
the normal operations of the Department of Defense.
I urge you to oppose any amendment that will weaken
the MMPA.

I also urge you to support any amendments offered to
strike language currently in the bill that undermines
the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act by giving the Defense Department broad exemptions
from these important laws.  

Please inform me of any votes you cast on these important
conservation issues. I thank you for considering my
views.

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


from World Wildlife May 7, 2001

If you are already a WWF Conservation Action Network member, see below
for how to take action.  If you received this email from a friend,
please visit the Conservation Action Network at
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ to take action on this issue.

Please don't let the U.S. military run roughshod over our nation's
landmark wildlife laws.  Later this week, the House of Representatives
is expected to consider a bill that contains sweeping exemptions for
Department of Defense activities under the laws that protect
endangered species, migratory birds, and wilderness.

Even without these exemptions, military activities already have
enormous impacts on wildlife and have in the past killed nesting
seabirds in the Pacific Islands, desert tortoises in California, and
dolphins in the Bahamas.  To make matters worse, members of Congress
may offer amendments adding exemptions to other natural resource
protection laws and clean air and toxic waste regulations.  Already,
military activities contribute significantly to our nation's pollution
problems.

No federal agency should be above the law.  Many of these laws already
have specific provisions that allow requests for waivers in the
interest of national security. The proposed exemptions are being
rushed through without adequate review and comment by the public and
affected parties.

The good news is that an amendment to strike these damaging provisions
is likely to be offered during the floor debate on the bill.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE SIMPLE STEPS BELOW TO SEND A FREE MESSAGE URGING
YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO VOTE IN SUPPORT OF REMOVING THESE DAMAGING
PROVISIONS.  

**************************TAKE ACTION NOW! ************************

To send the message below, as is, to your member of Congress, hit
"reply" to this email and then "send." We will automatically send the
message for you.   However, we urge you to greatly increase your
impact by adding your own thoughts to your message.  Personalizing
your message only takes a minute; see below for details.

ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND INCREASE YOUR IMPACT  

Log in to your Personal Action Center --
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/login.asp --  with your email
address (alerts@earthhopenetwork.net) and your password.  (If you have
forgotten your password, follow the instructions on the log-in page to
have a new password emailed to you.)

Once you are in your Personal Action Center, click on "No
Environmental Exemptions for Military" and follow the instructions for
adding your own thoughts to your message.  

Please forward this email to your friends and colleagues and ask them
to act today.

*********************LETTER TEXT******************

Dear (your representative's name will be inserted here):

When H.R. 4546, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2003, comes to the floor, I urge you to vote in favor of an amendment
to strike the bill's exemptions for Department of Defense activities
under the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and
the Wilderness Act.  I urge you also to oppose any efforts to add
exemptions under other environmental and public health laws.

The exemptions in the bill would apply to 30 million acres of military
property that serve as habitat for more than 300 endangered or
threatened species.  How the Pentagon manages these lands has enormous
implications for the environment.

The military also would like to exempt its lands and activities from
some pollution control laws even though the military contributes
significantly to our nation's pollution problems.  In two recent
years, the majority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
enforcement actions against federal agencies were against the
Department of Defense.  

Environmental laws already allow for waivers to address national
security interests; additional exemptions are not necessary.  These
waivers should be invoked on a case-by-case basis rather than giving
the Department of Defense a blanket exemption to ignore our laws.  No
federal agency should be granted special reprieve from the laws to
which individuals and businesses must adhere.

I object to the fact that this proposal is being rushed through
Congress without adequate opportunity for the public and affected
parties to review and comment.  The proposed exemptions are dramatic
changes to landmark laws and must be examined thoroughly.

Please do not exempt the military from vitally important statutes that
are supported by the majority of Americans and that protect our
nation's natural resources for future generations.  

Sincerely,

Your name and address
will be inserted here

***********************END OF LETTER TEXT*********************

______________________________________________________________________
You received this message because alerts@earthhopenetwork.net is an activist
with the World Wildlife Fund Conservation Action Network.  
______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send an email to alerts@takeaction.worldwildlife.org from
alerts@earthhopenetwork.net with the word REMOVE in the subject line.  
______________________________________________________________________
Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action Network to
actionquestions@takeaction.worldwildlife.org
______________________________________________________________________
The Conservation Action Network is sponsored by World Wildlife Fund-
US.  Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF is dedicated to
protecting the world's wildlife and the rich biological diversity
that we all need to survive.  The leading privately supported
international conservation organization in the world, WWF has
sponsored more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries and has more than
1 million members in the United States.  WWF calls on everyone --
government, industry, and individuals -- to take responsibility by
taking action to save our living planet.

World Wildlife Fund
1250 Twenty-fourth Street, NW
Washington, DC  20037

http://www.worldwildlife.org
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org



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