|
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A
Bi-weekly Update from Defenders of Wildlife:
|
| MESSAGE TO NORTON: Don't drop protections for wolves |
| STOP THE SLAUGHTER: We win court ruling to protect Yellowstone's buffalo |
| COUGHING AND WHEEZING: What will it take to ban snowmobiles at Yellowstone? |
| THIS LAND IS OUR LAND: Report condemns funding shortfall |
| BETTER LATE THAN NEVER? Norton finally acting on national monuments |
| RED ALERT: High levels of PCBs found in dead whale |
| AND THE WINNERS ARE: ... Kids explain why we need bears, sea otters |
| HELP SAVE BEARS: 'Adopt' a plush toy for Bear Awareness Week |
| LEARN MORE ABOUT WILDLIFE: Check us out! |
| 1. MESSAGE TO NORTON: Don't drop protections for
wolves
Help us use the power of the Internet to protect wolves. We're seeking one million signatures on our petition urging Secretary Norton not to make it easier to kill America's wolves. To sign the petition, go to www.savewolves.org and please forward it to friends. 2. STOPPING THE SLAUGHTER: We win court ruling to protect Yellowstone's buffalo
3. COUGHING AND WHEEZING: What will it take to ban snowmobiles at Yellowstone? At Yellowstone, there have been 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, Interior Secretary Norton may be about to reverse plans to ban snowmobiles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. That's even though the Environmental Protection Agency said last week that exhaust from the machines could violate air quality laws, jeopardize human health and pose a risk to wildlife. To send an e-mail telling the National Park Service to ban snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, go to www.denaction.org and click on Alert #157. 4. THIS LAND IS OUR LAND: Report condemns funding shortfall Citing major shortfalls in funding for public lands, Defenders of Wildlife and other national environmental groups are calling on Congress to increase funding to save wildlife and wild lands. In a new report, "This Land Is Our Land: Saving America's Natural Heritage," the groups highlight 18 examples of how funding cuts and shortfalls in important natural resource programs are undermining protection of imperiled species, wildlife refuges, forests and other special places. Click here to read the report: http://www.defenders.org/publiclands/this_land.pdf. 5. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER? Norton finally acting on national monuments At the urging of Defenders of Wildlife and other environmental organizations, Secretary Norton has finally begun the process of developing plans to manage our new national monuments -- millions of acres of public land containing some of America's natural treasures. But already, there are moves to allow greater access to off-road vehicles and to expedite oil and gas drilling. Stay tuned for ways that you can help protect our national monuments. To learn more, click here http://www.defenders.org/publiclands/habitat/monu.html 6. RED ALERT: High levels of PCBs found in dead whale There?s new urgency to questions about pollution of the oceans and bays of the West Coast. An orca that washed up on Washington state's Olympic Peninsula was contaminated by perhaps the highest levels of the toxic chemical PCB ever measured in a whale. "She basically knocked our instruments off," a National Marine Fisheries Service researcher told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "We had no idea we'd see these levels." Researchers can't explain how the whale became so contaminated. PCBs have been banned since 1977, but they are extremely persistent and still can be found throughout the marine food chain. To learn more about threats to whales, go to www.saveourwhales.org. 7. AND THE WINNERS ARE ... Kids explain why we need bears, sea otters The winners have been chosen in our wildlife essay contests in Florida and California. They explained why black bears are important to Florida and why California needs sea otters . Thanks to all who participated. We hope the contest helped raise public awareness about threats to our vanishing wildlife. To read essays on these species, go to www.kidsplanet.org. 8. HELP SAVE BEARS: Celebrate Bear Awareness Week
For the next 30 days, you can apply for a Defenders of Wildlife credit card with an introductory 0% Annual Percentage Rate (APR)* on all cash advances, including balance transfers, for your first six (6) billing cycles. In addition, you can select from one of 11 beautiful wildlife images for your personal card to showcase your love for America's wildlife. For each new account and purchase, MBNA will make a contribution to Defenders at no additional cost to you to fund our programs. Simply click on http://www.applyonlinenow.com/us/TJ5P-A0000004I9 for details about this offer or to apply online for the Defenders of Wildlife credit card.*See Application for information about the rates, fees, and other details of the card. 9. LEARN MORE ABOUT WILDLIFE: Check us out! The Defenders of Wildlife Web site has information on many species of wildlife. To check it out, go to www.defenders.org. DENlines is a bi-weekly update of Defenders of
Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one
of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat.
It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues,
particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also
advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species
before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail to denlines@defenders.org and put the
word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Defenders of Wildlife Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2002 |
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Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
May 16, 2002
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Please do not reply to this message. See the instructions
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questions or comments.
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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 ! =
5/16/02
Last week the House passed a
resolution to designate Yucca Mountain,
Nevada, as the
sole repository for the nation's high-level radioactive
waste. The House also passed the Defense Authorization
bill, which
includes provisions to exempt the Defense
Department from important
environmental laws. The
Senate continues to debate an international
trade
package that lacks safeguards for public health and the
environment.
...
Budget/Appropriations
= N O T E ! =
The House
Appropriations Committee is considering an emergency
supplemental spending bill that includes a provision
exempting the
Department of Defense from complying with
the Endangered Species Act
when species or their
habitats are threatened by increases in water
consumption in areas surrounding military installations.
Environmentalists are concerned that the language could
specifically
allow over-use of water from the San Pedro
River in Arizona, harming
reptiles, mammals and
migratory birds that depend on the river.
Additional
language may be added when the bill reaches the Senate that
would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to issue
permits allowing
waste from mountaintop removal coal
mining and other types of
industrial activities to be
dumped into the nation's waters. On 5/8, a
federal
district court blocked the Army Corps from issuing any
additional permits for disposal of mountaintop removal
mining waste in
U.S. waters. The ruling came five days
after the Bush administration
finalized a change to
Clean Water Act rules that would expressly allow
mountaintop removal waste disposal into streams, rivers,
lakes,
wetlands, and other waters. The administration
is appealing the
court's decision.
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
The Senate has
selected its members for the energy bill conference
committee, but the House has yet to do so. Once the
committee is
complete, it will likely need several
months to negotiate a compromise
bill. On 4/25, the
Senate passed its version of the bill (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. The House energy
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. 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.
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),
in June. 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 5/16, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
is
scheduled 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. On
3/20, the House
Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee considered the House
companion bill (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.
= N O T E ! =
On 5/15, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
considered
Sen. Boxer's (D-CA) and Sen. Feinstein's
(D-CA) bill to reauthorize
CALFED (S. 1768), an
important federal and state partnership in
California
that provides water for urban and agricultural users, as
well as for wildlife and habitat restoration. Rep. Tauscher
(D-CA) and
Rep. Napolitano (D-CA) introduced a similar
bill (H.R. 4657) in the
House last week.
Environmentalists oppose a related bill, H.R. 3208,
by
Rep. Calvert (R-CA) that would allow the construction of new dams
in California without appropriate review, and could give
agricultural
water users priority over the environment.
On 5/7, the House passed H.R.
3908, Rep. Hansen's (R-UT) bill to
reauthorize the
North American Wetlands Conservation Act, by a voice
vote. The act 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 amendment 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.
...
Climate Change
On 5/2, Rep. Olver (D-MA) introduced a bill that would
require
companies to report their global warming
pollution emissions to a
federal database.
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
scientists
who conduct climate change research and
develop related technologies
and consumers,
policymakers, and industry.
...
International Environmental Protections
= N O T E ! =
On 5/14, the Senate voted to accept new compromise language
in the
Presidential Trade Promotion Authority Bill that
grants "fast-track"
authority to the president to
negotiate new trade agreements. The
revamped bill will
be introduced by Sen. Baucus (D-MT), chair of the
Finance Committee, as an amendment to H.R. 3009, the Andean
Trade
Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, which aims to
lower tariffs
imposed on some products from South
American nations.
Environmentalists oppose the
legislation because it contains weak
environmental
standards and safeguards, inadequate protection for
international environmental agreements and new barriers to
environmental regulation, and blocks consumer labeling.
Sen. Kerry
(D-MA) plans to offer an amendment to the
bill that would strengthen
its environmental and public
health protections, laying out specific
criteria that
foreign investors would be required to meet in order to
challenge environmental regulations in the United States.
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 ! =
The House and Senate passed the final version
of the farm bill (H.R.
2646) on 5/2 and 5/8,
respectively. President Bush signed the bill on
5/13.
Conservation programs -- including funding for energy
efficiency and renewable energy programs on farms -- total
about $9
billion of the bill's $45 billion in new
spending. But
environmentalists claim that conservation
funding will be outweighed
by commodities subsidies and
environmentally damaging provisions in
the bill. For
instance, the bill raises the payment cap on funding
that giant livestock farms, whose waste management
practices pose a
threat to local water supplies, will
be able to receive. Several other
environmentally
damaging provisions, including language that would
have
provided incentives to log national forests, were ultimately
eliminated from the bill.
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 5/8, the House voted 306-117 to approve
a resolution designating
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. Sen.
Bingaman (D-NM), chair of the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources
Committee, introduced the
resolution to override Governor Guinn's veto
in the
Senate (S.J. Res. 34), where it is not expected to pass as
easily as in the House. The committee will hold a hearing
on the issue
on 5/16. 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 5/9, the House passed the Defense Authorization bill,
H.R. 4546.
The bill includes provisions that give the
Department of Defense broad
exemptions under the
Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird
Treaty
Act, as well as language that would reduce protections for Utah
wilderness lands. The provisions were part of a larger
proposal by the
Department of Defense that also
included exemptions from the Clean Air
Act, Marine
Mammal Protection Act, Resource Recovery and Conservation
Act, and Superfund. Democratic leaders and
environmentalists argue
that the remaining 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. In the Senate, the
Armed Services Committee passed
the bill on 5/9 without
any of the exemption provisions. The committee
included
provisions authorizing the Defense Department to participate
in partnerships with non-federal entities, including local
governments
and conservation groups, to manage lands
adjacent to military
installations.
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.
...
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
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...........
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Also
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Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"
Please send a letter or email
to pursuade President Thabo Mbeki of South
Africa to
halt construction of a hazardous waste incinerator at Sasolburg.
Your help is requested by the Global Anti-Incinerator
Alliance, an
international coalition of non-profit
groups
and individuals that are working to stop toxic
contamination of air, water
and soil from incineration.
A model letter is included in their action
alert,
below.
Please mail your letter
by June 3 (so it arrives by June 15), or send an
email
from the GAIA website (www.no-burn.org/action/index.html). Thanks for
your help in this important international campaign.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stop the Hazardous Waste Incinerator Project in
Sasolburg, Africa !
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
Thank you for reading this Action
Alert to stop the planned construction of
an
incinerator facility in Sasolburg, South Africa, for treating stockpiled
hazardous waste. We hope that you will join in sending the
following letter
addressed to His Excellency Thabo
Mbeki, President, South Africa. By doing
so, you
support the citizens' struggle for clean air and healthy environment
and add your voice to the global consensus in favor of safe
and sustainable
alternatives to waste incineration.
Your solidarity will strengthen local
community action
against the incinerator project.
Background:
The Peacock Bay Environmental Services (PBES) Ltd., a South
African company,
is proposing to build and operate a
commercial rotary kiln thermal oxidation
treatment
facility for stockpiled hazardous waste to be sited in Sasolburg,
a town in Free State, South Africa that is home to large
polluting oil
refinery.
Environmental justice action groups and community
associations are concerned
that the incinerator project
will only exacerbate the air pollution in
Sasolburg,
which is already causing serious health impacts due to citizens'
long-term exposure to high levels of toxic pollutants in
the environment.
The incineration by-products,
particularly the super toxic dioxins and
furans, will
spread further than the South Africa's borders and pose serious
risks to other communities and nations.
Indeed the approval of the PBES
incinerator proposal will have tragic
consequences
beyond South Africa's boundaries.
If the project pushes through, it might set a precedent and
justify the
construction of hazardous waste
incinerators all over the African continent,
contrary
to the spirit and intent of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants (POPs). Under the terms of the said
Convention,
alternatives that do not discharge toxic
pollutants should receive a clear
preference.
Non-combustion technologies exist, which are capable of
eradicating hazardous waste without creating or letting
loose toxic
pollutants into the environment. South
Africa can also seek financial and
technical assistance
from Global Environmental Facility (GEF) for the safe
decontamination and disposal of hazardous waste.
Please sign-on! With your support
and solidarity, we can help the people of
South Africa
in convincing their Government to reject the PBES incinerator
proposal and seek non-burn alternatives instead.
For more information, please visit
www.groundwork.org.za, website of
groundWork, a
non-profit group that works closely with the Sasolburg
Environmental Committee and other NGOs towards
environmental justice and
sustainable development in
South Africa. Or contact the Global
Anti-Incinerator
Alliance at one-gaia@surfshop.net.ph
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
MODEL LETTER:
President Thabo Mbeki
Union Buildings
West Wing
Government Avenue
Pretoria, South
Africa
FAX: Int'l code + 012 323 8246
Email: President@po.gov.za
Dear President Mbeki,
As a concerned citizen of the world, I write to your
Excellency to register
my opposition to the proposed
rotary kiln incinerator project in Sasolburg,
Free
State, South Africa for the treatment and destruction of stockpiled
hazardous waste. Not only will this incinerator constitute a
threat to the
environment and well-being of the people
of Sasolburg, we believe its
construction and operation
also infringes upon the spirit and objectives of
the
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which we
know your government wishes to ratify soon.
The Stockholm Convention pinpoints
incineration as a major source of dioxin
releases into
the environment and recommends the use of alternative
technioques and technologies .
For these reasons, we appeal to your Government to junk the
Sasolburg
incinerator and to go for non-burn alternative
technologies which do not
create the toxic nightmares
associated with incineration. As host of the
upcoming
World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), we expect South
Africa to set a positive example for other countries to
follow in the field
of POPs elimination.
We join the people of Sasolburg and
the environmental justice action groups
in South Africa
in calling for the following:
1.. A complete Environmental Impact Assessment of the
proposed project,
which would include a comprehensive
review of alternative technologies.
2.. A full inventory
and disclosure of the stockpiled hazardous waste being
targeted for treatment, and their safe storage until
suitable non-burn
treatment facilities are set up.
3. A moratorium to all new incineration plants in South
Africa and the
phasing in of non-incineration
alternatives.
4.. The ratification of the UN Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs),
which identifies incinerators as primary
sources of
dioxins and other POPs in the environment;
We are confident that your Government is attentive to the
multiple issues
against waste incineration and will
never allow your people, particularly
those living in
Sasolburg, to suffer and perish from the health-threatening
consequences of this polluting technology.
We hope that the people's inherent
right to a healthy environment will
prevail over and
above corporate interests.
Respectfully yours,
********************************
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.
**************************
* WILDALERT
* Thursday, May 16, 2002
**************************
Dear WildAlert Subscriber,
In an effort to end Bush Administration attempts to
undermine the
implementation of the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule, a bi-partisan
group in Congress is
proposing a bill to enact the Rule into law.
The legislation, titled "The National Forest Roadless Area
Conservation Act of 2002," may be introduced in Congress
as early as
next week by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA),
Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), and
a number of co-sponsors.
It is clear that without
legislative action, the 58.5 million acres
of national
forest roadless areas that the Roadless Rule will
protect will remain at risk from legal and administrative
measures
influenced by a minority of special interest
industries. "The
National Forest Roadless Area
Conservation Act of 2002" is
environmentally sound
legislation that provides a balanced approach
to
managing these pristine lands.
BACKGROUND
The Roadless Area
Conservation Rule prohibits road building and
logging in
national forest roadless areas with some exceptions, such
as logging to reduce the risk of unnaturally intense
fires. It was
adopted on January 12, 2001,
but remains unimplemented and
undefended by the Bush
administration, despite wide popular support
for the
rule.
In the last several months
the administration has taken further
steps to undermine
the rule by issuing a number of directives that
undercut
its basic tenets, including procedures that abolish
existing safeguards for roadless areas, and allow for more
environmentally destructive road construction on our
national
forests.
BROAD SUPPORT FOR THE ROADLESS RULE
The American people have consistently demonstrated their
support for
strong protection of the last 30 percent of
wildlands on America's
national forests. To
date, more than 2.3 million comments have been
received
by the Forest Service with upwards of 95 percent of the
response in favor of the strongest protections possible for
these
last acres of wild forest lands.
The rule is also widely supported
among scientists, religious
leaders and Congress. Four
hundred of our nation's most esteemed
scientists sent a
letter to then President Clinton detailing the
need for
this effort. More than 2,000 members and leaders of
America's faith communities followed suit, as did hundreds
of
locally elected officials throughout the country.
THE THREAT TO ROADLESS AREAS
It is clear that without legislative action, the 58.5
million acres
of national forest roadless areas will
remain at risk from the legal
and administrative
measures influenced by a minority of special
interest
industries. Already, a number of roadless areas from Alaska
to Illinois are facing impending threats of invasive road
construction, the clearcuts of commercial logging, as
well as new
leases for oil and gas exploration and
drilling.
HOW
YOU CAN HELP:
In coming weeks, we will send you an alert
asking for you to thank
key champions of this
bill. In the meantime, if you have friends
who care about forest wildlands and who may not yet know
about
WildAlert, please forward this message to
them.
**********************
"Trees give peace to the souls of men." -Nora
Waln
*****************************
CORRECTION
Last week's WildAlert
contained several typos in the list of
Senators who will
be on the Energy Bill conference committee. The
correct list is:
Sens. Baucus (D-MT); Bingaman (D-NM); Breaux (D-LA); Craig
(R-ID);
Domenici (R-NM); Grassley (R-IA); Hollings
(D-SC); Jeffords (I-VT);
Kerry (D-MA); Lieberman (D-CT);
Lott (R-MS); Murkowski (R-AK);
Nickles (R-OK); Reid
(D-NV); Rockefeller (D-WV) and Thomas (R-WY).
***************************************************************
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
http://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
FOREST SERVICE REJECTS PROTECTION OF TONGASS and CHUGACH
WILDERNESS
Tongass Public Comment Period Opens - Action
alerts to Follow
1. ALASKA
RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN RELEASE
2. WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE
3. LINKS TO ARTICLES NATIONWIDE
*****
ALASKA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN
For
Immediate Release
May 17, 2002
Bush Administration Sides with
Timber Industry in Alaska Wilderness Decision
Administration Ignores Overwhelming Public Support For
Protecting Tongass Roadless Areas
The Bush Administration today failed its first major test on
protecting roadless areas in America’s national forests. With the release of the
Tongass Wilderness Plan, the U.S. Forest Service announced that it is choosing
the "no action" alternative, which heavily favors the commercial timber industry
over other users of the Tongass by recommending no new
Wilderness. The Administration’s recommendations were presented
as the “preferred alternative” of a court-ordered wilderness review made public
today.
The
Bush Administration looked at over 9 million acres of the wildest, most pristine
forest in the world and it decided that none of that portion of the Tongass
deserved permanent protection as Wilderness. This decision was made in spite of
the overwhelming support of the American people. Over 2 million
comments were submitted on the Roadless Rule – nearly all strongly supporting
the Rule and the vast majority specifically citing the Tongass for protection.
“The Bush Administration had a
clear cut choice and it sided with the timber industry,” said Michael
Finkelstein, Campaign Manager for the Alaska Rainforest Campaign. “Meanwhile,
the overwhelming public support for protecting the last remaining Tongass
roadless areas has been tossed out the window.”
Despite commitments from Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman,
Attorney General John Ashcroft, and Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth to
protect roadless areas, the Bush Administration is rolling back protections,
starting in Alaska. The nationwide Roadless Rule set aside remaining unroaded,
unlogged areas 5,000 acres or larger in National Forests across the
country. Instead, the Forest Service is planning 33 large-scale,
industrial timber sales in roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest – all
areas of pristine forests that are protected by the Roadless Rule.
The Tongass is the crown-jewel
of the National Forest system -- a remote coastal rainforest with centuries-old
trees providing critical habitat for wolves, grizzly bears, wild salmon, bald
eagles and other wildlife that have disappeared from many other parts of the
country. During the last 45 years, the Alaska timber industry has clearcut over
1 million acres of old-growth forest and built more than 4,650 miles of logging
roads in the Tongass. To make matters worse, these roads and timber sales have
been subsidized by the American taxpayer to the tune of $30 million per year
according to the General Accounting Office.
“It's deeply disappointing that the Forest Service
stubbornly continues to waste taxpayer money on road building and clearcutting
plans for roadless areas of the Tongass," says Tim Bristol, Director of the
Alaska Coalition. "Today's decision makes no environmental or economic sense.
The Forest Service clearly caved to pressure from industry special interests and
the Alaska Congressional Delegation."
The Forest Service is accepting public comments on the
Wilderness review recommendations until mid-August. Public meetings
on the Draft SEIS will be held this summer in communities throughout SE Alaska.
Following 90 days of public review of the Draft SEIS, the Forest Service expects
to issue its final decision sometime late this year.
“The American people and the generations to come are the
winners if Tongass roadless areas are protected as Wilderness,” said Nicole
Whittington-Evans of the Wilderness Society. “Wilderness areas are public lands
open for hunting, fishing, hiking, and other recreational activities. Extractive
commercial activities such as logging and mining are banned in Wilderness.”
*****
Wilderness Protection Not Advised For Tongass
Forest Service Decision Upsets Environmentalists
By Eric Pianin
Washington Post Staff
Writer
Friday, May 17, 2002; Page A27
The U.S. Forest Service has
recommended against providing permanent wilderness protection to more than 9
million acres of Alaska's Tongass National Forest in the first major test of the
Bush administration's commitment to protecting roadless areas from logging and
other development.
The massive
expanse of Alaskan old-growth rain forest was part of the nearly 60 million
acres of national forests that President Bill Clinton proposed to put off limits
to most logging and road construction.
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and Forest Service
Chief Dale N. Bosworth announced last May they would conduct a forest-by-forest
review of the Clinton rule with an eye to making changes in response to
complaints from local officials, residents and commercial interests that too
much of the land was being locked away from developers.
A federal court order last year that
required the Forest Service to consider whether additional portions of Tongass
should be designated as permanent wilderness areas triggered this week's
decision-making.
A draft report
scheduled to be formally released today by Forest Service officials recommends
that foresters continue to adhere to a 1997 management plan for Tongass that
allows about a quarter of the 9 million acres to be opened to logging and other
commercial activities. The report outlines eight alternatives -- from providing
the entire area with wilderness protection to no action at all -- and then
recommends the "no-action" approach.
Bush administration officials said yesterday that relatively
little of the forest would actually be used for commercial purposes, but
environmentalists hotly disputed that and noted the government already is
considering 33 applications for logging in the Tongass.
"The idea that [the] decision is
going to result in these areas being developed is incorrect," Mark Rey,
undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources and the environment, said
yesterday. "We will not now develop these areas simply because we didn't decide
to recommend them for wilderness protection. We will go through a more studied
approach to decide what a more appropriate management regime would be."
Jeremy Anderson, executive director
of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, said he was dismayed by the
recommendation and believes it signals administration intentions to throw open
large sections of the forest to logging.
"If the Forest Service is not going to protect some of the
most extraordinary roadless areas here, where are they likely to protect them?"
Anderson asked.
The
administration also intends to announce today that it will ask Congress to grant
wilderness protection to 1.4 million acres of the 5.7 million-acre Chugach
National Forest in Alaska, the nation's second-largest national forest after the
Tongass. The Chugach's mountains and immense rivers of ice cradle Prince William
Sound in south-central Alaska, spreading from the Kenai Peninsula in the west to
the Copper River Delta in the east.
"That's the largest wilderness recommendation offered by an
administration since 1984, and that is a final recommendation," Rey said. "These
are areas that deserve wilderness protection because they are world-class scenic
and ecological treasures."
The
Tongass National Forest, covering about 17 million acres in Southeast Alaska,
includes a narrow mainland strip of steep, rugged mountains and ice fields and
more than 1,000 offshore islands. The Tongass contains nearly 30 percent of the
world's unlogged coastal temperate rain forest.
Congress previously set aside 6.4 million acres of the
forest as wilderness, leaving the fate of 9.5 million acres in dispute. While
Clinton's proposed rule would have virtually ruled out all but a minor amount of
logging there, Bush officials noted yesterday that Clinton never recommended
granting the entire area wilderness protection.
Thomas Puchlerz, Tongass forest supervisor and author of a
cover letter to the draft report, described the 1997 management plan as the
culmination of "a significant collaborative effort to seek a balance for how
best to protect and manage" the forests.
Puchlerz said that many of the 115 inventoried roadless
areas have excellent resource and wildland values important to Southeast Alaska
and the nation.
"Additionally,
we recognize that the industries of Southeast Alaska are changing and there is
heightened interest in roadless areas on National Forest System lands across the
nation," Puchlerz wrote. "Thus, it is appropriate and timely to consider the
inventoried roadless areas for different levels of protection than those that
were determined to represent the best balance in 1997."
Sen. Frank H. Murkowski (R-Alaska),
a proponent of public lands development, hailed the Forest Service's draft
environmental impact review. "The Forest Service spent 13 years crafting the
most recent Tongass plan," he said. "I'm glad this new review found they had
fully protected the forest in that process."
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30381-2002May16.html
OTHER ARTICLES NATIONWIDE
Los
Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000034922may17.story
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/17/politics/17FORE.html
Anchorage Daily News
Tongass Story
- http://www.adn.com/business/story/1111464p-1218782c.html
Chugach
Story - http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/1111428p-1218743c.html
To: All Activists
From:
Devin M. Scherübel, Heartwood & Steve Holmer
Date: May 17, 2002
Bogus Mark Twain Forest Plan Revision - Harbinger of Things
to Come?
Here is an alert from
Devin Scherubel of Heartwood concerning the Forest
Plan
revision on Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest. The Bush
Administration will soon be releasing new draft forest
planning
regulations that are expected to increase the
agency's discretion to
pick and choose what "Topics of
Concern" to address. As we can see on
the
Mark Twain, the agency is already choosing to ignore two severe
threats to the forest.
Comments Needed on Mark Twain Forest
Plan
The officials managing the
Mark Twain National Forest are trying to pull
a fast one
on the public -- shuffling important issues under the table.
The management of the Mark Twain
National Forest -- what gets cut, how,
and where, as
well as what recreation is allowed or promoted, follows
guidelines set in the land and resource management plan
(LRMP, or
"Forest Plan"). The plan for Missouri's Mark
Twain NF is 15 years old
and still being used, in spite
of the fact that it was only intended to
last ten years.
Now that the Forest Service has
finially begun to seek input for the
drafting of a new
plan -- incredibly -- it has decided that comments are
NOT needed on mining or endangered species protection -- the
two issues
the public has been most concerned about in
the past decade!!
Please take a
minute and send in comments from
http://www.heartwood.org/MTNFplan.html
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org
WWF, ON THE GROUND AND ONLINE - IN THE ARCTIC
http://www.panda.org/polarbears/
CONTENTS:
1. Polar bears
- at risk from global warming
http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2922
2. Tracking polar bears in the Arctic
http://www.panda.org/polarbears/ and
3. Great whales
still hunted for profit
http://www.panda.org/species/iwc/
4. Around the world
with WWF
==================================================
Dear reader,
The much-loved symbol of WWF's
conservation - the panda bear -
is often in the news but
recently another bear has got the
headlines: the polar
bear, threatened by global warming.
A new WWF report shows that climate change is the number one
long-term threat to the survival of the world’s largest
terrestrial carnivores. Lynn Rosentrater, one of WWF’s
Arctic
conservation team, explains, "The sea ice is
melting earlier
in the spring which is sending the polar
bears to land earlier
without them having developed as
much fat reserves for the
ice-free season. By the end of
the summer they are skinny bears
which, in the worst
case, can affect their ability to reproduce."
Read the full story at:
http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2922
==================================================
POLAR BEARS - WHERE ARE YOU?!
Finding two bears in the middle of two million square
kilometres
of frozen arctic wilderness should be
difficult. But it isn't
when the bears are tagged with
radio collars, which beam their
positions by satellite
to WWF researchers. We are tracking
polar bears in the
Barents Sea around Spitsbergen and Franz
Josef Land to
understand how species that are dependent on
sea ice
habitats are impacted by climate change.
You can follow two of the bears as they move around
King Karls Land at the new website:
http://www.panda.org/polarbears/
Send a
polar bear postcard from WWF-Canada's site at:
http://www.wwfcanada.org/en/PolarBearCentral/
==================================================
OTHER NEWS:
WHALES FOR SALE? NO THANKS.
Few animals on land or sea inspire such awe as whales, yet
relatively few have suffered so severely at human hands.
Japan carries out whaling under the guise of "scientific
research" - but the whale meat ends up in restaurants.
When the International Whaling Commission meets this
month,
WWF will be there campaigning for an end to the
industry
that is threatening the survival of the great
whales.
WWF at the IWC meeting -
feature article:
http://www.panda.org/species/iwc/op-ed.htm
Whales photo gallery
http://www.panda.org/photogallery/oct00.cfm
==================================================
AROUND THE WORLD WITH WWF - NEW WEBSITES
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
http://www.wwfindochina.org/ (in English)
Latvia
http://www.wwf.lv (in Latvian and English)
Turkey
http://www.wwftr.org/ (in Turkish only at the moment)
That's it for now. Thank you for supporting WWF,
Warm wishes,
Holly Ellson
Panda.org email news
---
Any questions?
Please use the enquiry facility on our website at
http://questions.panda.org/
If you
are not already a WWF member, please consider giving your financial support. Go
to http://www.panda.org/support.cfm
To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: May 17, 2002
Heavy Action Ahead as President's Popularity Drops Through
the Floor
Democrats --
emboldened by revelations President Bush knew about the
impending 9/11 highjackings and did little or nothing to
stop it — are
on the attack and calling for
investigations. Meanwhile, the
Administration's anti-environmental rollback machine churns
on - the
most recent announcement being that there
should be no additional
Wilderness designated on
Alaska's Tongass National Forest.
Now is the time to let it all out -- and publicly blast
President George
Bush for his outlandish
anti-environmental program. In the coming
months we expect to see a rider on stewardship contracting,
new roadless
area and old growth timber sales, new
forest planning regulations that
will weaken
environmental protection and public involvement, categorical
exclusion regulations that weaken public involvement, and a
new fire
policy that encourages more logging under the
guise for fuel reduction.
Congress needs to hear from us that
we won't stand for these continued
attacks on our
nation's natural heritage. Please contact your Senators
and Representative at 202/224-3121 or see http://www.congress.org to
send a fax or email and urge
them to:
1. Support Ending the
Stewardship Contracting Pilot Projects Which
Encourage
More Logging Under the Guise of Restoration
2. Support legislation to protect National Forest Roadless
Areas
3. Support legislation
requiring the Forest Service to conduct
mechanical fuel
reduction projects in the Wildland/Urban Interface to
protect lives and property and to defer projects outside of
the
interface until all high-risk communities have been
treated.
Activists Invited to DC for Forest Protection Lobby Week
June 2 - 7
American Lands will
be hosting Forest Protection Week from June 2 - 7.
Please join over fifty forest activists (we would like
70-80) from
around the nation to discuss your forest
protection priorities and stop
the Bush Administration's
rollbacks that now threaten the National
Forests. For more information please contact me
at 202/547-9105 or
wafcdc@americanlands.org
Congressional Outreach Briefing for
Roadless Forest Protection June 10 -
12, 2002
You are invited to join The
Wilderness Society, Earthjustice, NRDC,
Sierra Club, USPIRG, the Alaska Rainforest Campaign, and the
Alaska
Coalition in Washington, DC for a Congressional
Outreach Briefing for
Roadless Forest
Protection. There will be a briefing for grass roots
activists prior to visits to Congressional members to
solicit support
for legislative protection of our last
wild National Forests. To find
out more go
to: http://action.zdev.net/
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
DEN Alert:
Unnecessary Killing Continues of Yellowstone's
Buffalo
In search of
food, the buffalo of Yellowstone often go outside the
national park's protective boundaries -- only to be shot and
killed
by the Montana state government. The state
Department of Livestock
claims buffalo might infect
cattle with the disease brucellosis.
Although there's
never been a single documented case of wild buffalo
transmitting the disease to cattle, the Department of
Livestock has
killed more than 2,000 Yellowstone buffalo
since 1990 – more than
170 just this year. There are now
about 100 bison outside the park,
and they could be
killed any day. Please let Montana's governor
know that
you oppose these senseless killings.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Send a FREE e-mail to the governor of Montana and urge her
to stop
the killing of Yellowstone's buffalo and to give
these animals
access to public land outside the park's
boundaries. We encourage
you to put the sample letter
below into your own words. Thanks for
helping save
Yellowstone's bison in this last remnant of wild
America.
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 e-mail your
letter to Governor Judy Martz at: Governor@state.mt.us
SAMPLE
LETTER
Dear Gov. Martz:
I urge you to prevent the Montana
Department of Livestock from
killing wild buffalo on
public land outside the boundaries of
Yellowstone
National Park. More than 170 bison have been killed
this
year. The state must respect the wishes of the American public
and put an end to this senseless slaughter.
Buffalo are a noble symbol of the
American West. Please protect
Yellowstone's
buffalo.
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
EarthNet News
... a
project of the Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
May 17, 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------
EarthNet looks at our wild side
this week by talking
forests in SHADOW CONGRESS and
Edward Abbey in GREEN
READING. And check out the results
of our reader's
fast action in GLIMMER OF HOPE.
Meanwhile, 6 BILLION
STRONG & GROWING looks at what
too many fishers are
doing to too little fish.
Plus, there's still (very little)
time to apply to
our premiere training academies. We
promise it's the
best thing you'll do all summer:
**Environmental Journalism
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/o7qAAaF1mq-D/JOURNALISM
**Campus
Campaigning
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/o1qAAaF1mq--/CAMPUS
**Community Campaigning
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/odqAAaF1mq-J/COMMUNITY
--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet Editor
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Shadow Congress: Wild Thing
2. Quote of the Week
3. 6 Billion Strong & Growing
4. Glimmer of Hope: It's a Gas
5.
Green Reading: Abbey's Road
6. Jobs and
Internships
7. Conferences and
Gatherings
8. Activist Phone Book &
EarthNet News Info
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadow Congress
----------------------------------------------------------------------
WILD THING
This may not come as a surprise, but
the Bush administration
has proposed weakening national
forest protections
in spite of overwhelming public
support and just this
week decided to allow development
in our last remaining
temperate rainforest.
The administration has undermined
protections for our
last roadless areas, suspended
regulations designed
to safeguard forest health, moved
to open public lands
to increased drilling and mining,
and nominated an
Undersecretary of Agriculture who has
worked to develop
our national forests. Now they are
recommending opening
up the Tongass National Forest to
development and logging.
And all of this is happening
despite the fact that
of the record 1.6 million comments
submitted during
three separate public comment periods
over the last
two years more than 95% called for the
strongest possible
protection for these wilderness
areas.
The Bush administration
is ignoring a broad public
mandate to protect what's
left of these wilderness
areas. Bush may be ignoring the
public, but Congress
is not. A bipartisan group of
members of Congress,
impatient with the Bush
administration's failure to
uphold the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule, is gathering
support to pass the
roadless rule into law. Take a
minute now and tell your
Rep to sign on.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/97qAAaF1mq-G/
Tell Congress to protect our last
wild places.
FOR
MORE INFO:
**Campaign to Save Our Wild
Forests
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/9pqAAaF1mq-F/WILDFORESTS
**Washington Post 05-16
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/p1qAAaF1mqJL/WA_POST
----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We can have wilderness without
freedom; we can have
wilderness without human life at
all, but we cannot
have freedom without wilderness, we
cannot have freedom
without leagues of open space beyond
the cities, where
boys and girls, men and women, can
live at least part
of their lives under no control but
their own desires
and abilities, free from any and all
direct administration
by their fellow men.
-- Edward Abbey
----------------------------------------------------------------------
6 BILLION STRONG & GROWING
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TOO MANY FISHERS, NOT ENOUGH
FISH
The world's population is
blooming and so is our appetite
for scrumptious foods
like fish. Feeding billions and
billions of mouths is a
burden for our fields and oceans.
Read more about this
issue in this fascinating article.
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/0dqAAaF1mqJa/POPULATION_FISH_FOOD
Read
about Population & The Environment at our exclusive
Issue in Focus site.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
IT'S A GAS
The EPA gave a failing grade
yesterday to a gas drilling
project in Wyoming's Powder
River Basin, saying the
plan fails to protect the
basin's rivers. After hearing
from thousands of
concerned citizens -- including hundreds
of EarthNet
readers -- the EPA gave a close look at
water pollution
caused by coal-bed methane gas development
and said no
thank you to the Bush administration plan.
Environmentalists were pleased by the EPA review and
said it could delay the nation's largest gas drilling
project on public land. But don't get too comfortable
-- EPA officials expressed confidence yesterday that
officials will be able to fashion environmental safeguards
so the project can proceed this fall as planned.
EarthNet
will be watching.
FOR MORE INFO:
Washington Post 05-16
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/0pqAAaF1mqJS/WA_POST
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GREEN READING
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ABBEY'S ROAD
Straight from Grist Magazine...
http://www.gristmagazine.com
Edward
Abbey -- novelist, curmudgeon, wilderness Jeremiah
--
regularly complained that people wrote too much
about
him and not enough about his books, but that
hasn't
deterred any number of writers from taking on
Abbey as
their subject. Now biographer James Cahalan
joins the
ranks with "Edward Abbey: A Life." The book
sets out to
separate reality from fiction where Abbey
is concerned,
and to ennoble his writing with academic
and critical
appreciation. Does it succeed in those
tasks? Grist
reviewer Gregory Gipson says yep -- but
questions the
worth of that success. Read Gipson's
take on Cahalan's
take on Abbey, only on the Grist
Magazine
website.
Grist
Magazine Exclusive:
Abbey Lives! -- a review of Edward
Abbey: A Life --
in their Books Unbound section
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/07qAAaF1mqJz/GRIST_MAGAZINE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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/l7qAAaF1mq-C/4257
Job Title:
AmeriCorps Program Coordinator
Organization: East Bay
Conservation Corps
Location: Oakland, CA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/lpqAAaF1mqJ1/4299
Job Title:
Regional Representative
Organization: Sierra Club in
Colorado
Location: Boulder, CO
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/01qAAaF1mqJq/4321
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lots more events listed at
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp
Event: Cities for People! Not Profits!
Location: Madison, WI
Date:
6/15/2002 - 6/16/2002
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/ldqAAaF1mq-V/1152
Event:
North American Indigenous Mining Summit
Location: Crandon, WI
Date: 6/12/2002 - 6/15/2002
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/l1qAAaF1mq-Z/1113
Event:
"Imagine If..." Green Building Workshop
Location: Telluride, CO
Date: 5/29/2002
FOR MORE
INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/opqAAaF1mq-K/1092
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 kick@$$ issue!
http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=san&r=JdqAAaF1jPJ0
Rainforest Action Network - Monthly Email Newsletter
May 2002
Welcome! Thank you for being a partner in
Rainforest Action Network’s
campaigns. Read
on to get the latest news and learn how you can help
save the world’s rainforests.
In this post:
1. Save Indonesia’s Remaining Orangutans
2. Boise Responds to RAN Pressure
3.
Activists Rock Citigroup Shareholder Meeting
4. RAN
Kicks Off Ad Campaign to Counter Citi’s
5. Deadline For
Signatures to Protect California Ancient Trees Extended to May 31
________________________________________________
SIGN ONLINE PETITION TO PROTECT
THREATENED ORANGUTANS
While you
read this, one of the last safe havens for orangutans is being
destroyed. If the current rate of forest destruction
continues, this
remarkable species may be extinct in the
wild within the next decade.
Orangutans only live in the rainforests of Borneo and
Sumatra in
Southeast Asia. These forests are being
heavily impacted by logging to
meet the demand for
hardwood products in American, Asian, and European
countries. Orangutans’ once tranquil range has been
devastated by
intense permitted and illegal logging,
conversion to palm oil
plantations and farm lands (see
Action Alert #154 for an account of
Citigroup’s funding
of palm plantations), mining, settlements, road
construction, illegal animal trade, poaching, and fires. As
a result,
orangutan numbers have fallen by 50% in the
last decade. Only an
estimated 20,000 remain.
Until very recently, Gunung Palung
National Park in West Kalimantan,
Indonesia was a
beautiful and secure rainforest oasis that harbored an
incredible 15% of the world’s remaining orangutans. This
haven has been
invaded, and the situation is worsening
daily. Today, deep within what
were once the safe
borders of this park, the sounds of chainsaws and
illegal logging teams assault the senses. Previously
tranquil rivers are
now cluttered with a ceaseless
procession of immense tree trunks lashed
together as log
rafts on their way to plywood factories and sawmills for
processing and export. Lauan (used in plywood and
hollow-core doors) and
Ramin (found in tool handles and
dowels) are the Indonesian woods most
commonly found in
American stores.
Local and
regional authorities have been unable to halt these
destructive activities. As profits from illegal logging
trade go
straight to the pockets of Indonesia’s timber
barons and international
wood traders, illegal logging
represents a major loss of revenue for
Indonesia. In
addition to this immediate loss, the long-term costs to
communities are devastating. These include flooded rice
fields,
declining fish stocks, reduced availability of
safe drinking water, and
loss of income from non-timber
forest products such as rattan, medicinal
plants, wild
honey, and fruit. The park is also an invaluable research
site for Indonesian and other scientists who inevitably
infuse study
areas with money. Finally, if the park is
destroyed, villagers will lose
the greatest chance they
have to develop a local eco-tourism industry.
Recent surveys found that almost 2,000 orangutans still
survive within
the borders of the Park, and more live in
the damaged forests beyond.
It’s not too
late to tell the people who have the power to stop the
destruction that these havens are a high priority! See the
adjoining box
for ways to sign a petition that will be
presented to high-level
Indonesian government ministers.
Please sign the online petition
(linked below) now to ensure that the
remaining wild
orangutans are protected along with their rich forest
home!
Sign
the petition and learn more:
Petition
http://thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/470616277
Balikpapan Orangutan Society U.S.A.
http://www.orangutan.com/index.htm
Gunung
Palung information
http://www.geocities.com/gunungpalung/conservation.html
________________________________________________
BOISE RESPONDS TO RAN PRESSURE
In the past several months, Boise
(formerly Boise Cascade Corporation)
has lost the
business of some of its most prominent customers, including
Kinko's, Levi-Strauss, L.L. Bean, University of Notre Dame,
and
Patagonia. Many former customers cite
dissatisfaction with Boise’s
cutting of old growth as a
reason for severing ties with the supplier.
In March,
Boise quietly released a new policy to phase out its logging
of U.S. old growth forests within the next two years. While
this move
may signal real change on the horizon, Boise’s
new plan is decidedly
incomplete.
Boise continues to distribute wood
from endangered forests around the
world. Two-thirds of
Boise’s revenue is derived from its distribution
operations, and even the most cursory audit finds large
amounts of old
growth products from around the world at
Boise’s facilities.
Furthermore,
the logging giant has not adopted sustainability measures
such as those set forth by the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) and
provides no clear "chain of custody"
documentation of its products.
Finally, Boise’s
definition of old growth is too broad–it allows
continued logging of forests that under most definitions
would be
classified as old growth.
RAN activists took Boise to task at
its shareholders’ meeting in Boise,
Idaho on April 18.
In addition to running a two-page ad aimed at Boise’s
Board of Directors in the Idaho Statesman, RAN also
confronted Boise CEO
George Harad inside the meeting and
held colorful demonstrations
outside.
RAN Demonstration and Newspaper Ad
in Boise
http://www.ran.org/news/newsitem.php?id=522&area=oldgrowth
RAN Demonstration Featured on Page One of San Francisco
Chronicle
http://www.ran.org/news/newsitem.php?id=536&area=oldgrowth
RAN Old Growth Campaign
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/old_growth/
RAN’s Statement on Boise Policy
http://www.ran.org/news/newsitem.php?id=493
________________________________________________
SANE ECONOMY TEAM CONFRONTS
CITIGROUP AT SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING
The nation's most successful corporate campaigners convened
in New York
City from April 13-15 at the Empowering
Democracy conference to share
methods of winning
corporate campaigns. This year, Empowering Democracy
focused on Citigroup as a case study of a harmful
corporation.
On April 16,
conference participants demonstrated outside Carnegie Hall,
the location of Citi’s shareholders’ meeting. RAN helped to
organize a
lively, creative protest that garnered both
media and shareholder
attention. Inside the meeting, RAN
activists asked pointed questions to
Citi CEO Sandy
Weill and the Citi Board of Directors.
RAN’s work garnered a nearly six-percent vote for a
resolution to get
Citigroup out of investments that
promote global warming. Such a
response is promising for
a proposal in its first year and falls well
above the
three-percent vote needed to place the resolution on next
year’s ballot.
RAN Citigroup Campaign
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/
If you are a Citi stockholder, write your fund manager or
send us your
proxy. Contact Michael Brune
(mbrune@ran.org) or Ilyse Hogue
(ihogue@ran.org) or call
415-398-4404.
________________________________________________
RAN KICKS OFF AD CAMPAIGN TO COUNTER
CITI'S
Citigroup launched a new
advertising campaign on April 11 featuring the
tagline,
"This is Citigroup." RAN simultaneously released a
counter-campaign in order to confront Citi and the public
with the
reality of what is going on under the red
umbrella. Citi’s new ads
portray images of financially
induced bliss and represent the
corporation as a warm,
fuzzy, maternal enabler of happiness. RAN’s ads
subvert those images, substituting Citi’s pictures with
photos of the
rainforest destruction funded by the
egregious bank.
View
"Subvertisements"
http://www.ThisIsCitigroup.org
Tom
Paine.com Article
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5613
________________________________________________
DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR SIGNATURES
SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA HERITAGE TREES
ACT
Last month’s Action Alert called on
readers to help gather the 420,000
signatures needed to
secure a place on the November 2002 California
ballot
for the Heritage Tree Preservation Act. The Act would protect the
remaining trees that existed in 1850, the year California
gained
statehood. These trees are several hundred and
even thousands of years
old. April 18 was the initial
deadline to submit enough signatures to
win the
initiative a place on the ballot. Unfortunately, there were not
yet enough signatures by the April deadline, but there is
still time to
gather signatures by May 31 for the Act’s
inclusion in a March 2004
vote. Go to the site linked
below to see how you can gather petitions
and save
California’s remaining old growth trees!
Citizens' Campaign for Old-Growth Preservation
http://www.ancienttrees.org/
________________________________________________
Support these dynamic
campaigns. Donate to Rainforest Action Network.
https://action.ran.org/donate.jsp
*****
AOL links:
<a href=" http://www.ran.org">RAN’s website</a>
<a href=" NYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimesNYTimeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/27/national/27TIMB.html">NYTimes</a>
<a href=" http://www.ran.org/news/newsitem.php?id=500&area=home"> AP article</a>
<a href=" http://www.ran.org/news/newsitem.php?id=493">RAN statement</a>
<a href=" http://action.ran.org/action_center.jsp"> action center</a>
<a href=" http://action.ran.org/donate.jsp">
donate</a>
*******
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
To subscribe to this list, send a blank message to:
ran-updates-subscribe@igc.topica.com
To read archived messages, go to http://igc.topica.com/lists/ran-updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainforest Action
Network
221 Pine Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94104
tel: 415-398-4404
fax:
415-398-2732
URL: http://www.ran.org/
In this Post :
#1. RAN’S REGIONAL
CHAUTAUQUA IN DC
#2. JAMMING CITIGROUP’S PR MESSAGE
#3. OCP ECUADOR PIPELINE FACING GROWING OBSTACLES
* * * * *
#1
*****SAVE THE DATE*****
**August 9th-12th - Washington DC**
****RAN Regional Chautauqua****
Corporate Campaigning Regional Action Camp
Join us for this East Coast
regional training from the grassroots movement
for
forest and climate protection. Whether it's your University's
purchasing policies, Boise's logging practices or
Citigroup's investments,
it's time to hold corporations
accountable for the destruction of the planet.
The agenda includes
discussions on the state of our environment worldwide;
strategy sessions and skills sharing on current corporate
campaigns; and
organizing skill sessions on building
coalitions, local organizing, and
working with the
media.
The camp will be located in DC, Beginning the day
after Free The Planet’s
weeklong national training.
Starting the evening of August ninth, the
trainings will
continue on the 10th and 11th, with an action on the 12th.
There will be affordable lodging as well as vegetarian meals
available.
For more information, get in touch with
Rainforest Action Network: email
Sabrina at
Sabrina@ran.org <mailto:Sabrina@ran.org> 415-398-4404 ext 309
* * * * *
#2
JAMMING CITIGROUP'S PR MESSAGE
Tompain.com has published a story on
the truth behind Citigroup’s deceptive
new ad
campaign. You can check it out at:
<http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5613>
Below is a summary of the interview with Ilyse Hogue,
Corporate Finance
Campaigner at Rainforest Action
Network:
In
mid-April, Citigroup launched a $100 million global ad campaign
titled "This is Citigroup." Using images of
elderly people, and
people from Hong Kong to
Brazil, the ads portray a caring bank,
committed to local communities.
But the Rainforest Action
Network (RAN), which has waged a boycott against
Citigroup for the past two years, says the bank
completely ignores environmental and social
concerns and is one of the biggest contributors to global
warming.
RAN recently launched a counter campaign
featuring photos that
document destructive
Citigroup-funded projects.
"The
new ad campaign is so out of touch with reality that Rainforest Action
Network is concerned that critical levels of
psychological denial
have taken hold of the
executive suite," states a RAN news release.
According to RAN's Ilyse Hogue, "The new ad
campaign almost seems
like a cry for help.
It's such a violation of truth in advertising
that we felt we had no choice but to intervene."
More web links related to this
story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/May_2002.html#1021051332
<http://www.prwatch.org/spin/May_2002.html>
* *
* * *
#3
OCP ECUADOR PIPELINE
FACING GROWING OBSTACLES
Ecuador's OCP Heavy Crude
Pipeline Faces a Growing Number of Complications
By:
Juan Pablo Toro
(Copyright © 2002 Energy Intelligence
Group, Inc.)
Ecuador’s
high-profile OCP pipeline, a $1.1 billion project that will carry
450,000 barrels per day of heavy crude, remains embroiled in
controversy,
even as construction work advances.
While the government talks
enthusiastically about a wide range of
opportunities
that will open when the pipeline is finished next year, the
ambitious project faces persistent environmental protests
that may affect
the pace of progress.
Other disputes concern the
government’s use of royalties and upstream
investments
by foreign firms.
Environmental
groups vehemently oppose construction of the pipeline, which
will run through the Mindo Nambillo ecological reserve.
Representatives of the OCP
consortium-which includes US Occidental, Canadian
EnCana, Spanish Repsol YPF, Argentine Perez Companc, and
Italy’s ENI, among
others-insist that the timetable for
completing the project is being
accelerated from a
target of July 2003 to the first quarter of next year.
Independent experts say that, in
fact, the work may be slowed down by the
mounting
protests. In the latest move, activists bought 50% of the Esperanza
farm, through which the proposed pipeline would run.
Earlier this week, protestors were
forcibly evicted from the land by police
on the charge
of obstructing pipeline construction.
Natalia Arias of Accion Ecologica, one of the leading
protest groups, called
the police action “arbitrary and
outrageous.”
For his part,
Energy Minister Pablo Teran has vowed that if “extremist”
environmental groups refuse to negotiate with the government
over the newly
acquired land, then the authorities will
resort to expropriation.
”The
[environmental] issue has not been given wide circulation here in
Ecuador, but on the international side there has certainly
been a lot of
noise,” a political analyst in Quito said.
He noted that banks providing
funding for OCP, such as
Citibank and Germany’s WestLB, are being targeted
by
protesters.
Another controversy
involves income from OCP.
The
International Monetary Fund wants 80% of government revenues from OCP to
go toward paying down the country’s $14 billion foreign debt
(OD May14,p6).
But a new fiscal bill, approved with
modifications by President Gustavo
Noboa, falls short of
this goal-prompting the IMF to hold back on a $240
million loan, part of a $580 million package from
international
organizations that is now in doubt.
Ecuador’s economy minister, Carlos
Julio Emanuel, told the local press that
he is
“optimistic” about the IMF loan being approved, but IMF sources say
the government must present credible policy alternatives.
Yet another complication
concerns the potential withdrawal or upstream
investment
cutbacks by some of the OCP consortium members. Early this year,
US-based Kerr-McGee sold its 4% stake in OCP to French
Perenco.
Argentine Perez
Companc-which planned to invest $500 million in Ecuador, and
to produce up to 60,000 b/d-plans to scale back, or even
abandon, its plans,
in the face of severe economic
pressures at home.
Repsol, which
is also highly exposed to Argentina, has said it may not be
able to implement a proposed 60,000 b/d increase in
Ecuadorian crude
production, to about 110,000 b/d-which
would have been routed through the
OCP line.
And in the latest development,
EnCana may halt $250 million in investment in
Ecuador
because of a tax dispute with the government.
Investment cuts by these three firms, according to former
energy minister
Jorge Pareja, could reduce initial flows
along the OCP pipeline from an
expected 350,000 b/d to
200,000 b/d or less.
In the case
of EnCana, Pareja says the decision to reduce investments is
contingent on government policies. “The incoherence in
government policy may
seriously jeopardize prospects for
the production of the 18°-20° API crude
that would be
exported through the OCP,” Pareja told Oil Daily. ”I certainly
hope that this is not the case and that Ecuador continues to
attract foreign
capital so crucial for its development,”
he said.
Press Release
May 20, 2002
For immediate release:
Contact: Brian Carlson, White
Earth Land Recovery Project, 888-779-3577
Joe LaGarde,
White Earth Tribe: 877-835-1906
Native Groups Criticize U of MN's Wild Rice Genome Research
Hundreds Expected at Rally in
Solidarity to Protect Wild Rice
Minneapolis - Traditional Minnesota wild rice, a staple for
many
Minnesotans and sacred food for tribal communities,
could be threatened by
research being done at the
University of Minnesota, assert tribal leaders.
At a
press conference today tribal leaders called for the immediate
disclosure of information about the associated costs and
extent of wild
rice research being done at the UMN, as
well as the establishment of open
communications with
Indigenous communities about the research.
"The problem the Anishinaabeg community is facing relates to
the continued
genetic research and the completed mapping
of the wild rice genome," says
Joe La Garde, of the
White Earth reservation. "A year ago in May 2001, our
community submitted a letter of demands asking the College
of Agriculture,
Food and Environmental Sciences for
information pertaining to the U of M
and their wild rice
research. To date no information has been forthcoming
from the University and further requests by Anishinaabeg
community leaders,
who have made multiple attempts in
writing, in the University classrooom
and in person to
request public, ongoing dialogue around this issue,
particularly as it relates to treaty rights, civil rights,
federal trust
responsibility, economic dislocation, and
intellectual property rights of
indigenous people, have
not been adequately addressed."
In the last several months, several Tribal governments in
Minnesota and
Wisconsin have passed resolutions
objecting to the research being done at
the University
of Minnesota. In 1999, the U of MN announced its genomic
study of wild rice led by UMN researchers and scientists who
now work with
biotech companies Pioneer High-Bred and
Monsanto. Among the concerns from
this type of research
is that the UMN is developing a genetically
engineered
form of wild rice which might contaminate traditional wild rice,
and that private companies may try to file additional
patents on wild rice,
restricting its use by tribal
communities.
The Minnesota
tribal community has repeatedly contacted the UMN and its
President Mark Yudof to discuss the implications and details
of the
university's wild rice research. The UMN has
refused to engage in a
dialogue or adequately address
issues raised by the tribal communities.
A rally of solidarity was held at 11:30 during the
University of
Minnesota's 14th Annual Conference of the
National Agricultural
Biotechnology Council meeting at
the Radisson Hotel Metrodome, Minneapolis.
University
President Mark Yudof and several U of MN genetic researchers
spoke at the conference.
"Today there are only a few wild rice mills on the White
Earth reservation
due to a number of factors, including
competition from agribusiness, a
decline in water
quality and the demands of a wage economy," writes Winona
LaDuke (Ojibwe), who spoke at today's press conference. "But
for those
still involved, locally processed,
lake-harvested Native rice is about
doing right and
community pride, and embodies the essence of being
Anishinaabe."
Neil Sorensen
Program Associate for
International Programs
Institute for Agriculture and
Trade Policy
2105 First Avenue
South
Minneapolis, MN 55404 USA
Tel: (612) 870-3412
Fax: (612)
870-4846
Email:
nsorensen@iatp.org
http://www.iatp.org
http://www.tradeobservatory.org
http://www.waterobservatory.org
http://www.gefoodalert.org
Help
support our work at http://www.iatp.org/donate
Despite demonstrated harm from
cruise ships to wildlife,
and a lack of important
information on the extent of
that harm, the National
Park Service (NPS) wants to
increase the number of ships
allowed in Glacier Bay
National Park. Please respond to
this alert and let
NPS know it should not be considering
an increase in
vessel traffic in Glacier Bay.
You can take action on this alert
either via email
(please see directions below) or via
the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/protectglacierbay/wkwxs54v78xdd5
Visit the web address below and
tell your friends to
take action on this important
campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/protectglacierbay/forward/wkwxs54v78xdd5
We encourage you to take action
by June 7, 2002
Help Save
Alaska's Glacier Bay from Overuse by Cruise
Ships
----------------------
Alaska's Glacier Bay is a remarkable
place rich in
marine life, from phytoplankton to
threatened Steller
sea lions and endangered humpback
whales. Glacier Bay,
at the heart of the 3.3 million
acre Glacier Bay National
Park and Preserve, attracted
more than 387,000 tourists
in 2000 with its outstanding
scenery, wildlife, and
history. Most of these people
were on cruise ships.
While a
limited number of cruise ships are a good way
for people
to observe and enjoy the grandeur of Glacier
Bay, they
do harm to the bay and its wildlife through
water,
noise, and air pollution, and collisions with
whales,
including a collision that killed a pregnant
humpback
last year.
In 1995, the seasonal
limit on cruise ships was 107.
NPS tried to increase
traffic by 72 percent in 1996
(to 184 vessels), but was
blocked by the courts and
ordered to prepare an
environmental impact statement
(EIS), as required by
law, to determine potential harm
from increases in
cruise ship traffic and examine alternative
levels of
traffic. The situation was further complicated
in 1996,
when Alaska Senator Frank Murkowski did an
end run
around this process by sneaking legislative
language
through Congress mandating an increase in
annual cruise
ship traffic to 136 vessels. Unfortunately,
this
increase was accomplished without any regard for
the
negative impacts on the marine wildlife of Glacier
Bay.
NPS has now begun the process of
preparing an EIS and
is taking "scoping" comments from
the public to determine
what issues the study should
address. This will be
the first of several opportunities
for comment, but
it is extremely important as comments
received now
will help determine the scope of the study.
We are
asking you to respond to this alert urging NPS to
use
the 1995 cruise ship traffic level as the "preferred
alternative" in the study. We also need to urge NPS
to make sure the study does not recommend lifting of
current and seasonal restrictions on vessel traffic
that protect wilderness areas and allow only nonmotorized
vessels in some waters. In the study, NPS must also
account for the importance of the lower reaches and
the entrance to Glacier Bay to endangered humpback
whales.
----------------------
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/protectglacierbay/wkwxs54v78xdd5
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:
Ms. Nancy Swanton
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW---------
I am writing to
provide scoping comments on the Environmental
Impact
Statement you are preparing regarding the number
of
cruise ships allowed in Glacier Bay. I am extremely
concerned about the impacts cruise ships have on the
marine wildlife and the other natural resources of
this magnificent national treasure. The EIS must take
into account all potential sources of environmental
impacts from cruise ships, including air, water, and
noise pollution; collisions with and disturbances of
wildlife; illegal dumping of waste; and oil spills.
I urge you to recommend no increase
in cruise ship
or other vessel traffic above the 1995
allowed level
unless there is conclusive proof that
additional vessels
will not increase harm to the
wildlife and ecosystems
of Glacier Bay. I further urge
you to recommend that
all restrictions for wilderness
and non-motorized waters
be maintained. The study must
also recognize the importance
of the lower reaches and
entrance to Glacier Bay to
endangered humpback whales
and recommend continuing
existing vessel and speed
limits in this area.
It is
important that people have the opportunity to
witness
and benefit from the grandeur of Glacier Bay
and its
marine wildlife. Increased access, however,
must not
come at the cost of harm to these outstanding
and
remarkable natural resources.
Thank you for considering my views.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
To: All trade and environmental
activists
From: Jason Tockman, American Lands Alliance
Date: May 20, 2002
CRITICAL FAST TRACK AMENDMENT VOTE TUESDAY
-- Calls needed to Senators to support Kerry's Investment
Amendment
-- Pressure also needed on House members to
oppose Fast Track
** AFL-CIO's
toll-free number: 877-611-0063 **
** AFL-CIO's toll-free
number: 877-611-0063 **
** AFL-CIO's toll-free number:
877-611-0063 **
The US Senate is
expected to vote this Tuesday on a key amendment to
“Fast Track,” the trade promotion bill that would encourage
the Bush
Administration to negotiate new trade deals
under the NAFTA model. Fast
Track would enhance the
administration’s efforts to extend the North
American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the whole hemisphere and
broaden the reach of the World Trade Organization, putting
at risk labor
standards and environmental protections,
including those intended to preserve
ancient forests. A
vote on the full Fast Track package is likely Wednesday.
Immediate action is needed to derail
the corporate globalization agenda
through pressure on
the US Senate. At this time, please join us by
pressuring your Senators to vote NO on Fast Track. Bear in
mind,
however, that the Senate is packed with Free
Traders, and will likely pass Fast
Track legislation.
The strategy for those offices already supportive of Fast
Track is to ask that they at least support Senator Kerry's
amendment on
investment, which would effectively block
many of the worst trade
provisions that allow foreign
corporations to sue over environmental and other
regulatory safeguards, as laid out in NAFTA's Investment
Chapter.
Chapter 11, one of
NAFTA's most controversial components, authorizes
foreign corporations to sue governments where they feel
their ability to make a
profit has been "expropriated."
The NAFTA provisions award new rights to
foreign firms,
well in excess of those granted to US citizens and
companies under domestic law. Some of the best known cases
are Mexico’s payment of
$16 million to a US firm for
refusing a permit for a toxic landfill, and
Canada’ s
payment of $13 million and revocation of a prohibition on a poisonous
gasoline additive upon challenge by a US company. Currently,
several
companies are seeking hundreds of millions of
dollars from the US for
measures it has taken to
decrease the importation of Canadian softwood,
cut
largely from the ancient forests of British Columbia. The draft text of
the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)—NAFTA for the
whole hemisphere
except Cuba—includes language similar
to NAFTA’s Chapter 11. Fast Track is thus
a mechanism to
enable companies from an additional 31 countries to seek to
impede our domestic environmental laws, and allow US
corporations the
same right in other countries.
============
TAKE ACTION--
PLEASE CONTACT BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS TODAY AND ASK THEM TO
OPPOSE FAST
TRACK. IF THEY ALREADY FAVOR FAST TRACK,
ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE FOR THE
KERRY AMENDMENT ON
INVESTMENT. Your Senators can be reached through the
AFL-CIO's toll-free number: 877-611-0063.
Once approved by the Senate, the
bill will go into Conference Committee
to reconcile
House and Senate versions, giving the House (which passed Fast
Track last December by a vote of 215-214) a chance to
revisit the
legislation. CALLS TO YOUR HOUSE MEMBER
EXPRESSING OPPOSITION ARE ALSO
VERY TIMELY. Your House
member can be reached at 877-611-0063. Please also
note
that the end of this week begins Congress's Memorial Day Recess,
providing an excellent opportunity to schedule in-district
meetings.
For more information
on Fast Track, including where your Senator stands,
contact Jason Tockman at 740-594-5441 or
tockman@americanlands.org.
---------------------------------------------
Jason Tockman, Director
International Trade Program
American
Lands Alliance
PO Box 555
Athens, OH 45701
(740) 594-5441
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
Care2 is
ever on the look out for critical issues
that you, a care2 eco-activist, can
quickly and easily
take action to make a difference in the environment!
1) PAPAYAS OR OPEN-PIT MINE?
2) ECO-ACTIVIST TIPS: SIMPLIFY YOUR
LIFE
3) QUOTE OF THE DAY
************************************************
1) PAPAYAS OR
OPEN-PIT MINE?
The people of Tambogrande, Peru are struggling to
preserve
their way of life. In this verdant place, farmers grow
lemons,
papayas and mangoes in soil that covers vast
deposits of precious metal.
Manhattan Minerals, a Canadian mining company, is seeking
to develop
an open-pit mine in the heart of Tambogrande.
Local farmers have been
struggling for over 3 years to stop
Manhattan Minerals from digging a giant
open-pit mine in the
center of their community. Potential destruction of
prime
agricultural land and pollution created by the mine could
destroy
the local agricultural economy.
In just a few weeks, on June 2, 2002,
the people of Tambogrande
are holding a referendum on the type of economic
development -
mining or agriculture - they want for their region.
Help me support the people of Tambogrande. Please take 30
seconds at
send a free email to Manhattan Minerals.
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4304
Please forward this message to your friends
and family and
help us get the word out.
************************************************
2) ECO-ACTIVIST
TIPS: SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
Declare your independence from junk mail! Paper
products
comprise one-third of all waste in American landfills.
*
Call catalog houses and cancel unwanted or duplicate catalogs!
* Write
to mail preference services and tell them:
"Please take my name
off all marketing lists, Here is the
information you requested."
Send them your first, middle and
last name, current mailing
address and your phone number.
Don't forget to sign it.
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing
Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY
11735-9008
Polk "Opt-Out Program"
List Order
Services
1621 Eighteenth St.
Denver, CO 80202
************************************************
3) QUOTE OF THE
DAY
"It is not bigness that should be our goal. We must attempt,
rather, to bring people back to... the warmth of community, to
the worth
of individual effort and responsibility... and of
individuals working
together as a community, to better their
lives and their children's future."
Robert
F. Kennedy, "Rebuilding a Sense of Community"
Speech 1966
Take action against the dangerous overuse of antibiotics.
Tell your Senator to support legislation that limits
the feeding of important antibiotics to healthy livestock.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/abr4/wk8bxn4278xdde
Spread the word about efforts to fight antibiotic resistance!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/abr4/forward/wk8bxn4278xdde
We encourage you to take action by June 20, 2002
Urge Congress to Protect Human Health by Ending Misuse
of Vital Antibiotics in Factory Farms
----------------------
Senator Kennedy has just introduced S. 2508, the PRESERVATION
OF ANTIBIOTICS FOR HUMAN TREATMENT ACT. Urge your Senators
to support this vital health legislation, which restricts
the use of medically important antibiotics in animal
agriculture.
----------------------
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/abr4/wk8bxn4278xdde
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish. Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and address
to your letter. Our system automatically does this
for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Senator Hillary Clinton
Senator Charles Schumer
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I urge you to take a stand for public health by cosponsoring
S. 2508, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Human
Treatment Act. This bill would address one of the most
urgent public health issues today - the emergence of
serious infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains
of bacteria resulting from the overuse of antibiotics.
S. 2508 would restrict the routine feeding of medically
important antibiotics to healthy livestock and poultry.
This overuse of antibiotics promotes the development
of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, making antibiotics
far less effective when needed to treat illness in
humans. This threatens all Americans, but especially
the most vulnerable - the very young, the very old,
and those with already weakened immune systems. The
National Academy of Sciences estimates that ending
the routine use of medically important antibiotics
in healthy farm animals would cost less than a dollar
a week for a family of four.
The bill also phases out use of Cipro-like drugs (called
fluoroquinolones) in treating sick poultry. The Food
and Drug Administration proposed such a ban in 2000
based on data showing that such use undercuts the effectiveness
of fluoroquinolones in treating certain types of severe
food poisoning in humans.
Please support and cosponsor S. 2508, and press for
quick action on this legislation.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
We are facing a legislative crisis in the House
of Representatives Committee on Resources that threatens
to rollback the nation's marine fish conservation law.
Please respond to this alert and send six key members
of the Committee a message telling them that marine
fish conservation is an issue important to all Americans.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/savefishconservation/wkwxs5r478xddm
Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/savefishconservation/forward/wkwxs5r478xddm
We encourage you to take action by May 23, 2002
Ocean Fish Conservation Imperiled in Congress
----------------------
Our country's ocean fish are at serious risk because
of overfishing and mismanagement. Over 40 percent of
the assessed federally managed fish stocks are overfished,
experiencing overfishing, or both, and more than 30
fish species are at risk of extinction.
Very soon the Committee will consider legislation designed
to weaken the law governing the conservation of marine
fish populations and their habitat, the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. A key subcommittee
of the Resource Committee is scheduled to take action
(known as "mark up") on this bad legislation this Thursday.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act
In 1996, under the leadership of Rep. Wayne Gilchrest
of Maryland, Congress passed improvements to the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (FCMA). These
new provisions required an end to overfishing, the
protection of fish habitat, and an aggressive approach
to reducing bycatch (the indiscriminate catching and
killing of fish other than those fish a fishing vessel
is trying to catch). Implementation of these conservation
provisions has been weak, but they nonetheless remain
very important tools in our efforts to recover our
ocean fish populations and protect habitat. Last year
we sent most of you an action alert supporting legislation,
introduced by Rep. Sam Farr of California, to strengthen
these and other provisions of the FCMA. But now the
conservation provisions in the FCMA are at risk.
The Problems
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, who is now the Chairman of the
Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation,
Wildlife and Oceans, has scheduled a mark up this Thursday
of HR 4749, his bill to reauthorize FCMA. While well
intentioned, Mr. Gilchrest's bill actually weakens
the very conservation provisions he got passed in 1996.
Worse, Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana has another bill,
supported by the fishing industry, which will essentially
repeal the overfishing, habitat and bycatch provisions
of the FCMA. Mr. Tauzin will try to get his bill accepted
as the FCMA reauthorization bill during Thursday's
mark up.
The conservation community is working to get the provisions
of Mr. Farr's stronger bill included in Mr. Gilchrest's
legislation. Unfortunately, however, it looks as though
Rep. Tauzin will have the votes to get his bill or
its damaging provisions adopted into the legislation
the Subcommittee passes onto the full Resources Committee.
How You Can Help
Please respond to this alert and send a message six
key Subcommittee members asking them to oppose Rep.
Gilchrest's bill (H.R. 4749) as now written, to support
amendments to be offered in the Subcommittee mark up
to protect and strengthen the conservation provisions
of the FCMA, and oppose the Tauzin Bill or any amendments
that will further weaken the Gilchest bill.
Please respond to this alert immediately. 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/savefishconservation/wkwxs5r478xddm
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:
Delegate Eni Faleomavaega
Representative Frank Pallone
Representative Jim Saxton
Representative Wayne Gilchrest
Representative Neil Abercrombie
Delegate Robert Underwood
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I am writing to ask you to act to protect and strengthen
the conservation provisions of the Magnuson Stevens
Fishery Management and Conservation Act when the House
Subcommittee on Fishery Management, Wildlife and Oceans
marks up legislation to reauthorize the Act (H.R. 4749)
this Thursday. I am writing you out of a deep concern
for the health of our oceans and the deplorable status
of our nation's marine fish populations.
H.R. 4749 will weaken the conservation provisions of
the Act adopted in 1996 to end overfishing, protect
fish habitat, and reduce bycatch. I urge you to not
only oppose this legislation but also oppose efforts
to further weaken H.R. 4749 by substituting anti-conservation
provisions, particularly those drafted by Rep. Tauzin.
Our country's ocean fish are at serious risk because
of overfishing and mismanagement. Over 40 percent of
the assessed federally managed fish stocks are overfished,
experiencing overfishing, or both, and more than 30
fish species are at risk of extinction. Now is not
the time to rollback the law enacted to turn the tide
on this marine conservation crisis. H.R. 4749, as written,
and Mr. Tauzin's bill will do just that. The health
of our oceans is cause of concern to all Americans.
This Thursday you have the opportunity to act to help
return our oceans to health by supporting strong marine
fish conservation legislation. Please do so. Thank
you for considering my views.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
Dear Friend of Wildlife,
Last year a record 325 manatees were killed in Florida waters -- 81
of those by collisions with reckless speed boaters.
Yet instead of helping to save the lives of these endangered marine
mammals -- one of only two populations of this species of sea cow
left in the world -- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton is
ignoring last year's federal court settlement requiring more manatee
protection. Instead she is working with boating special interests to
roll back crucial federal protections. This could mean certain death
for hundreds of Florida's already imperiled manatees from boats and
their deadly propellers.
1) SEND AN URGENT PETITION TO SECRETARY NORTON
Please send a petition today calling on her to obey the law and
protect the manatee. Go to Defenders' website
http://www.helpmanatees.org to send a petition urging Secretary
Norton to designate new manatee refuges -- safe havens where these
gentle creatures can safely feed, rest, and give birth free from the
risk of maiming or death as a result of collisions with boats,
harassment, or habitat destruction.
2) MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO HELP MANATEES TODAY!
Defenders of Wildlife has joined with other leading environmental
organizations in federal court to force Secretary Norton to act to
save manatees lives. Additional legal action will follow. Your
donation will help us underwrite our legal efforts, as well as
launch a public service campaign to generate greater awareness of the
manatees plight and direct people to our action website where they
can add their voice to demand protection for these unique marine
mammals.
For your contribution of $25 or more we'll thank you with your choice
of our popular backpack or plush manatee toy. Go to:
http://www.defenders.org/donate/manatee.html
3) TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
We need Secretary Norton to hear from hundreds of thousands of
concerned citizens like you. Send an email to your address book
encouraging your friends to go to http://www.helpmanatees.org so they
can send a message of support for manatee protection as well.
Thank you for caring about America's wildlife and helping to save
Florida's manatees!
_____________________________________________________________________
Defenders of Wildlife, is a leading national conservation
organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive
advocates for wildlife and 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
400,000 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
Millions of Americans were needlessly disenfranchised in the last presidential election. Nearly two full years later, Congress is finally set to pass election reform legislation. The House and Senate bills offer great potential, but serious pitfalls as well. By taking the best of both bills, Congress can ensure that Americans from Alaska to Alabama have equal access to the ballot. A weak bill, however, could offer few protections to voters while pushing many elderly, disabled, student, and minority voters onto the sidelines of our system.
Follow the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail Senator Dodd and Representative Ney, the prime sponsors of the House and Senate legislation, to support a final bill that safeguards all eligible Americans' right to vote without putting up unnecessary barriers to voting.
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=82&id4=ES
BACKGROUND
Most Americans believe that voting rights have been guaranteed through women's suffrage and civil rights law; many think that barriers to participation were toppled along with Jim Crow laws. Recent experience suggests otherwise.
We are all familiar with the problems in Florida that precipitated a national crisis following the November 2000 election. What many may not know is that election officials across the country were breathing sighs of relief - that their states were not under similar scrutiny. A recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report estimates that 57% of the country's local election jurisdictions experienced "major" problems on Election Day 2000. These problems ran the gamut from technological failures and inaccessibility to old fashioned human error.
First, voters are often forced to use unreliable voting equipment. Too many localities are still using outdated technology such as the punch card systems that failed so notoriously in Florida. The GAO estimates that approximately 300,000 additional votes could have been counted in the 2000 elections with updated equipment.
Also, many Americans do not receive proper assistance at polling places or - worse - are improperly excluded by uninformed poll workers. GAO found that over half of jurisdictions had trouble recruiting poll workers in 2000. Those that do cover the polls often lack the necessary training to make proper decisions about eligibility, voter intent, and other issues. In fact, 13% of jurisdictions provided no training for poll workers whatsoever in 2000.
Finally, too few people are voting, and much of this is due to needless obstacles. Only 51% of eligible Americans turned out to vote in 2000. Although low voter is linked to political disaffection and other factors, over 20% of non-voters surveyed in a recent Census Bureau poll listed inconveniences such as work conflicts as the reason for not voting. In addition, many polling places and voting systems are inaccessibly to people with disabilities.
As a result of all of these problems, Americans have become increasingly skeptical about the equity of our elections systems. About half of those surveyed perceived the November 2000 elections as unfair - a sharp increase from similar polling done in 1996. This should raise an alarm to all of our public officials - especially those that were elected through the very process being questioned.
After nearly two years, election reform bills have finally passed both the House and Senate. The legislation now heads to a "conference committee" where members of both chambers will work out the differences between the two bills. The House appointed its conferees for election reform legislation on May 16, to join those appointed by the Senate several weeks earlier. They will begin deliberations soon.
In order to ensure that the final legislation is a major step forward that will truly address the problems we experienced in 2000, several issues must be addressed:
First, clear and effective national standards are needed in three key areas: voting systems, provisional voting, and statewide computerized voter registration lists. The 2000 election demonstrated that national standards are necessary to protect fundamental constitutional rights. The Senate-passed bill includes basic requirements that should be retained in conference.
Second, we oppose the voter identification system in the Senate bill. It will have a discriminatory impact and should be excluded from the final legislation. Such a system, based on photo ID, will clearly have a disparate impact on minority, poor, student and disabled voters. If a voter identification system is retained in conference, it is essential that safeguards are included that will reduce its discriminatory impact.
Third, amendments adopted as part of the Senate bill related to Social Security records are a cause of deep concern. In particular, we oppose matching voter registration records with records from the Social Security Administration simply because those records are notoriously inaccurate for voter verification purposes. In fact, the Social Security Administration has acknowledged that its databases are out of date and inaccurate because citizenship information was not solicited before 1978 and was not recorded before 1981. In addition, using Social Security numbers for voter identification purposes raises substantial privacy and "identity theft" concerns. The legislation requires states to create a database listing eligible voters. This database could divulge Social Security numbers to thousands of people who volunteer to work as poll workers on Election Day, infringing on the privacy rights of voters.
Follow the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail Senator Dodd and Representative Ney, the prime sponsors of the House and Senate legislation, about these issues.
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=82&id4=ES
Sincerely,
Gene Karpinski
U.S. PIRG Executive Director
http://www.USPIRG.org
To: New York Activists
From: John Demos
RE: Roadless Bill
5/22/02
ROADLESS BILL INTRODUCTION DELAYED
Congress decided to adjourn today, necessitating a delay on the introduction of the Boehlert/Inslee National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act. This gives us more time to get more cosponsors
This bill will simply codify the Roadless Policy the Clinton Administration
instituted that Bush is blocking. Please see if your Rep is not on yet and
give them a call. The close-out date is tomorrow.
The following NY Representatives have not signed on.
Felix Grucci R NY 1 (202) 225-3826 Vito Fossella R NY 13(202)225-3371
Benjamin Gilman R NY 20 (202) 225-3776 Amo Houghton R NY 31 (202)225-3161
Peter King R NY 3 (202) 225-7896 John McHugh R NY 24 (202)225-4611
Thomas Reynolds R NY 27 (202) 225-5265 John Sweeney R NY 22 (202) 225-5614
James T. Walsh R NY 25(202) 225-3701
NEED NEW YORKERS IN DC JUNE 2-7
American Lands Lobby week will focus on the Roadless Bill and Amendments to
the Interior Appropriations Bill.
Please contact me at demos@americanlands.org for details.
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
May 22, 2002
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action alerts--
1. WATER POLLUTION: Tell the EPA to set rules warning swimmers of
sewage-contaminated waters
--Updates on Previous alerts--
1. Mountaintop Removal Mining
2. Nuclear Waste Storage
3. Defense Department Environmental Exemptions
4. Farm Bill
5. "Fast Track" Trade Bill
======================================================
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. WATER POLLUTION
Tell the EPA to set rules warning swimmers of sewage-contaminated
waters
Sanitary sewers carry wastes from buildings to sewage treatment
plants. When these sewers are overloaded, inadequately maintained or
obstructed, however, the overflows dump raw and inadequately treated
sewage into basements, streets, and waterways. These overflows
contain bacteria and viruses, fecal matter, untreated industrial
wastes, toilet paper, tampon applicators and a host of other wastes
that cause beach closings and kill fish. Sewage-contaminated waters
also can cause gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses, dysentery,
and hepatitis (in fact, the EPA estimates that every year several
million people become sick with diarrhea and vomiting from raw sewage
discharges). The consequences of contact with sewage-infested waters
are even greater for children, the elderly, and those with weakened
immune systems.
Despite these facts, for more than a year EPA Administrator Christie
Whitman has been holding up regulations that would, among other
things, require sewer operators to monitor sewers and notify health
authorities and the public when overflows could potentially harm
public health. While such rules may seem like simple common sense,
sewage treatment operators object to these "right-to-know"
regulations unless they are accompanied by a regulatory rollback that
would allow currently illegal discharges of raw sewage into our lakes
and streams. Meanwhile, another beach season is upon us, and
Administrator Whitman continues to stall.
== What to do ==
Tell EPA Administrator Whitman to put the American public's health
first and to move forward with rules that would at least warn people
before they take a dip in sewage-contaminated waters.
== Contact information ==
You can send a message to EPA Administrator Whitman 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 you want to be warned when
waters are unsafe for swimming.
Administrator Christie Whitman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Fax: 202-501-1450
Email: whitman.christine@epamail.epa.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Set rules to warn the public when sewers overflow
Dear Administrator Whitman,
As summer approaches, I urge you to take immediate action to protect
me and other beachgoers from unknowing exposure to waste matter from
sanitary sewer overflows. Since January 2000 the EPA has been sitting
on regulations that would prevent millions of Americans from getting
sick from swimming in sewage-contaminated waters. Instead of moving
ahead to protect the public and our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters
from discharges of bacteria- and virus-laden raw sewage, you have
held up the rules while you draft alternatives that would roll back
existing Clean Water Act protections against raw sewage discharges.
I urge you to move forward immediately at least with the regulatory
provisions that would require monitoring and reporting of sanitary
sewer overflows, including requiring notification of the public and
of public health authorities of sewer overflows that have the
potential to affect human health. Sewer operators may seek to hold up
these provisions while they lobby for regulatory rollbacks, but the
health of the American public should be your highest priority.
People have the right to be warned before we swim in
sewage-contaminated waters. Move forward with these rules *now.*
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
==========================
Updates on Previous alerts
==========================
1. MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL MINING
In our May 7th alert, we let you know that the Bush administration
had finalized a change to Clean Water Act rules legalizing the
disposal of mining and other industrial solid waste in the nation's
waters. Just one day later, a federal judge in West Virginia ruled
that the administration had acted outside its authority under the
Clean Water Act and enjoined the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing
any new permits for mountaintop removal mining. The administration is
appealing the judge's decision. Meanwhile, Rep. Shays (R-CT) and Rep.
Pallone (D-NJ) have introduced legislation that would amend the Clean
Water Act to reverse the Bush administration's rule change. Look for
an action item about the bill later this summer.
2. NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE
In our last alert, we asked you to urge your representative to oppose
the resolution designating Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the country's
sole repository for high-level radioactive nuclear waste until
scientific studies can prove the plan is safe for humans and the
environment. Although thousands of you sent emails and faxes to your
reps, on May 8th the House voted 306-117 to approve the designation.
Sen. Bingaman (D-NM), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee, has introduced the companion resolution in the
Senate, which is currently holding hearings on the matter. Look for a
Senate action alert after Congress' Memorial Day recess (and thanks
to those of you who took action in the House).
3. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ENVIRONMENTAL EXEMPTIONS
Last month we asked you to urge your representative to oppose
provisions in the Defense Authorization bill that would exempt the
Department of Defense from many of the country's most important
environmental laws. Although thousands of you took action, on May 9th
the House passed a version of the bill that includes exemptions for
the Defense Department under the Endangered Species Act and the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as well as language that would reduce
protections for Utah wilderness lands. The House eliminated
additional provisions requested by DoD for exemptions under the Clean
Air Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Resource Recovery and
Conservation Act, and Superfund. The issue will soon make its way to
the Senate floor, so stay tuned. In the meantime, thanks to everyone
who spoke out on the House vote for helping lessen the potential
damage.
4. FARM BILL
Several times last fall and early this year we asked you to contact
your representative and senators urging them to strengthen
environmental provisions in this year's farm bill. Earlier this month
the House and Senate passed the final version of the bill, which
President Bush signed on May 13th. Conservation programs -- including
funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs on farms
-- total about $9 billion of the bill's $45 billion in new spending.
But conservation funding could easily be outweighed by commodities
subsidies and environmentally damaging provisions in the bill. For
instance, the bill raises the payment cap on funding that giant
livestock farms, whose waste management practices pose a threat to
local water supplies, will be able to receive. Several other
environmentally damaging provisions, including language that would
have provided incentives to log national forests, were ultimately
eliminated from the bill.
5. "FAST TRACK" TRADE BILL
Last month we asked you to urge your senators to support an amendment
to proposed trade legislation that would prevent future trade and
investment agreements from granting foreign corporations greater
rights than U.S. citizens have, ensuring that foreign corporations
would not be permitted to undermine our environmental laws. Although
you sent close to 10,000 messages to your senators (thank you!), the
amendment was rejected, 56-40, on May 21st. Opponents contended that
the amendment's provisions would cause foreign countries to retaliate
against U.S. investors.
WWF CLIMATE ACTION
http://www.passport.panda.org/campaign/index.cfm?campaign=2150
Dear climate campaigner,
Your help is needed to ensure our only defence against global warming,
the Kyoto climate treaty, becomes international law. Tell Prime
Minister Chrétien to deliver on his commitment that Canada will ratify
the Kyoto climate treaty this year.
Go to:
http://www.passport.panda.org/campaign/index.cfm?campaign=2150
Canada in the news this month - BBC report -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1984000/1984427.stm
(you may need to cut and paste this URL into your browser)
Your actions for the campaign have helped persuade the European
Union to move ahead on ratification:
http://www.passport.panda.org/campaign/index.cfm?campaign=2133
and Russia:
http://www.passport.panda.org/campaign/index.cfm?campaign=2135
With more and more countries ratifying the Kyoto climate treaty,
we’re getting closer to turning it into international law this year.
Find out the latest news at WWF's Go for Kyoto campaign website:
http://www.panda.org/goforkyoto/
Other climate news...
1. Polar bears - at risk from global warming
http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2922
2. Tracking polar bears in the Arctic
http://www.panda.org/polarbears/
A new WWF report shows that climate change is the number one
long-term threat to the survival of the world’s largest
terrestrial carnivores. Lynn Rosentrater, one of WWF’s Arctic
conservation team, explains, "The sea ice is melting earlier
in the spring which is sending the polar bears to land earlier
without them having developed as much fat reserves for the
ice-free season. By the end of the summer they are skinny bears
which, in the worst case, can affect their ability to reproduce."
Read the full story at:
http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2922
Finding two bears in the middle of two million square kilometres
of frozen arctic wilderness should be difficult. But it isn't
when the bears are tagged with radio collars which beam their
positions by satellite to WWF researchers. We are tracking
polar bears in the Barents Sea around Spitsbergen and Franz
Josef Land to understand how species that are dependent on
sea ice habitats are impacted by climate change.
You can follow two of the bears as they move around
King Karls Land at the new website:
http://www.panda.org/polarbears/
That's it for now. Thank you for supporting WWF,
Sarah Bladen
Online Campaign Officer
WWF International
---
Any questions?
Please use the enquiry facility on our website at http://questions.panda.org/
BUSH ADMINISTRATION SIDES WITH SPECIAL INTERESTS IN THEIR ALASKA WILDERNESS DECISION
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD OPEN THROUGH AUGUST 17, 2002
Visit www.akrain.org and click on the TAKE ACTION button TODAY!
ANNOUNCEMENT
On May 17, 2002, the Bush Administration failed a major test on protecting roadless areas in America's national forests when it released the Tongass Wilderness Plan. The Forest Service chose a "no action" alternative, which heavily favors the commercial timber industry over other users of the Tongass by recommending no new Wilderness. The Administration's recommendations were presented as the "preferred alternative" of a court-ordered wilderness review.
By federal court order, the U.S. Forest Service had to revisit its management blueprint for the Tongass. Originally developed in 1997, the Tongass Land Management Plan was ruled illegal because it failed to consider new wildlands eligible for long-term protection under the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Bush Administration looked at over 9 million acres of the wildest, most pristine forest in the world and it decided that none of that portion of the Tongass deserved permanent protection as Wilderness. This decision was made in spite of the overwhelming support of the American people. Of the over 2 million comments submitted on the Roadless Rule - nearly all strongly supported the Rule and the vast majority specifically citing the Tongass for protection.
COMMENT PERIOD
The development of the new Tongass Wilderness Plan and the opening of a 90-day comment period, provides us with a great opportunity to help safeguard the remaining unprotected temperate old-growth wildlands on the Tongass and highlight - once again - the public's support for roadless forests. Public meetings on the Draft SEIS will be held this summer in communities throughout SE Alaska and an internet-based hearing will be held in July. Following 90 days of public review of the Draft SEIS, the Forest Service expects to issue its final decision sometime late this year.
TAKE ACTION
Please let the Bush Administration hear from you today! Write the U.S. Forest Service and urge them to adopt the Tongass Wilderness Plan Alternative #6 – Alaska Rainforest Conservation wilderness proposal You can mail, email or fax your letter. Simply click on the Alaska Rainforest Campaign Take Action button – www.akrain.org - to send a letter online.
OR Send your letter by August 17, 2002 –
MAIL TO:
USDA FS Tongass NF
Content Analysis Team
PO Box 9079
Missoula, MT 59807
FAX TO:
(406)329-3556
E-MAIL TO:
A sample letter follows. (HAND WRITTEN LETTERS ARE GREAT!)
Date
Dale Bosworth, Chief of the United States Forest Service
USDA FS Tongass NF
Content Analysis Team
PO Box 9079
Missoula, MT 59807
RE: Tongass Forest Plan Revision Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Evaluation of Roadless Areas for Wilderness Recommendations on the Tongass National Forest
Dear Chief Bosworth:
I am writing to comment on your Wilderness recommendations on the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass is the crown jewel of the National Forest System – a remote coastal rainforest unparalleled anywhere else on the planet.
The roadless areas your agency evaluated consist of over 9 million acres of wild, pristine forest. I find it disturbing that the Forest Service has decided that none of these areas within the Tongass deserve permanent protection as Wilderness. Choosing the “no action” as the preferred alternative is inconsistent with the values of this one-of-a-kind forest, and goes against the overwhelming support of the American people for strong protection of roadless areas evidenced through the development of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
I urge you to choose Alternative #6, the Alaska Rainforest Conservation Wilderness proposal. This alternative safeguards, for this and future generations, magnificent wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest including Honker Divide on Prince of Wales Island.
Honker Divide is one of the last unlogged and unroaded areas on Prince of Wales Island. The largest island river system in Southeast, Alaska, Honker Divide’s low elevation topography, and array of interconnected lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands provide an extraordinary diversity of fish and wildlife. Similarly, superlative recreational opportunities abound in this unique 36-mile saltwater to saltwater canoe route. The area is also heavily used for subsistence and recreational hunting and fishing.
I support permanent protection for roadless forests in the Tongass National Forest. Again, I urge the Forest Service to choose Alternative #6 to protect all areas in the Alaska Rainforest Conservation Wilderness proposal.
Thank you for considering my comments.
For more information about the Tongass Wilderness Plan or other Alaska Rainforest issues, please contact: Laurie Cooper, laurie@alaskacoalition.org
Defenders of Wildlife
is calling on Interior Secretary Gale Norton not to strip gray wolves of
protections under the Endangered Species Act. Defenders is working with a
coalition of 20 conservation and animal welfare organizations to oppose
Bush administration plans to throw wolves to the mercy of states like
Idaho, whose legislature has voted to eradicate these endangered animals
"by whatever means necessary." The administration has said that it wants
to drop federal protections for wolves in the Rocky Mountains and may
scuttle proposals to bring wolves back to the Northeast. To see the
DENlines cartoon, click here: 
Winning a favorable ruling from a federal magistrate
this week, Defenders of Wildlife took an important step toward stopping
the government slaughter of the buffalo of Yellowstone National Park. The
magistrate ruled that the U.S. Forest Service is breaking the law by
allowing cattle to graze at Horse Butte on public land just outside the
park. Those cattle have been used as an excuse for the Montana Department
of Livestock to slaughter thousands of America's last wild herd of
buffalo. The bison roam onto Horse Butte to graze in the winter, and when
they do, the government kills them because of unwarranted fears that
buffalo will infect cattle with the disease
brucellosis.
America's bears are facing harm from oil companies
that want to drill in wildlife sanctuaries, logging companies that want to
clear-cut national forests, and poachers who want to sell their parts in
international trade. Help celebrate National Bear Awareness Week, June
2-8, by adopting a polar, black or brown bear today. For your sponsorship
you'll receive a plush toy bear of your choice and the satisfaction of
knowing you're helping to save their lives. Go to
