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Nero may have fiddled while Rome burned, but when it comes to global warming the Bush Administration has taken denial of disaster to a whole new level. With the world burning up from the hottest ten years in recorded history, the administration hasn't simply ignored the flames. It's poured gasoline on them. First, President Bush broke his campaign promise to control global warming pollution. Then he snubbed the rest of humanity and rejected the Kyoto Protocol, our best chance to solve the problem. Since then, the Bush Administration has gagged its own scientists for telling the truth . . . censored its own global warming studies . . . and used Enron-style accounting tricks to hide the disastrous results of its do-nothing policy. As we hurtle towards an environmental nightmare of killer heat waves, prolonged droughts and devastating water shortages, the Bush Administration is obsessed with one thing only: protecting the fat profits of oil, coal and auto companies -- America's biggest global warming polluters. But you and I are about to change all that. With the opening of "The Day After Tomorrow" -- the new global warming disaster movie -- we have a golden opportunity to make the U.S. Senate pass the McCain-Lieberman bill and force the Bush Administration to reckon with this looming environmental crisis. The Senate is likely to cast its decisive vote in mid-June. That means we need your immediate financial support in order to mobilize massive grassroots pressure on all 100 senators -- and demand that they obey the will of the American people, not the wishes of corporate polluters. Please go to https://www.nrdcactionfund.org/globalwarming/donate.asp and make an Emergency Contribution that will help pass this visionary bill and light a fire under the Bush Administration. Let me tell you how the NRDC Action Fund is going to seize this rare moment in history. This week, millions of Americans will flock to movie theaters to see "The Day After Tomorrow." While the movie's story line is surely exaggerated, it will succeed as nothing else has in alerting our nation to the fact that global warming is real -- and that it is happening today, not the day after tomorrow. You can't buy this kind of massive public education. And it comes at the perfect time: just as the Senate prepares to cast its second vote on the McCain-Lieberman bill. If passed, this law will finally set mandatory limits on global warming pollution from power plants, automobiles and other major culprits behind the number one environmental problem of our time. Last fall, the McCain-Lieberman bill was defeated by only seven votes. That narrow margin of victory stunned the White House and put it on notice that a growing number of senators reject its do-nothing approach. Today, the unthinkable has become possible: the U.S. Senate could actually pass global warming legislation. "The Day After Tomorrow" will energize the public in a way that nothing ever has. But we need your immediate help to channel that energy into a nationwide outcry that will secure a landmark victory in the U.S. Senate. Your donation will enable the NRDC Action Fund to launch a nationwide mobilization campaign aimed squarely at delivering the eight votes we need. Several senators are close to voting yes. We can nail down their votes with a deluge of letters, phone calls and editorials from their constituents back home. But that will cost money. We must raise $200,000 as soon as possible in order to: * Produce and run two weeks of hard-hitting radio and print ads in key states * Follow up with phone banking that will generate thousands of calls to the Senate * Mobilize the local support of farm organizations, recreational groups, and labor unions that will throw their weight behind the McCain-Lieberman bill. We can get to our $200,000 goal if 8,000 caring people like you give $25 each. I hope you'll agree that is a small price to pay to turn up the political heat on the Bush Administration and its friends in the powerful oil, coal and auto industries. Please go to https://www.nrdcactionfund.org/globalwarming/donate.asp and contribute $25 -- or even more if you possibly can -- so that we can wage and win this fight for our planet's environmental future. When you go to our website, you'll also be able to make your voice heard in support of the McCain-Lieberman bill by sending electronic messages to your two senators. The Bush Administration has fiddled long enough while global temperatures rise, wildfires burn and Antarctic ice shelves collapse. The time has come to break industry's stranglehold on this administration and its do-nothing global warming policy. Please, give today and help us light a fire under the White House and corporate boardrooms across America by passing the McCain-Lieberman bill. Thank you. Sincerely, John H. Adams President NRDC Action Fund
Next week, the House of Representatives may vote yet again on whether to allow devastating oil development in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now's the time to write and call your members of Congress and urge them to oppose Arctic drilling and to oppose the regressive national energy bill that would authorize the drilling. The energy policy bill has been stalled in Congress since it was rejected by the Senate last fall. The House plans to vote again on its version of the legislation (H.R. 6) in an attempt to prod the Senate to reconsider the bill and open the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling. H.R. 6 would not reduce gasoline prices, but it would increase global warming, pollution, and wildland destruction. Caribou, penguins, coral reefs, estuaries, and other wildlife and habitat would all suffer from its adoption. FOLLOW THE STEPS BELOW TO SEND A FREE MESSAGE TO YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS. You can have an even greater impact by also calling your representative and making the main points from the letter below. You can reach your representative via the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Please forward this alert to your friends and colleagues. **************************TAKE ACTION NOW!********************* POWERFUL OPTION: Personalize your letter. Go to http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=26681&l=38380 and follow the instructions for adding your own thoughts to your message. Decision makers pay much more attention to personalized messages. QUICK OPTION: If you only have a minute, send the message below, as is, by simply replying to this email. (This option works only if you received this email directly from the Conservation Action Network.) If you have any questions or problems with taking action, contact us at actionquestions@takeaction.worldwildlife.org for help. ***************************LETTER TEXT************************** Dear (your representative's name will be inserted here): As your constituent and someone very concerned about leaving our children a living planet, I urge you to oppose H.R. 6, the regressive national energy policy, if it is voted on by the House again. H.R. 6 would authorize devastating oil and gas development in the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A report last year by the National Research Council confirmed that oil and gas activities on Alaska's North Slope have taken a serious toll on the arctic environment and that the federal and state government have failed to do the planning necessary to minimize these impacts. The North Slope is a vital area for both marine and terrestrial wildlife species including polar bears, caribou, bowhead whales, and ringed seals. The area affected by drilling is already the size of Rhode Island and is expected to double. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would do nothing to help lower the nation's gasoline prices or electricity bills. The government estimates that only six months of economically recoverable oil exists in the coastal plain. Therefore, I urge you to oppose H.R. 6 and, if you haven't already done so, to cosponsor H.R. 770, which would protect the coastal plain of the refuge as wilderness. H.R. 6 is inadequate in other areas as well. It fails to address two of the most significant and long-term challenges we face as a nation: ensuring a stable, secure, environmentally-safe, energy supply and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The bill contains no standards for increasing production of clean, renewable energy or improving automobile fuel economy. Rather than finding a balance between increasing energy output and reducing demand, this bill instead would put a heavy emphasis on boosting energy production using fossil fuels. I believe that we ignore at our peril the growing body of scientific evidence that shows fossil fuel consumption is having long-term, negative impacts on both human health and the environment. This bill falls far short of Americans' hopes and expectations for a sound energy future. Indeed, it represents a significant step in the wrong direction. Therefore, I urge you to vote against passage. Sincerely, Your name and address will be inserted here
VOTE LIKELY THE WEEK OF JUNE 14th
The fate of critical habitat in some of America’s great natural icons -- Yellowstone National Park, Alaska’s Tongass National Forest and the future management of wildlife on America’s national forests – will be up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives as early as next week! And your U.S. Representative may be casting the deciding votes!
As early as the week of June 14th, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on three proposals that could help or hinder protection of birds and the critical habitat they rely on for survival. Up for debate is the Interior Appropriations bill for FY05 – a measure the Congress must pass each and every year that funds the agencies, programs and projects coordinated through the U.S. Department of the Interior (DoI) including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Parks, National Forests and Endangered Species Act. Three Audubon-supported amendments will be offered to this very important funding bill: the first seeks to protect Yellowstone National Park from the hazards of excessive snowmobile use, a second calls for an end to taxpayer subsidies for roadbuilding and money-losing timber sales in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and the third looks to prevent any weakening of our nation’s laws and regulations governing management of our national forests for birds and wildlife. And the timing is critical! Over the last three years, Americans have witnessed erosion in the stewardship of public lands, and in these instances:
We need your help to encourage your U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey to support these amendments that protect these great American natural resources now and for the future! That’s why we’re writing today to ask you to take two quick actions:
(1) PLEASE CALL U.S. REPRESENTATIVE Maurice Hinchey AT (202)
225-6335 and urge your lawmaker to support the Yellowstone
Amendment, The Tongass Subsidy Amendment, and the Forest Wildlife Conservation
Amendment to the FY05 Interior Appropriations bill! Your 15-second phone call
will go a very long way to ensuring these critical habitats are protected for
future generations!
(2) FOLLOW-UP YOUR PHONE CALL WITH AN E-MAIL to
Rep. Hinchey on this subject today to increase the impact of your message!
Simply CLICK HERE to instantly send your
e-mail to your lawmaker today.
Please encourage your family and friends to call and write as well! The more your lawmaker hears from his or her constituents in support of these three amendments, the better chance there is your lawmaker will support them!
Thank you so much for your support!
Senator Rick Santorum is trying to rush a bill to the Senate floor that is so badly written that it could undermine civil rights protections in the workplace -- and make health care less accessible, more discriminatory and riskier.
This legislation would make it easier for individuals to impose their religious beliefs on their coworkers or customers. Unless stopped or amended, Senator Santorum’s bill would increase the likelihood that employees could ignore an employer’s policies against racial or religious harassment of coworkers.
The Santorum legislation would strengthen the hand of police officers who want to pick and choose who they will protect, and emergency health care workers and mental health counselors who could abandon patients because their care conflicts with the worker’s religious beliefs -- or simply because the patient is gay or lesbian.
Take Action! Don’t let Congress open the door to religious discrimination that will harm coworkers, patients or customers.
Click here for more information and to urge your Representative to oppose this legislation!
http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLiberty.cfm?ID=15917&c=29
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The U.S. Forest Service is poised to radically alter forest management regulations, yet refuses to seek counsel from an independent panel of scientists. The decision to avoid scientific input, and the planned policy changes, are overwhelmingly opposed by the public and scientific community. Urge your representative to support an amendment that will stop this suppression of science and protect our nation's forest habitat. Action Deadline: Monday, June 14, 2004 TAKE ACTION To automatically send the letter below to your representative, hit "Reply" and then "Send" in your email program. To customize your letter, learn more about the issue, or if this message was forwarded to you, visit http://www.ucsaction.org/ctt.asp?u=44389&l=39732 LETTER: Dear Representative, As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to vote for Representative Tom Udall's (D-NM) Forests Wildlife Conservation Amendment to the Interior appropriations bill. The amendment would withhold funds for implementing revised planning regulations under the 1976 National Forest Management Act (NMFA). The revised regulations would ignore many scientific principles of sound forest management and represent a dangerous threat to the future of our nation's forests. Scientific advice has been a critical part of national forest policy decision-making for decades under the NFMA, which was enacted to ensure that the U.S. Forest Service would be accountable to the public and base its forest management decisions on strong scientific principles. Strong regulations implementing NFMA have had support from every administration over the past three decades. Forest management decisions should be made with the best available science. The Forest Service's proposed regulations, however, no longer require independent scientific advice or environmental analysis on forest management plans. In addition, the proposed rules were developed without the input of an independent Committee of Scientists-a radical departure from the process authorized by the NFMA and supported by every administration making such changes since President Carter. The flagrant dismissal of scientific input has the potential to create significant environmental damage to our nation's forests. Please help keep scientific input in forest policy by voting for the Udall (D-NM) amendment to the Interior appropriations bill. Sincerely, (your name and address will be inserted)
Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:" In 1994, Global Response initiated a letter-writing campaign to support the Tarahumara indigenous people in northern Mexico, who faced intimidation and murder in their struggle to stop illegal logging. Tragically, violence against the Tarahumara land and people continues. Since September 2003, Global Response has been calling for the release of Tarahumara community leader Isidro Baldenegro. Now Amnesty International considers Baldenegro and Hermeneguildo (Domingo) Rivas "prisoners of conscience." Please continue your support for the Tarahumara in their courageous struggle to stop illegal logging. Add your voice to the Amnesty action alert below. Thanks very much for your continuing concern for environmental protection and environmental justice. Paula Palmer Program Director Global Response www.globalresponse.org ****************************** 4 June 2004 UA 193/04 Prisoners of conscience MEXICO Isidro Baldenegro (m) Hermenegildo (Domingo) Rivas (m) - environmental activists and human rights defenders Two environmental activists, Isidro Baldenegro and Hermenegildo Rivas, have spent over a year in a federal prison in the State of Chihuahua, despite the recent prosecution of seven members of the state judicial police for fabricating evidence against them. Amnesty International is calling on Mexico's Attorney General (Procurador General de la República) to immediately drop the charges against the two men and secure their unconditional release as prisoners of conscience. A court verdict on their case is believed to be imminent. Isidro Baldenegro and Hermenegildo Rivas, who are members of the indigenous Rarámuris (or Taraumaras) community of Coloradas de la Virgen, in Chihuahua, have played a key role in their community's longstanding struggle to protect their rights and stop the unregulated logging of forest lands. Their arrest by members of the state judicial police (agentes de la policía judicial del estado PJE) on 29 March 2003, which took place without a warrant, is believed to have come as a direct reprisal for these activities. After their arrest the two men were brought before a federal prosecutor and charged with the illegal possession of weapons; Isidro Baldenegro was also charged with possession of marijuana. The evidence against the men was repeatedly stated by witnesses to have been fabricated, reportedly on the orders of the local cacique (political boss). In 2003 the State Human Rights Commission ( Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos de Chihuahua) told the Attorney General's Office in the State of Chihuahua (Procurador General de Justicia del Estado de Chihuahua) to investigate the police involved. In April 2004 the Internal Affairs Unit of the Attorney General's Office in the State of Chihuahua concluded that the state police officers were responsible for fabricating the evidence against the activists and initiated criminal proceedings in the state courts. However, despite this action in the state courts clearly demonstrating that charges against Isidro and Hermenegildo were fabricated, the federal prosecutor has not dropped the charges against the two activists, and is continuing to seek their conviction. They are currently awaiting the judge's verdict in their trial. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Amnesty International has on several occasions highlighted the misuse of the judicial system in Mexico to silence or deter dissident or opposition by civil society through the use of fabricated or unfounded criminal charges. The failure of federal, state and municipal authorities to ensure that such abuses do not occur continues to encourage the misuse of the judicial system. In 1999 Rodolfo Montiel Flores and Teodoro Cabrera García, two indigenous environmental activists in the state of Guerrero were detained and tortured by the military, then prosecuted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms on the basis of their forced confessions. Intense national and international pressure finally led to their release in November 2001 by order of the president. However, the authorities have never officially recognised the violations the both men suffered. In December 2003 Amnesty International launched the report "Prisoners of conscience- indigenous environmental activists, Isidro Baldenegro López and Hermenegildo Rivas Carrilo"(AMR 41/051/2003). RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - expressing your belief that Isidro Baldenegro and Hermenegildo Rivas are prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release; - welcome the prosecution of members of the state judicial police for fabricating charges against the two men; - in the light of clear evidence that members of the state judicial police fabricated the evidence against the men, urge the authorities to immediately drop all charges and ensure their immediate release; - urging the authorities to ensure the two men receive adequate reparations for their false imprisonment; - urging the authorities to guarantee the right of the communities to campaign against logging operations and protect the environment and to effectively implement the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. APPEALS TO: Attorney General of the Republic: General Rafael Marcial Macedo de la Concha Procurador General de la Republica Procuraduría General de la República Reforma Norte esq.Violeta 75 Col. Guerrero Delegación Cuauhtémoc México D.F., C.P. 06300 MEXICO Fax: 011 525 55 346 0983 ( ask for "tono de fax por favor") Salutation: Señor Procurador General / Dear Attorney General President of Mexico: Lic. Vicente Fox Quesada Presidente de los Estados Unidos de México Residencia Oficial de "Los Pinos" Col. San Miguel Chapultepec México, D.F. MEXICO Fax: 011 52 5 2 77 23 76 Salutation: Dear President Minister of the Interior: Lic. Santiago Creel Secretario de Gobernación Secretaría de Gobernación Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Juárez Delegación Cuauhtémoc México D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO Fax: 011 525 55 093 3414 Salutation: Señor Secretario / Dear Minister Governor of Chihuahua State: Lic. Patrício Martínez Aldama 901 Colonia Centro, Chihuahua State Mexico Fax: 011 52 614 4165 0719 Salutation: Dear Governor / Señor Gobernador COPIES TO: Fuerza Ambiental : Emilio Carranza 910, Colonia Centro Chihuahua, Chihuahua Mexico 31000 Ambassador Juan Jose Bremer Martino Embassy of Mexico 1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington DC 20006 Fax: 1 202 728 1698 Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals after July 16, 2004. Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights. This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal. Urgent Action Network Amnesty International USA PO Box 1270 Nederland CO 80466-1270 Email: uan@aiusa.org http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/ Phone: 303 258 1170 Fax: 303 258 7881 ---------------------------------- END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL ----------------------------------
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ETC Group News Release Wednesday, June 16, 2004 www.etcgroup.org UN Agency's report incompetent, illogical and ill-willed, say more than 650 civil society organizations in Open Letter Message to FAO: "Fight Hunger - Not Farmers" The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) 2003-2004 Report on the State of Food and Agriculture amounts to a declaration of war on the farmers it is pledged to support. Rural organizations contemplate next steps. More than 650 civil society organisations (NGOs and social movements) and 800 individuals from 83 countries delivered an open letter to Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Rome-based UN agency today condemning FAO's incompetence in addressing scientific and technical issues related to genetically-engineered crops and questioning the agency's integrity in relating to the world's smallholder farmers. Among the signatories are national and international farmers' organisations, scientists, and literally hundreds of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) some of whom have had formal consultative status with FAO for decades. The letter was hand-delivered to FAO on behalf of its signatories Wednesday morning by Antonio Onorati, who chaired the umbrella body that worked with FAO and its member governments for the World Food Summits of 1996 and 2002. The open letter comes one month after FAO's May 17th release of "Agricultural biotechnology: meeting the needs of the poor?" - the focus of the agency's annual "State of Food and Agriculture" Report. According to the letter, FAO's 200-plus page document struggles to appear neutral but comes off as a public relations piece for genetically-modified seeds and the biotech industry. Specifically: * Although it is an intergovernmental body, FAO chose to cite the field trial data of global biotech companies rather than those of independent scientists or of its own member governments. "The report simply lacks scientific rigour and intellectual integrity," notes Jim Thomas of ETC Group's UK office. * In a stunning reversal of the Director-General's public opposition to Terminator technology - a position shared by FAO's Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics in Food and Agriculture along with a past recipient of the World Food Prize, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, and numerous governments - the agency's report now seems to condone the seed sterilization technology. "First it says that GM seeds can be environmentally safe and beneficial for small farmers, and then it says that, in case they're wrong, Terminator could forestall genetic wipe-out," Hope Shand, ETC's Research Director points out. * Despite its members' deep-divisions over the patenting of life - and contrary warnings from a recent British government commission - FAO's report, without evidence or rationale, encourages plant patent monopolies to stimulate pro-poor corporate research. "Amid growing recognition that patenting works against the development interests of the South," argues Silvia Ribeiro of ETC's Mexico office, "FAO is siding with the corporations against its own member governments." * Although genetic contamination is polluting the very heart of the world's centres of crop diversity, FAO brushes aside this tragedy with hardly a comment. Yet, for the very cultures that created agriculture this is an aggression against their life, against the crops they created and nurture, and against their food sovereignty. * In extolling the entirely theoretical possibilities of GM products for the poor, FAO ignores the successes of its own staff in developing environmentally-friendly agro-ecological and farmer-led research. "It's as though the organization gave itself a frontal lobotomy," Pat Mooney notes. False promises: Of greatest concern to the 1500 organizations and individuals signing the open letter is that Jacques Diouf and his senior staff ignored their written (January 16th, 2003) commitment to discuss such policy issues with them before publishing reports. Following protracted negotiations after the 2002 Food Summit, Mr. Diouf offered to create a new relationship with NGOs and, especially, with smallholder farmers' organizations and to consult on issues of mutual concern. At that time and in face-to-face meetings since, the Director-General repeatedly assured civil society organizations that agricultural biotechnology and GM contamination concerns would be discussed with them prior to any new policy or programme initiatives. "We were deliberately kept out of the loop," Pat Mooney insists. "No one ever suggested that ours should be the only voice heard or that FAO - as an intergovernmental organization - might not adopt policies we disagree with, but the promise to dialogue and share information was in writing and it was trashed." ETC Group (formerly as RAFI) has been attending FAO negotiations since 1979. World Food Day? In the month since the release of FAO's report, civil society organizations around the world have been in constant teleconference and e-mail discussions concerning other steps that should be taken beyond the open letter. Although plans are not finalized, Pat Mooney notes that, "Four months from today, on October 16th, FAO marks World Food Day. Several hundred farmers and other civil society organizations have already agreed to meet near Rome at that time to discuss their future relations with FAO." What can be done? ETC Group will be going to the meeting with suggestions. "If FAO can't work with farmers and civil society then they can't work," explains Mooney. "Without the input of smallholder farmers and rural leaders, policymaking is like one hand clapping. If I were FAO, I would be thinking about what can be done between now and October 16th to renew their handshake with civil society. If not? The strength of social movements and NGOs lies at the grass roots - at the national level. If we can't trust FAO, we will make our views known to our policymakers and to the departments that finance FAO. The organization's biennial conference will be held in November 2005 when, among other things, the post of Director-General will be up for election. FAO elections are a byzantine affair that should be exposed to public scrutiny. We may well decide to blow some fresh air into FAO." For further information: Pat Mooney, ETC Group (Canada) etc@etcgroup.org: 204-453-5259 Hope Shand and Kathy Jo Wetter, ETC Group (USA) hope@etcgroup.org: 919 960-5223 Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group (Mexico) siliva@etcgroup.org: 52 55 55 632 664 Jim Thomas, ETC Group (UK) jim@etcgroup.org: 44 (0)7752 106806 (cell) + Over 650 organisations and 800 individuals from 83 countries sign on to an open letter to FAO. The full text of the open letter, and a list of those who have signed onto it, can be downloaded from: http://www.grain.org/go/fao-en + The FAO press release about its report, and the report itself can be found at: http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/41714/index.html The Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration, formerly RAFI, is an international civil society organization headquartered in Canada. The ETC group is dedicated to the advancement of cultural and ecological diversity and human rights. www.etcgroup.org. The ETC group is also a member of the Community Biodiversity Development and Conservation Programme (CBDC). The CBDC is a collaborative experimental initiative involving civil society organizations and public research institutions in 14 countries. The CBDC is dedicated to the exploration of community-directed programmes to strengthen the conservation and enhancement of agricultural biodiversity. The CBDC website is www.cbdcprogram.org
To:
Forest & Wildlife Activists
From: Daniel Hall, American Lands
Date: June 10,
2004
Help Stop USFWS Rules that Help Timber
Companies
and Harm Endangered Species
What: Demand the US Fish & Wildlife Service
reform the disastrous “No Surprises” rule that protects timber companies and
developers instead of threatened and endangered
species.
When: Comments due July
26.
Normally, the Endangered Species Act protects threatened and
endangered species and their habitats. However, timber companies, developers, and
other landowners can apply for "Incidental Take Permits" allowing them to
continue destroying imperiled species’ populations and habitats. While these permits
must be accompanied by Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) that are supposed to
mitigate the impacts of the habitat destruction/degradation, most HCPs still
allow substantial habitat losses and/or fail to meet species’ recovery
needs.
Adding insult to injury, the US Fish & Wildlife Service
(USFWS) created the "No Surprises" rule in 1998. This rule locks-in harmful Take Permits/HCPs
for decades -- despite the fact that conditions inevitably change over time --
and exempts landowners from fixing most problems that may be found with their
permits/HCPs.
Under “No Surprises,” taxpayers must pay to fix flawed HCPs, and only
then if the landowners agree. The “No Surprises” rule is one of the main
reasons that most HCPs function as Endangered Species Act exemptions instead of
genuine conservation plans.
A recent court order requires the USFWS to reconsider “No
Surprises,” in the process of re-issuing the “permit revocation rules” for Take
Permits/HCPs.
However, the USFWS has not proposed to reform “No Surprises.” The USFWS is also
proposing to re-issue its revocation rules without correcting their
problems.
Please write to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and
encourage them to:
1) Reform the disastrous “No Surprises” policy by developing
rules that require HCPs to: a) address all foreseeable changing
circumstances, b) include comprehensive adaptive management programs to evaluate
HCPs over time and identify any necessary modifications, and c) require
landowners to modify their HCPs over time, as necessary to recover the species,
and to meet other conservation objectives in the plans.
2) Modify the permit revocation rules to: a) include the
original, pre-1999 permit revocation criteria in full, as they are highly
relevant to Take Permits/HCPs, b) clarify that the USFWS has the authority to
modify or revoke Take Permits/HCPs if they are found to impair species’ long
recovery, not just their short-term survival, c) give the USFWS the option to
revoke Take Permits if the permittees fail to make necessary adaptive management
changes to their HCPs, and d) require the recipients of Take Permits to file
performance bonds or other securities to guarantee the implementation of their
HCPs’ mitigation measures.
Comments must be received by the USFWS by July 26,
2004.
Where to Send Comments:
Mail: Chief, Division of Consultation, Habitat
Conservation Planning, Recovery, and State Grants, US Fish & Wildlife
Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., #420, Arlington, VA, 22203. Fax: 703.358.2229. Email: pprr@fws.gov.
For
more information:
See the federal register notice for the comment period
(Federal Register 69; 101, May 25, 2004). http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=279678486376+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve
Contact Daniel Hall, American Lands, wafcfbp@americanlands.org.
Talking Points:
The “No Surprises” rule flies in the face of sound science,
and effectively prevents the modification of Take Permits and HCPs for decades,
despite the fact that scientific knowledge, environmental conditions, and
landowners’ own resource management practices inevitably change over time.
The “No Surprises” rule effectively prevents modification of
Take Permits/HCPs for decades despite the fact that most HCPs allow substantial
losses of threatened and endangered species’ populations and habitats, fail to
adequately support species’ recovery, are based on faulty science, and/or employ
inadequate adaptive management programs. A landmark study in 1999 by the National
Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis and the American Institute for
Biological Sciences found that most HCPs are deeply flawed. Yet no enforceable
rules have been developed to correct these problems. Among other things,
the NCEAS/AIBS report found that: about 50% of HCPs allow 50% or more of
species’ populations or habitat in the plan area to be eliminated; nearly 30% of
HCPs allow 100% of species’ populations or habitat in the plan area to be
eliminated; and 84% of HCPs fail to specify how monitoring will be used to
evaluate the plans, i.e., the HCPs lack adaptive management programs.
“No Surprises” provides unbalanced, unnecessary, and
irrational regulatory guarantees by exempting companies from regulatory changes
for periods as long as 50 or even 80 years. “No Surprises” assumes that businesses cannot
handle change, when in fact businesses must constantly adapt to a variety of
changing conditions to be successful. “No Surprises” even exempts landowners from
modifying their HCPs to address changes they themselves make to their resource
management practices.
At the same time, “No Surprises” provides no guarantees to threatened or
endangered species..
“No Surprises” is also deeply unfair, as it makes the
taxpayers – instead of the recipients of Take Permits – responsible for fixing
problems with Take Permits/HCPs. This is despite the fact that Take
Permits/HCPs benefit timber companies, developers, and other landowners by
allowing them to harm threatened and endangered species and their habitats, and
by providing regulatory guarantees lasting many decades.
Therefore, “No Surprises” should be reformed by the
development of rules that require HCPs to: 1) address all foreseeable changing
circumstances, 2) include comprehensive adaptive management programs to evaluate
HCPs over time and identify any necessary modifications, and 3) require
landowners to modify their HCPs over time, as necessary to recover the species,
and to meet other conservation objectives in the
plans.
New rules requiring HCPs to address foreseeable changing
circumstances should require that HCPs address: changes in the landowners’ land management and
development practices; changes that may be proposed to the HCP as a result of
monitoring and adaptive management; additional species listings over time;
declines in the condition of the covered species due to inadequate conservation
measures in the HCP; designation of critical habitat for the covered species;
development of recovery plans and recovery plan provisions for the covered
species; fires, windstorms, pest outbreaks, disease outbreaks, and other
“stochastic” events that are natural ecosystem processes; and increased
susceptibility of the habitats to invasive exotic pests, pathogens, and plant
and animal species due to the landowner’s resource management practices. Other foreseeable
changing circumstances include the effects of human-induced climate change,
which is likely to cause ecological gradients, vegetation zones, and species’
habitat needs to shift significantly, and is likely to create more severe
weather patterns, further impacting species and ecosystems.
New rules requiring HCPs to
include adaptive management programs should require, among other things, that
HCPs monitor each covered species’ populations, reproductive success, primary
habitat components, and other key biological outcomes and trends, including
those which correlate to the species’ recovery. The rules should also require HCPs to include
thorough and effective adaptive management protocol that: are linked to
effectiveness monitoring for all biological goals, include comprehensive
adaptive management triggers, and outline the responses and responsibilities
that can result from adaptive management reviews. Reviews should include independent peer review
and public participation. All plan components should be subject to
adaptive management.
New rules requiring landowners to modify their HCPs should
require that landowners adopt modified, new, or additional conservation measures
to recover the covered species, should their original conservation measures
prove ineffective or should conditions change in ways that are foreseeable or
under the landowners’ control. The rules must require landowners to remain
responsible for modifying their HCPs in response to monitoring and adaptive
management reviews, and in response to foreseeable changing circumstances,
regardless of whether the specific adaptive management changes and changing
circumstances are specified in the HCP. The USFWS should also establish a program to
cover the costs of other changes, which may be needed to HCPs over time, in
response to genuinely unforeseeable circumstances that are beyond the
landowners’ control.
The USFWS should also modify the permit revocation rule
to: 1) include
the original, pre-1999 permit revocation criteria in full, 2) Clarify that the
USFWS has the authority to modify or revoke Take Permits/HCPs if they are found
to impair species’ long recovery, not just their short-term survival, 3) give
the USFWS the option to revoke Take Permits if the permittees fail to make
necessary adaptive management changes to their HCPs, and 4) require the
recipients of Take Permits to file performance bonds or other securities to
guarantee the implementation of their HCPs’ mitigation measures.
The normal, pre-1999 revocation rules include provisions
that are highly relevant to Take Permit/HCPs, including a provision that was
eliminated in the post-1999 rules for Take Permits/HCPs. This provision
essentially states that the USFWS can revoke permits in cases where they are
detrimental to species that continue to slide towards extinction. The post-1999
Revocation Rule exempts Take Permits/HCPs from this important provision. The USFWS also needs
to be given authority to revoke Permits if landowners fail to make necessary
improvements to their HCPs over time; without such authority, landowners will
have little incentive to fix their plans.
The existing and proposed permit revocation rules will not
be sufficient to guarantee the implementation of mitigation measures where the
“take” of threatened and endangered species is allowed prior to the
implementation of those mitigation measures. Threatening to revoke a Take Permit will have
little effect after the permittees have finished their desired activities, i.e.,
the “take” of species’ habitats.. Thus the USFWS should develop rules requiring
the recipients of Take Permits to file performance bonds or other securities to
guarantee the continued implementation of mitigation
measures..
Lisa Dix
National Forest Program Director
American Lands Alliance
ldix@americanlands.org
Ph: 202-547-9105; Fax:
202-547-9213
We need your immediate action to help stop Bush administration plans for oil and gas drilling in the incomparable Otero Mesa of New Mexico -- a vital part of our Greater Rockies BioGem. Please go to http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=52158 and send a message telling the Bureau of Land Management to shelve its proposed plan for industrializing this unique and fragile wildland. Located at the southern end of the Rockies, Otero Mesa boasts uninterrupted expanses of Chihuahuan desert grasslands, one of North America's most endangered ecosystems and crucial habitat for pronghorn antelope, mule deer and the black-tailed prairie dog. All told, Otero Mesa is home to more than 20 species protected by the Endangered Species Act, including the Mexican spotted owl, the southwestern willow flycatcher, the Aplomado falcon and the black-footed ferret. In its rush to let energy companies plunder America's Rocky Mountain landscapes, the Bush administration is about to finalize a plan that would permit oil and gas development throughout the Otero Mesa ecosystem. The resulting invasion of new roads, pipelines, transmission lines and hundreds of wells would devastate its irreplaceable wildlife habitat and wilderness characteristics. The Bush administration is accepting public comments on its proposed development plan through June 28th. Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=52158 right now and tell the Bush administration not to sacrifice this magnificent piece of our natural heritage to oil and gas interests. Sincerely, John H. Adams President NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) .. . . BioGems: Saving Endangered Wild Places A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council http://www.savebiogems.org
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Hundreds of threatened and endangered sea turtles each year are caught and killed by hooks deployed in the Atlantic by "longline" fishermen. Scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have determined that a new type of hook for these longlines could dramatically decrease the number of sea turtles caught and killed each year. So when the time came for NMFS to decide what hooks to require longline fishermen to use, you'd think they would listen to their scientists and choose the hooks that protect sea turtles, right? Wrong. Instead, NMFS is about to adopt regulations that would allow the use of hooks that may well continue the slaughter of these animals! Oceana has created a petition urging NMFS to reconsider this course. Sign the petition asking NMFS to listen to their scientists and protect sea turtles today: * Tell NMFS to Protect Sea Turtles: http://ga0.org/campaign/nmfs_longlines/3378bg4yjdxnkk One of the largest threats to sea turtles is accidental capture, or bycatch, in commercial fishing gear. Sea turtles attracted to longline bait can be captured or entangled, and may drown when they cannot surface to breathe. The Atlantic fishery catches hundreds of endangered and threatened sea turtles each year -- with many being released alive, only to die from their injuries. A proven solution exists that NMFS is considering abandoning! Three years of experiments by NMFS scientists have determined that replacing commonly used "J" hooks with large circle hooks can significantly reduce the capture and death of threatened and endangered sea turtles. Large circle hooks also reduce the severity of sea turtle interactions, because turtles are far less likely to swallow circle hooks and become hooked internally. Despite the publication of a proposed rule in February that would have required large circle hooks throughout the Atlantic longline fishery, it now appears that NMFS has reversed course, planning instead to allow the use of smaller hooks throughout most of the fishery. These smaller hooks are largely untested, but we do know that they do not reduce the sea turtle interaction rate over traditional -- and deadly -- "J" hooks. NMFS needs to hear from you today before they complete this reversal of course. Sign the petition and tell them to protect these endangered and threatened turtles from the gear that takes so many of their lives every year! * Tell NMFS to Protect Sea Turtles: http://ga0.org/campaign/nmfs_longlines/3378bg4yjdxnkk For the oceans, Charlotte Gray Hudson Marine Wildlife Scientist Oceana Sign this petition either via email (please see directions below) or via the web at: http://ga0.org/campaign/nmfs_longlines/3378bg4yjdxnkk Sea turtles need every friend they can get -- tell your friends about NMFS' decision to ignore their scientists and put these threatened and endangered turtles at risk! http://ga0.org/campaign/nmfs_longlines/forward/3378bg4yjdxnkk We encourage you to take action by July 22, 2004 Tell NMFS to Stop Ignoring Science and Start Protecting Sea Turtles 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://ga0.org/campaign/nmfs_longlines/3378bg4yjdxnkk INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL: Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program. Petition: We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the status of threatened and endangered sea turtles and the threats they face from U.S. and international fishing fleets. We understand that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has found a potential solution to this problem for longline fisheries, but is nevertheless considering changes in its proposed rule that will leave these creatures imperiled by unproven fishing gear. We urge you in the strongest possible terms not make this change in the proposed rule, but instead to retain the requirement for longline fishermen to use large 18/0 circles hooks. Your own agency's tests have shown this gear requirement to be highly effective in reducing deadly interactions with sea turtles while not diminishing fish catch. Yet you are apparently considering requiring only the use unproven smaller circle hooks in the final regulations. From what is known about these smaller hooks, they are just as harmful to sea turtles the "J" hooks being used by fishermen now. Please require the larger circle hooks in the final rule to protect sea turtles from the Atlantic longline fishery. We must not leave future generations' oceans void of these magnificent animals!
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In this issue, the Great Cyber Wall Challenge, good news for Bhopal, Esperanza arrives in Iceland, Greenfreeze success and the delivery of your postcards from Patagonia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can change your email address, unsubscribe from this list, and have a forgotten cybercentre password mailed to you using the links at the bottom of this message. Please remember to delete these links before forwarding this message to anyone else. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GREAT CYBER WALL CHALLENGE China is the homeland and biodiversity epicentre of the soya bean, but thanks to genetically engineered (GE) soya all of this is now under threat. We are asking Bunge Incorporated, one of the world's largest traders and processors of soya and the largest supplier of soya in the world to stop supplying GE soya to the Chinese market. To help drive that message home, Greenpeace China is asking our cyberactivists everywhere to write to Bunge: http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=1439&s=ensoya THERE IS MORE TO THIS THAN SIMPLE EMAILING! Participants will be allocated a section of "Cyber Great Wall" where they can add a comment about their opposition to genetically manipulated food. As the participation grows, so will the Cyber Great Wall - a solid symbol of our determination to keep the new GE "barbarians" out of China and ultimately, out of global food supplies. You can view the Cyber Great Wall here: http://activism.greenpeace.org/cyberwall/index_e.php You can also take part in the *Soya Challenge* and possibly earn a seat on a bus tour of China's Yunnan province. If you participate in the Bunge cyberaction, you will be emailed a message outlining the rules of the Soya Challenge along with a special Bunge cyberaction link. If you promote this link to your friends and colleagues, you will be given a credit for each letter sent (but no more than one letter per person, of course!). One of the top ten credit earners will be chosen to help out with a Greenpeace bus tour of Yunnan province in October. You can read the full Soya Challenge rules here: http://act.greenpeace.org/admin/cyberwall/rules_en ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUCCESS FOR BHOPAL SURVIVORS In the last mailing we asked you to take action for Bhopal. Over 3000 of you responded and helped turn around the position of the Indian government. It finally bowed to pressure and agreed to allow a US Court to possibly rule that Dow Chemical should clean up the site of the ongoing Bhopal disaster. Thank you! More info: http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/news/details?item_id=504643 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ESPERANZA ARRIVES IN ICELAND The Greenpeace ship Esperanza has arrived in Iceland to maintain the pressure to stop Icelandic whaling. Plans to kill 250 whales this year, including fin and sei whales, have been shelved in favour of a hunt of only 25 minke whales -- a massive step backwards in the face of domestic resistance, absence of market, and the kind of international outcry that you've helped build around this issue. But we need to be clear: while we welcome this positive step forward from Iceland, WE WON'T BE TRAVELLING TO ICELAND UNTIL THE WHALING PROGRAMME STOPS COMPLETELY. We're concerned the whaling interests might believe they can continue whaling at reduced numbers as a way to escape the glare of publicity and opposition. So let's send the government a little reminder that our offer was absolute: we will visit the beautiful shores of Iceland only when the whaling programme ends completely: http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=1462&s=whl Iceland Pledge Winners update: Marnee joined the ship on Sunday June 13th and has been writing some great updates for the tour blog: http://weblog.greenpeace.org/iceland/ Tomakint is still wrangling with European visa applications in Nigeria but we hope to have him onboard the Esperanza soon. Check out the Blog for daily information about the tour's progress. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GREENFREEZE SUCCESS Four years ago, we launched one of our most successful cyberactivist campaigns ever, against Coca-Cola's use of climate-killing chemicals in their refrigerants at the Sydney Olympics: http://www.cokespotlight.org Thanks to folks around the world who emailed the CEO, posted banners, sent postcards, and downloaded stickers to put on Coke machines, the soft-drink giant bowed to pressure and vowed to phase out HCFCs by 2004. This week, Coke was joined by Unilever and McDonalds in making good on that pledge, adopting a Greenpeace solution, Greenfreeze technology, which has revolutionized the refrigeration industry: http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/news/details?item_id=504623 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTCARDS FROM PATAGONIA 15,000 postcards from the public calling for renewable energy are delivered in a globe shaped ball of ice to the Bonn Renewables conference. It ended with significant steps but the outcomes lacked the political will and urgency required to prevent dangerous climate change: http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/features/details?item_id=487719 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WANT TO DO MORE? 1). Join Greenpeace! Make a secure online donation at: https://www.greenpeace.com/donation/donate.php?theme=default 2). Visit the Greenpeace Cyberactivist Community at: http://act.greenpeace.org 3). Help us spread the word. Forward this message to as many friends, family and colleagues as possible.
Last year, the Bush Administration announced its mercury emissions plan that would save billions for corporate polluters but continue to put the health of millions of Americans at risk -- especially children and women -- by allowing utilities to release more toxic mercury over a longer period of time. Read LCV's Report: http://www.lcv.org/Features/Features.cfm?orgid=Insider062404gen&ID=2874&c=46&UID=60662E1B761D4916B&MX=311&H=0 Each year, coal-fired power plants spew tons of mercury into the air. This toxic heavy metal then enters the food chain threatening our health. It can cause damage to the brain and nervous system. Most Americans are exposed to mercury through contaminated fish. And more than 40 states have issued fish consumption advisories tied to mercury contamination. Take Action! Don’t let the Bush Administration get away with leaving a mercury-laden legacy. Send a letter TODAY! The comment period ends Tuesday, June 29th! http://www.lcv.org/L/capwiz/lcv/mail/compose/alertid5542466targetCUcustomid1819516typeCUalertid5542466targetCUcustomid1819516typeCU.cfm?UID=60662E1B761D4916B&MX=311&H=0 While the technology exists now to reduce mercury levels by 90R0in just a few short years, the Bush Administration is choosing to side with corporate polluters over the public’s health. Read the Report: http://www.lcv.org/Features/Features.cfm?orgid=Insider062404gen&ID=2874&c=46&UID=60662E1B761D4916B&MX=311&H=0 Send a Letter: http://www.lcv.org/L/capwiz/lcv/mail/compose/alertid5542466targetCUcustomid1819516typeCUalertid5542466targetCUcustomid1819516typeCU.cfm?UID=60662E1B761D4916B&MX=311&H=0 Tell a Friend: http://www.lcv.org/alerts/Action.cfm?orgid=Insider062404gen&a=77&UID=60662E1B761D4916B&MX=311&H=0 Stop toxic mercury pollution! Learn more about the dangers of mercury, the corporations who benefit from the Bush Administration plan, and how your state is affected. Then tell the Bush Administration to clean it up! http://www.lcv.org/Features/Features.cfm?orgid=Insider062404gen&ID=2874&c=46&UID=60662E1B761D4916B&MX=311&H=0 Key Findings in LCV’s Report: · Mercury is a poison that affects young children and fetuses the most. It is a hazardous neurotoxin that can cause damage to the brain and nervous system · Millions of Americans live within 10 miles of mercury polluting plants · The electric utility industry -- major Bush campaign contributors -- worked closely with the EPA to craft the proposal saving the industry billions of dollars · 45 Senators and 10 state Attorneys General have expressed opposition to the plan · High-ranking EPA officials with ties to industry amount to foxes guarding the henhouse · More than 40 states have issued fish consumption advisories tied to mercury contamination Take Action! Send your letter TODAY! The comment period ends Tuesday, June 29th! Tell t
Help save America's
endangered wildlife when you purchase Defenders' checks and
accessories, such as matching checkbook covers, from
On the one year anniversary
of the US war with Iraq, President Bush declared: "One year later,
despite many challenges, life for the Iraqi people is a world away
from the cruelty and corruption of Saddam's regime." Ironic, since
Americans have since learned that life for Iraqi prisoners under
U.S. military rule involves torture, abuse, and humiliation. 
Dear DEN Activist,
Conservation groups scored a victory when
the U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to 
A 
In what has been
described as a "milestone," researchers have 
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D)