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Bush Administration Moves to Undermine the Endangered
Species Act
As part of the Bush administration's ongoing efforts to
log first and ask questions later, they have proposed
a new regulation to eliminate a vital check and balance
on logging and other development projects that could affect
endangered species. The administration is taking comments
on their new proposal to bypass the critical role of federal
fish and wildlife agencies when it comes to Forest Service
or Bureau of Land Management projects that may affect
threatened or endangered species and their habitat.
To help protect threatened and endangered species -- and
the forest ecosystems they need to survive -- please take
a minute to ask the Forest Service to abandon this ill-conceived
and dangerous proposal. The Forest Service is accepting
public comments until August 4.
You can take action on this alert either via email (please
see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/logging_esa/
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about
this.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/logging_esa/forward/8gxg5d2p78367n
We encourage you to take action by August 5, 2003
ACT NOW TO PROTECT ENDANGERED SPECIES
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/logging_esa/
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Fish and Wildlife Service
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
Please accept these comments on the proposal, published
in the Federal Register on June 5, 2003, to let land management
agencies such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) carry out projects that may affect federally
endangered and threatened species without first consulting
with the Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine
Fisheries Service (NFMS).
This proposal is inconsistent with the Endangered Species
Act (ESA), and the central role it requires that federal
wildlife agencies play in reviewing projects that may
affect species listed under the ESA. It is very important
for the federal wildlife agencies to review the Forest
Service's and BLM's conclusions about the impacts of proposed
projects on endangered and threatened species before those
projects proceed. The wildlife agencies have the staff
and know-how to best protect and recover vanishing wildlife,
and no conflicts of interest that might cloud their judgment.
The land management agencies, on the other hand, have
other priorities and agendas -- such as logging, as well
as less expertise in recovering species in trouble.
I urge you to abandon these ill-conceived regulations
and keep the requirement that all federal agencies consult
with the Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NMFS on all
actions that may affect ESA-listed species and their critical
habitat, including actions that a non-wildlife agency
decides are "not likely to adversely affect" listed species.
I believe it is critical that the Forest Service and other
land management agencies continue to informally consult
with a wildlife agency on the impacts of timber sales
and other projects on endangered and threatened species,
including projects that are part of the National Fire
Plan. Commercial timber sales conducted under the National
Fire Plan can have the same impacts to species as any
other timber sale. Furthermore, these sales often target
the very trees that should be left behind for species
and forest health, namely those that are larger and more
fire-resistant.
Informal consultation helps make sure agencies do not
ignore the needs of species in trouble in their rush to
remove trees and other fuels from the forest. Informal
consultation is a quick, easy process that results in
efficient approval of projects and often results in important
modifications to benefit species. It also gives the wildlife
agencies a chance to catch projects that may have much
greater impacts, and refer them to a more thorough formal
consultation process.
Please withdraw this proposal and end all efforts to eliminate
consultation on fire-related timber sales.
----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----
Sincerely,
--------------------------------------------------
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign
up for Center for Biological Diversity - Biodiversity
Activist at:
http://actionnetwork.org/BIODIVERSITY/join.html?r=37qAxC71UuFdE
NATIONAL FORESTS IN JEOPARDY! The U.S. Forest Service seeks to remove critical protections for roadless areas within two national rainforests – the Tongass National Forest and the Chugach National Forest, both located in
Alaska -- and the public has only until August 14th to say no! There is no scientific or logical basis to exclude the Tongass or Chugach national forests from the Roadless Area Conservation Rule – an overwhelmingly popular, publicly mandated policy that protects 58.5 million acres of America’s pristine, roadless forests, while
continuing to allow public access and opportunities for recreational activity including birdwatching, fishing, hiking, hunting and camping. It also protects critical habitat for birds, fish and
wildlife including threatened or endangered species, and provide clean drinking water for 60 million Americans. Click here now for more information and to take action today! And please pass this message on to your friends and family! The more
opposition the U.S. Forest Service hears from the general public, the better chance there is they will maintain these protections and protect this critical bird and wildlife habitat! http://www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/summary.asp?subject=250
Greenpeace Activist News, Vol. 3, No. 7
1 August 2003
In this issue, unmasking the WTO, supporting the indigenous people of the Amazon, a German cybercentre, testing a new chat system and a survey.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE WTO UNMASKED
With the next World Trade Organisation meeting in Cancun coming up during 11-14 September, here are a few things you can do to protest the WTO's prioritisation of corporate profits over the health of our planet and its people.
Genetically engineered food by Bush & Co.
The US and corporations behind genetically engineered (GE) food are using the World Trade Organisation to tell the world what to eat and where to buy it from.
Supported by Canada and Argentina, the US is trying to use the WTO to challenge the European Union's policy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - a policy that is the strictest in the world. The US challenge amounts to a scare tactic to "encourage" countries to open their markets to GE food. Many countries fear that if they reject GMOs, they will be met with huge trade sanctions potentially worth hundreds of millions, or even billions of dollars.
Introducing "Genetically engineered food by Bush & Co.". Political cartoonist Mark Fiore has designed this great e-card for us to protest corporate attempts to take over our food chain. Support the global movement for the right to say no to GMOs and spread the word by sending it to your friends and colleagues:
http://act.greenpeace.org/ecs/s2?i=863&sk=std
While you’re sending those e-cards, don’t forget to take part in the cyberaction to tell Argentina and Canada to stop supporting the US war on consumers, farmers and the environment:
http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=859&s=gen
(This action link will also be sent along with the e-card.)
You can discuss this issue here:
http://act.greenpeace.org/1059220869
For more information
Look out for the weblog from our campaigners on-the-ground and around Cancun. We’ll be linking from our in-depth WTO pages where you can also find links to more action:
http://www.greenpeace.org/trade
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DRAWING THE LINE: DENI AMAZON TOUR
After 18 years of delays, bureaucracy and invasions, the Deni have finally won the recognition and protection of their lands. They had help from many of you along the way, as thousands of cyberactivists sent letters to the Brazilian government in support of their demarcation.
Other indigenous groups have not been as fortunate. About half of the indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon have not been demarcated. Their homes and the forest are vulnerable to logging invasions and other industrial activities.
Please write to the Brazilian government urging them to finish the demarcation of all indigenous lands in the Amazon to preserve their communities and protect their lands and all the biodiversity in those forests.
http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=855&s=for
A Greenpeace team is now on route to the Deni lands in a remote area of the Amazon rainforest. Follow their journey up the river and through the Deni lands:
http://forests.greenpeace.org/
Stay tuned next week for more opportunities to support the Ancient Forests. A new on-line community called Forest Guardians will launch soon, and we'll need your help and participation to make it a success!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A GERMAN CYBERCENTRE
It has long been a dream to have the (largely) English international Cyberactivism Centre available in more languages. At long last we have a German cybercentre operating at:
http://act.greenpeace.org/deutschland
If you can read and write German, please drop by and get involved!
Alles anders und doch sehr ähnlich: Nach langer Vorarbeit haben wir es geschafft, das Cybercentre auf deutsch zu übersetzen. Außerdem haben wir ihm ein anderes Design verpasst.
Schaut einfach mal rein: Cybercentre auf deutsch!
http://act.greenpeace.org/deutschland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHAT TEST
A commonly requested feature for http://act.greenpeace.org is a chat system. Well, now we have one and you can test it out at:
http://act.greenpeace.org/cht/chat_test
You need to be logged-in to use it. If you have forgotten your account information, you can have it mailed it to you from:
http://act.greenpeace.org/mailPassword
You can comment on the new chat system here:
http://act.greenpeace.org/1058535081
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!
We want your views about our website: the good, the bad, the glorious, the ugly. Your collective comments will be used to improve the Greenpeace website.
The survey is completely anonymous, so don't be shy!
Take part now at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=70981250429
VISIT THE CYBERCENTRE
Please don't forget to visit the Greenpeace Cyberactivist Community at:
http://act.greenpeace.org
ThePetitionSite has worked hard to provide you with monthly
Animals and Environment alerts, keeping you up-to-date on
the latest happenings in world around you -- including
information on important campaigns across the country and
what you can do to help! Today we are proud to bring you a
special environmental update with even more opportunities
to take action on behalf of the environment.
Special ALERT:
Please help by taking action on both of these critical
environmental petitions!
1. EPA Awaits Comments to Decide on Emissions Regulations
2. Global Warming: Action Needed in New York
**************************************************
1. EPA Awaits Comments to Decide on Emissions Regulations
Take action to prevent air pollution!
http://www.care2.com/go/z/6999
From code red ozone alerts in the nation's capital, to the
creeping return of smog in Los Angeles work remains for
healthy air across America. When sitting in traffic snarled
streets, it's easy to think that gridlock is the only culprit. In
reality "off-road" heavy diesel equipment --the bulldozers
that help build our cities to the combines that harvest our
crops -- contributes more than its share. While pollution from
highway vehicles has fallen over time, emissions from off road
engines have continued to climb, in large part because these
engines have not had to meet the stricter standards that
highway vehicles face.
Today, off-road engines release more soot than highway cars
and trucks combined. A typical tractor emits as much soot as
250 average cars. The EPA has proposed a new rule that would
eventually cut emissions from most non-road engines by over
90%, and the agency is now taking public comment on its plan.
They estimate that by 2030, their proposal will save nearly
10,000 lives every year to such causes as asthma, heart
disease, and cancer. The administration needs to hear that
you support a strong rule.
Sign this petition today to send your public comments!
http://www.care2.com/go/z/6999
Deadline -- August 20th
2. Global Warming: Action Needed in New York
A few months ago, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joseph
Lieberman (D-CT) included their Climate Stewardship Act (S. 139)
in the U.S. Energy Bill. This groundbreaking Legislation, which
*requires* cuts in U.S. emissions of the heat-trapping gasses that
cause global warming could be the turning point in a fight against
global warming. However, President Bush is aggressively pushing
a voluntary-only cuts in global warming pollution from power plants
which delays global warming prevention indefinitely.
In the meantime, we can do much more on a local level. For example,
California passed their own California Climate bill, designed to slow
global warming. You can contact New York's Governor to support
strong & effective global warming prevention policies in New York.
Sign this petition today and show the politicians in D.C. how easy
protecting the environment can be! http://www.care2.com/go/z/7003
Send your letter to New York's Governor and take a stand to stop
Global Warming today! http://www.care2.com/go/z/7003
Thank you for taking action! If you have already signed both petitions,
please take a moment to forward them to friends.
Ingrid Baker
- ThePetitionSite Team
Rainforest Action Network – Email Newsletter
July 2003
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 endangered forests.
In This Issue:
-Save Chile’s Threatened Coastal Forest
-Citigroup “Cease Fire” Extended
-You Are Invited To Attend Our Open House
-San Francisco's First Annual Race to Stop Global Warming
-RAN In The News
-Become A Sustaining Member Of Rainforest Action Network
SAVE CHILE’S THREATENED COASTAL FOREST: STOP FLEET BANK
One of the largest intact temperate rainforests in the world is the
Valdivian rainforest in Southern Chile. This is a siempre verde
(“forever green”) forest type that is unique to Chile and Argentina.
More than one-quarter of the world's remaining temperate rainforests are
in Chile, and these forests are home to a diverse array of unique and
rare plant and animal species, including the Magellanic woodpecker,
arboreal marsupials, and the world’s smallest deer (the pudu). Recent
government action protected the forest from the devastation of the
planned Coastal Range Road, which would have opened access to this area,
spurring its conversion to non-native plantations.
Yet, new and significant threats to this region are looming due to the
profit driven motives of a US bank. FleetBoston Financial Corporation is
the primary creditor to a bankrupt and debt-ridden timber company,
Bosques S.A. through its subsidiary, the Woodland Development Company.
Bosques SA owns 150,000 acres of pristine native forest in the region.
To learn more and to take action, please visit:
http://action.ran.org/action_detail.jsp?&id=93
CITIGROUP “CEASE FIRE” EXTENDED
We are pleased to report progress with Citigroup on the important issues
of forest protection, global warming and the rights of indigenous
people, and will extend for forty-five days the period of its cease-fire
with Citigroup to allow time to develop a comprehensive policy.
We believe that this partnership has the potential to lead to
unprecedented action in the financial sector with regard to
environmental and social issues. We also believe we are evolving an even
deeper understanding of how the financial services industry can help
promote sustainable development while protecting the environment.
During the extension, good-faith negotiations between RAN and Citigroup
will continue in an effort to achieve genuine resolution on the issues
of investment in industries that further global warming and global
deforestation.
To learn more about our Campaign for a Sane Economy, please visit:
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/global_finance/
YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND OUR OPEN HOUSE
Rainforest Action Network invites you to attend an Open House at our
office in San Francisco (221 Pine Street, 5th Floor) on Wednesday,
August 13, 2003 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Come meet our new Executive
Director Michael Brune, hang out with founder Randy Hayes, and get the
latest on our Citigroup, Boise and Ford campaigns.
We look forward to seeing you!
Please RSVP to events@ran.org or (415) 398-4404 x334
SAN FRANCISCO’S FIRST ANNUAL RACE TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING
Green House Network, an organization committed to building the
grassroots movement to STOP global warming, and recent recipient of the
Environmental Protection Agency’s 2003 Climate Protection Award, is
adding San Francisco to its 2003 Race to Stop Global Warming Series.
The first annual San Francisco Race to Stop Global Warming will be held
at 8:00 am on Sunday, August 17. Starting and finishing at Marina
Green, San Francisco's first annual Race to Stop Global Warming will
include an 8K run and a 5K run and fitness walk. For tomorrow's
leaders, there will be a FREE 1k children's fun run, a toddler trot for
two & under, and a diaper dash. Cost: $20 for adults and $12 for 18 &
under - $25 for adults and $17 for 18 & under on the day of the race -
event T-shirt is included. Randy Hayes, Founder of Rainforest Action
Network, is the Honorary Chair.
You can raise money for Rainforest Action Network from the Race via
pledges:
* Seek pledges from friends, family and co-workers
* Register for the Race to Stop Global Warming
* Run or walk in the race
* Collect the pledges and then send them directly into Rainforest Action
Network
To find out more about this option, head to the Race web site, then
click on "Help Your Organization" on the right hand side of the page.
To learn more, or to get a pledge form so you can help RAN, go to:
http://www.racetostopglobalwarming.org/rtsgw2003/SanFran/SanFrancisco.html
RAN IN THE NEWS
Check out the media section of our website to get the latest coverage of
RAN in the world’s media. Here’s a sample:
-Environmentalists Scale Building To Protest Ford (WDIV-TV Detroit)
-Banks Accept Environmental Rules (Wall Street Journal)
-Banks Sign up to Emerging Market Finance Accord (Oil & Gas Journal)
-California Protest Urges Ford to Boost Fuel Economy (Reuters)
-Financial Institutions Need to Take a Broader View (Johannesburg
Business Daily)
-Banks to Adopt Environmental Rules Amid Opposition (Forbes)
-Banks Sign up to Emerging Market Finance Accord (Financial Times)
-Environmentalists Say New Socially Responsible Bank Lending Principles
Flawed (Agence France-Presse)
To read all of the stories, please visit:
http://www.ran.org/news/
To view our video library, please visit:
http://www.ran.org/video/
BECOME A SUSTAINING MEMBER OF RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK
Members who give on a monthly basis are the backbone of support for our
critical campaigns. Please consider becoming a sustaining member of
Rainforest Action Network. Your ongoing partnership and support means a
lot to us – and to the rainforests.
To become a sustaining member, please visit:
https://action.ran.org/donate.jsp
Dear
Members of Global Response’s “Quick Response Network:”
In the past couple weeks we forwarded two Urgent Actions issued by Amnesty
International on the increasingly violent repression of environmental activists in the Olancho region of
Honduras. Since then we have conducted our own research to learn more about the environmental issues at theroot of the struggle in Olancho. Our concern about this region of tremendous biological diversity and unique
ecosystems goes back to 1992, when we helped Honduran environmentalists block a bid by Stone Container, Inc. to log Olancho’s pine forests. That
victory is being eroded now by Honduran and foreign logging companies. They are not only building roads and taking out lumber illegally, they are also
brutally repressing citizens who stand up for enforcement of environmental laws. Their most recent victim was a 23-year-old Catholic lay activist
who was murdered on July 18 after his name appeared with dozens of others on a death list circulated by sawmill owners.
Please write letters to Honduran government officials (see addresses below) in support
of the courageous citizens of Olancho and their demands for protection of their valuable and unique forests. Thanks very much. Paula Palmer Program Director *************************************************************** GLOBAL RESPONSE ACTION ALERT #5/03 Protect Forests and Environmental Activists / Honduras August-Sept 2003 ***************************************************************
“Something new and noteworthy has been born in Olancho, a feeling capable of uniting the voices of non-violent resistance for life. And this means that in the
face of the chainsaws and trucks, no longer will anyone stay quiet, even if we have to give up our lives to those who stand in our way.” --
March for Life statement, COFADEH, June 27, 2003 “The environmental problem in Olancho will only be resolved by ordering the killing of Father Tamayo.” --Mayor
of Salama, Olancho Department, statement made May 5 and 6, 2003, quoted by
COFADEH (Committee of Families of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras)
In the Department of Olancho in northeastern Honduras, peasant farmers, local governments, priests, conservationists and human rights activists are joining
together to end a bloody era of corruption and repression. They are demanding protection of their unique forests and of their civil rights against
the powerful cabal of landowners, loggers and industrialists that is sacking the forests and repressing democratic processes by intimidation and murder.
They think pressure from the international community is critical to shift the odds in favor of democracy, accountability, conservation and sustainable development. Olancho is
Honduras’ most biologically diverse region, with ecosystems ranging from mountain-top elfin and cloud forests to rare old-growth
pine forests and lowland tropical rainforests. Nearly 500 species of birds and many endangered and endemic plants and animals depend on Olancho’s unique
range of ecosystems. It is one of only two places where you might spot the Honduran Emerald hummingbird and the Red-throated Caracara. In the Sierra de Agalta
National Park, the Babilonia River drops 2,000 feet in a little over a mile, through 10 spectacular cascades, some over 150 feet high.
For corrupt politicians, large landowners and logging companies, Olancho is the last frontier for illegal logging and agro-industrial development. All
they need to set industrial development in motion is electricity, so they’re building a dam on the beautiful
Babilonia River. For decades their guns, tear gas and death threats have held in check the
uprisings led by peasants, priests and indigenous peoples. In June 2001, anti-dam activist Carlos Flores was killed by security guards at the Babilonia
dam site. No one was prosecuted for this crime. Then, in June of this year, sawmill operators circulated a list of targeted citizen activists. On July 18
one name on the list became a name on a gravestone when 23-year old Carlos, Arturo Reyes was murdered in his own back yard.
Most Olancho residents desperately want to reclaim their homeland, govern and protect it for themselves and future generations. Throughout the region, city
and county governing boards, Catholic churches, environmental and human rights groups have declared their opposition to the Babilonia dam, currently under
construction by the Honduran energy company Energisa. They say Energisa’s Environmental Impact Study was bogus; the dam will cut the river’s flow
by 90 percent, affecting ecotourism and coffee farms as well as the river ecology itself. Industrial development made possible by the hydroelectric project will
further destroy the natural beauty and biological wealth of the region. Illegal loggers are already clearcutting the old-growth pine forests with
impunity and building illegal roads to take out tropical hardwoods, while federal officials look the other way. Olanchanos want the Honduran
government to recognize the authority of municipal councils to protect natural resources vital to the communities’ future and well being.
For seven days in June, in defiance of repeated death threats, Father Andres Tamayo led Olancho citizens in a 100-mile March for Life. They walked from Olancho’s
capital Juticalpa to the national capital, Tegucigalpa, rallying supporters in towns and villages along the way. They demanded a 10-year ban on
logging in Olancho, so that an independent audit of the region’s biological diversity can be completed and recommendations for conservation
made. Those who didn’t march participated in a huge tree-planting event, the beginnings of the reforestation program they want the government to
implement. The president refused to meet the marchers at the capital. Since then violence, threats and murders are increasing. How You Can Help: Write letters to support the demands of the March for Life, and
to end the threats and violence against Olancho citizens who work for environmental protection. ************************************* BACKGROUND INFORMATION ************************************* LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADS CONSERVATION MOVEMENT -- Among county/municipal governments in
Olancho Department, Gualaco is taking the lead in demanding local self-determination for environmental protection and sustainable development.
The municipality is establishing its own system of municipal protected areas, including regions of ecological, historical and archaeological importance. It
demands the expulsion of Energisa and its Babilonia dam despite the menacing Honduran Special Forces (“Cobras”) who guard the project and killed
a protester in 2001. The municipality promotes production of shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee, ecotourism with birders, trekkers and spelunkers, and
sustainable agriculture and cattle ranching. Gualaco ranks with municipal governments of Talamanca, Costa Rica and Cotacachi, Ecuador, at
the forefront of local governmental action for biodiversity conservation.
UNIQUE
ECOSYSTMES -- Olancho’s old-growth pine forests and thorn forests are rare ecosystems that provide habitat for many endemic and endangered species.
The Red-Throated Caracara, thought to be extinct, was recently spotted in Olancho’s pine forest. Cycads, one of the most primitive of all seed plants, live over
2,000 years, reaching a height of about 30 feet. Ninety percent of known populations of the threatened cycad Dioon mejiae are in Olancho. For photos and more information on Olancho ecology, see
*************************** REQUESTED ACTION *************************** Please write a polite letter to the President of Honduras. Send copies of your
letter to the President of the National Congress and the Minister of Public Security. * Tell him you are alarmed to learn of the July 18 murder of environmental
activist Carlos Arturo Reyes, one of many citizens in Olancho Department who received death threats for opposing logging and the Babilonia dam.
Demand an investigation into this murder and prosecution of the perpetrators, putting an end to an era of impunity for those who have threatened and killed
dozens of indigenous leaders, parish priests and activists in the last decade.
*
Express your support for the demands made during the Olancho March for Life (Marcha por la Vida): •
create an Evaluatory Commission with authority to halt all illegal and irresponsible logging •
establish a 10-year moratorium on logging in Olancho
•
carry out an independent audit of Olancho’s biological diversity
•
stop construction of the Babilonia dam in the Sierra de Agalta National Park * Express your admiration for the citizens of Olancho who recognize the
extraordinary biological richness of the region and favor community-based models of sustainable development. ***************** ADDRESSES ***************** Note: no email addresses are available for Honduran government officials. It is very important to send your letter by regular mail or by fax. Thanks. Lic. Ricardo Maduro, Presidente Republicade Honduras Casa Presidencial, Blvd Juan Pablo Segundo Palacio Jose Cecilio de Valle Tegucigalpa, Honduras FAX: Int’l code+504-221-4552 Lic. Porfirio Lobo Sosa, Presidente Congreso Nacional de Honduras Tegucigalpa, Honduras FAX: Int’l code+ 504 238 6048 Lic. Oscar Alvarez, Ministro Ministerio de Seguridad Publica, Barrio Casamata Tegucigalpa, Honduras FAX: Int’l code+504 221 5666 ********************************* FOR MORE INFORMATION ********************************* This Global Response Action was issued at the request of and
with information provided by the Committee of Families of the Detained and Disappeared (COFADEH, Special thanks to Dr. Mark A. Bonta for information about
the ecology of Olancho. For more information, see:
On cycads: Photos of Sierra de Agalta National Park and cycads:
On Honduran forests and deforestation:
***************************************************************
******************************** Paula Palmer, Program 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 At the request of indigenous peoples and grassroots organizations, Global Response organizes international letter-writing campaigns to help communities prevent
environmental destruction. Young people and adults in 92 countries participate in these very effective campaigns. To request Global Response Action alerts by mail or email, or to make a
tax-deductible donation, please visit http://www.globalresponse.org. P.O. Box 7490 Boulder CO 80306 USA
As Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton's duty is to represent the public interest. She's supposed to protect America's imperiled species and the habitat they need to survive.
Instead, with former corporate lobbyists working from Interior Department offices, she is drastically weakening wildlife protections. Norton is promoting mining and oil and gas drilling on fragile public lands and off our coastlines...all to benefit special interests.
She is making decisions that put America's wildlife at much greater risk.
>> To help to stop Norton now, go to: http://defenders.org
Now that gray wolves are finally roaming free again, Gale Norton is trying to strip them of the vital federal protections they need to survive.
She's leading the charge to allow boats to speed through manatee safe havens - even disobeying a court-approved agreement to protect the gentle manatee.
And, she's stopping a consensus plan to bring grizzly bears back to federal public land in remote areas of Idaho and Montana - a project scientists herald as the key to the long-term survival of grizzlies in the lower 48 states.
It's time for citizens who care about our nation's wildlife and wildlands to say "No more!"
Defenders of Wildlife has launched Stop Norton Now! a national grassroots campaign to save America's wildlife from Interior Secretary Norton's destructive policies that seriously harm precious public lands and wildlife sanctuaries. And I am hoping that Defenders members like you will be among the first to sign on.
We urge you to join our campaign by taking the following steps right now.
FIRST: Go to http://defenders.org to add your name to our petition to President Bush and demand Gale Norton's resignation.
SECOND: Help us reach other Americans with an urgent tax-deductible contribution by going to http://defenders.spacely.com/alerts/Action and help our grassroots campaign to Stop Norton Now! If you make a gift of $25 or more, we'll send you a Defenders of Wildlife umbrella with our thanks.
Removing Gale Norton from her position as Interior Secretary is the single best thing we can do to safeguard America's wildlife and habitat. With caring people like you, we can Stop Norton Now!
Sincerely,
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
In this Passport alert:
• New campaign: Sign our e-petition to stop destruction of a critical bird
habitat
• Campaign update: Thousands of Passport holders call for increased protection
of the Great Barrier Reef
A critical habitat for shorebirds in South Korea is threatened with destruction by a government plan to 'reclaim' more than 40,000 hectares of tidal-flat behind a 33km sea-wall.
The Saemangeum reclamation project is the largest of its kind in the world and will have serious consequences for migratory birds, as well as coastal fisheries and communities.
A recent court ruling has halted the project and demanded a re-evaluation of its aims. We now have a chance to shift the South Korean government's stance on this ecologically disastrous proposal.
A final decision is expected within the next 2-3 months, possibly as soon as the next few weeks. Please take action now to save this special area, visited by hundreds of thousands of birds every year - passport.panda.org/go.cfm?id=23
Thank you to everyone who sent a submission to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority calling for 50% of the Marine Park to be declared as marine sanctuaries. Passport holders sent close to 5,000 email submissions in one week!
The Authority has received more than 20,000 public submissions - the most
ever for any government planning process in Australia! At this early stage, we don't know whether the majority of submissions received by the Marine Park Authority are positive or negative.
We’ll keep updating the Great Barrier Reef Campaign website with the
latest developments and opportunities to get involved, and we'll let you know as soon as the Australian Government makes a decision on how much of the Great Barrier Reef will be protected.
Your time and effort is greatly appreciated.
Sarah Bladen
WWF International
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up to become a Panda Passport holder and receive action alerts. www.passport.panda.org/login/index.cfm?fuseaction=new_registration
I want to update you on our efforts to protect our nation's forests and prevent the Bush administration from weakening the widely popular Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects 58.5 million acres of pristine national forests from most logging and road-building.
In July, forest champions in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill to protect our nation's forests. Although this amendment was defeated, it got 185 votes, and the bipartisan group of representatives who stood up for our nation's forests in opposition to the Bush administration's efforts to increase logging deserve our applause.
Now, at the behest of powerful timber companies, the Bush administration has proposed exempting Alaska's Tongass Rainforest, our largest national forest, and Alaska's Chugach National Forest from the Roadless Rule. Two simultaneous 30-day public comment periods on these proposals are going on now.
Please take a moment to tell the Forest Service that you strongly oppose proposals to exempt the Tongass Rainforest and the Chugach National Forest from the Roadless Rule. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=11&id4=ES
The Bush administration recently announced its intention to gut the widely popular Roadless Area Conservation Rule that protects 58.5 million acres of pristine national forests from most logging and road-building. This historic policy was finalized in January, 2001, after decades of scientific study, 600 public hearings, and a record 1.6 million comments in support of the rule.
At the behest of powerful timber companies and other powerful interests, the Bush administration has proposed exempting Alaska's Tongass Rainforest, our largest national forest, and Alaska's Chugach National Forest from the Roadless Rule.
In anticipation of these Roadless Rule exemptions, the Bush administration is already planning for more industrial-scale logging in the Tongass. It has scheduled close to 50 timber sales in roadless areas currently protected by the Roadless Rule. More than 70 percent of the biggest and best trees have already been clearcut in the Tongass - these sales would effectively take the best of what's left.
Two simultaneous 30-day public comment periods on the administration's proposed exemptions of the Tongass and Chugach National Forests from the Roadless Rule are going on now. If we're going to stop the administration from letting the timber industry destroy our last wild forests, we need to show that the public still supports protecting our national forests.
Please take a moment to tell the Forest Service that you strongly oppose proposals to exempt the Tongass Rainforest and the Chugach National Forest from the Roadless Rule. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=11&id4=ES
Sincerely,
Gene Karpinski
U.S. PIRG Executive Director
GeneK@uspirg.org
http://www.USPIRG.org
P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.
Our coasts today face unprecedented challenges that require
careful planning and protection to ensure they continue
supporting the diverse biology and ecosystems we have
all come to value and rely upon. However, the Bush Administration
has signaled its intention to weaken a landmark coastal
conservation law, the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA)
that has helped states protect their coastal environment
for over 30 years.
Proposed changes to the CZMA regulations have the potential
to significantly hamper the ability of states to protect
their coasts from activities requiring a federal permit,
such as offshore oil and gas drilling. By altering these
regulations, the Administration potentially could also
affect the abilities of states to sustainably manage their
beaches, parks and coastal wetlands with respect to federal
permits.
Please respond to this alert today and let the administration
know you support the states' ability to protect their
coastal resources though the state and federal partnership
now contained within the CZMA and that you do not want
to see these regulations weakened.
You can learn more about this issue and take action on
this alert via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/CZMA/
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about
this.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/CZMA/forward/
We encourage you to take action by August 25, 2003
Help Ensure States' Ability to Protect their Coasts!
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program and the Ocean Action Network will automatically
send the letter below in your name.
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/CZMA/
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
***To Make Edits to the Sample Letter, Please Visit the
Alert Website and Make Changes in the Letter Edit Window***
Dear Vice Admiral Lautenbacher,
I strongly oppose the proposed regulatory changes to the
Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) and urge you not to
undertake these changes. The Act has a 30-year record
of success in managing the competing uses of our coastal
zones. The proposed rule, if enacted, upends the balance
of power intended by Congress between federal and state
agencies, making it easier for the oil and gas industry
to ignore legitimate environmental concerns raised by
states and local governments. While the industry asserts
these rules will "streamline" the process, I believe the
rules do so only in that they limit the states' voice
and role in the process, allowing this Administration
to give away my coast to the oil and gas industry. The
public and the states should be afforded every right to
have a voice in the management of our own coastal areas.
In particular, I object to changes that exempt certain
development activities from requiring state review and
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
abdication of authority to the Minerals Management Service
with respect to future offshore oil and gas development
plans. In addition, many of the proposed review time lines
are so short that states will not have the ability to
provide public notice and receive comments on proposed
projects. The proposed rule also arbitrarily cuts off
a state's ability to ask for information from industry,
irrespective of the importance of that information to
informed decision-making.
The combined effect of the proposed rule changes is to
usurp state's rights established and strengthened by Congress,
NOAA's own regulations, and three decades of practice,
at the expense of our coasts. These rule changes ultimately
facilitate coastal oil and gas development without regard
for any other use or user of our coasts. I urge you to
withdraw the proposed CZMA rule changes. Thank you for
considering my views.
----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----
Biodiversity Activist, No. 340
Center for Biological Diversity
August 9, 2003
www.biologicaldiversity.org
_______________________________
BUSH TO VISIT TUCSON TO PROMOTE BOGUS "HEALTHY FORESTS
INITIATIVE"
On Monday, August 11 the eyes of the Nation will be on
Tucson as President Bush arrives to tour the Aspen fire,
visit the devastated community of Summerhaven and promote
his misleadingly titled "Healthy Forests Initiative."
Bush's visit to Tucson is the first in a series of stops
in political swing states during the month of August.
During each of these visits, the President will attempt
to convince the public that his administration, one of
the most anti-environmental in the history of the Nation,
is working to protect our irreplaceable natural heritage.
It is important that we see through the smokescreen and
false rhetoric of anti-environmental proposals such as
the "Healthy Forests Initiative" and "Clear Skies Initiative,"
and hold this administration accountable for the broad
and systematic attack on the environment that it has waged.
Please read and enjoy the following editorial written
by Congressional Representative Raul Grijalva in anticipation
of Bush's visit to Tucson. We applaud Representative Grijalva's
commitment to environmental protections, and wish there
were many more like him in Congress.
Learn more about the Center's Ancient Forest Program.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/forests/index.html
Learn more about the Center's Restoration Program.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/restoration/index.html
_______________________________
GUEST OPINION: PRESIDENT'S PLAN ONLY AIDS LOGGERS
RAUL M. GRIJALVA
Tucson Citizen
On July 30 I had the opportunity to visit Mount Lemmon
and Summerhaven with John McGee, supervisor of the Coronado
National Forest.
I want to commend the Forest Service, Pima County and
all other parties for their outstanding efforts to save
the structures on the mountain. Given the limited resources
that were available to prevent such an event at the outset,
the officials and volunteers did a truly remarkable job.
What I saw on the mountain last week solidified my belief
that we must take action to fully protect our forest communities
from the inevitable event of fire, and we must do so now.
In Arizona, we now have 120 communities nestled in the
forest that are at "high-risk" for a catastrophic fire
event. Summerhaven was on the list, but the village is
now in part destroyed. We now have 119 potential Summerhavens
out there, and it is a question of when, not if, fires
similar to the Aspen fire will impact these communities.
On my trip with Mr. McGee, we discussed how to make communities
safer. Mr. McGee stated, and I agree, that there is no
100 percent guaranteed way to protect forest communities
- not even if you pave a three-mile-wide swath around
them. However, there are a number of proven ways to greatly
enhance the chances that lives and property will survive
a forest fire.
Scientists and fire ecologists have determined that thinning
of small trees and removal of brush from the immediate
vicinity of communities and controlled burning in a wider
circle around the thinned areas can go a very long way
in protecting communities. Residents can also protect
their homes and those of their neighbors by installing
metal roofs, burying propane tanks and clearing their
property of brush and small trees.
If this kind of work is done, is it likely that fire will
burn gently along the forest floor, making it far easier
for fire fighters to protect an area. John McGee showed
me where thinning was done around the camps at Organization
Ridge on Mount Lemmon. Firefighters had a much easier
time controlling the fire that approached this area because
the thinning slowed and lowered the intensity of the approaching
fire.
After the Bullock fire on Mount Lemmon last summer, the
Forest Service and residents requested $1 million so
that they could complete similar clearing work around
the village and other structures. However, the Republican-controlled
Congress and the Bush administration did not appropriate
the necessary funds for this work.
George W. Bush will be here on Monday to extol the virtues
of his so-called "Healthy Forests Initiative." But don't
be fooled by his rhetoric. His initiative would have done
nothing to prevent the destruction of homes in Summerhaven
or the Aspen fire itself.
Bush's initiative was designed by former timber industry
lobbyists within his administration. It will facilitate
logging of large, old-growth trees deep in the forest,
under the guise of forest health. The initiative will
also eliminate the ability of citizens to be involved
in planning for fuels reduction projects in their communities
or areas that they recreate in or otherwise enjoy.
Several months ago, Democrats in Congress proposed an
alternative that would have focused on community protection
while still maintaining citizen involvement in decision-making.
But we lost our fight to win support from Republicans
on this compromise legislation. Instead, a bill very similar
to Bush's initiative passed the House and is now before
the Senate.
I am adamantly opposed to the Bush initiative and its
companion legislation. Instead, I am proposing the following
five-point plan to address safety in forest communities:
* We must provide for immediate and comprehensive funding
for fire safety measures to protect communities before
fires sweep through them. Our efforts must focus on the
places where people live and work, not on the forest at
large.
* We must create opportunities for communities to work
to protect themselves. We should foster public/private
partnerships and micro business creation that would employ
community residents and put people to work thinning and
clearing around homes and structures.
* We must include citizens in the forest planning process.
* We must undertake a comprehensive and independent study
of the Aspen fire immediately so that we may determine
which fire safety measures worked on Mount Lemmon, which
did not, and exactly how much funding would have been
necessary to fully protect the community.
* We must allow natural fires that do not threaten communities
to burn. As a natural and necessary occurrence, fires
can assist in clearing out the forest of flammable materials
and making the forests healthier overall.
Keep in mind that Bush's initiative is about lining the
pockets of the timber industry, not about protecting communities.
Instead, let's focus on community protection and start
getting the job done before another Summerhaven-like disaster
happens.
--------
Raul M. Grijalva is a Democratic member of the U.S. House
of representatives representing Arizona's Seventh District.
_______________________________
VICTORY AT ZUNI SALT LAKE!
In an astounding victory for environmental protection
and preservation of sacred sites, Phoenix-based utility
Salt River Project (SRP) has announced that it is abandoning
its plans to develop the proposed Fence Lake coal strip
mine in western New Mexico. SRP announced on August 4th
that they will relinquish permits and coal leases acquired
for the mine, which would have provided electricity for
SRP's customers in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The Center has been involved in the struggle to save Zuni
Salt Lake and defeat the Fence Lake Mine since the mid-1990's,
when CBD joined with the Pueblo of Zuni in challenging
the original state permit granted to operate the mine,
objecting to federal environmental analysis concluding
that the mine would have no impact on the Zuni Salt Lake,
and applying public pressure on SRP to abandon its plans.
In 2001, CBD again joined with the Pueblo of Zuni in challenging
the state's renewal of SRP's mining permit.
Learn more about this victory, and the Center's Mining
Program.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/press/zsl8-6-09.html
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/mining/index.html
_______________________________
CENTER OPPOSITION STOPS MEGA-DEVELOPMENT NEAR JOSHUA TREE
NATIONAL PARK
Saying resistance from environmentalists doomed the Joshua
Hills project, Coachella Valley developer Dick Oliphant
recently cancelled plans for a 7,000 home, 12 golf-course
mega-development on 9,000 acres next to Joshua Tree National
Park. This Sonoran desert area of southern California
is home to several endangered species, including the desert
tortoise, Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, Coachella
Valley milkvetch, flat-tailed horned lizard and desert
pupfish. The Center strongly opposed this project, sparking
national media and citizen scrutiny during Oliphant's
first press conference in February 2002 by asking tough
questions. The golf courses alone would have used 6 million
gallons of water daily. This victory is a part of the
Center's campaign to protect the California Desert Conservation
Area, fight unneeded urban sprawl.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/goldenstate/cdca/index.html
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/sprawl/index.html
_______________________________
CENTER SUIT LEADS TO 53,000 ACRE CRITICAL HABITAT PROPOSAL
FOR ALGODONES DUNES
On August 5 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed
52,780 acres -- nearly one third -- of the Algodones (Imperial)
Dunes be designated critical habitat for the Peirson's
milkvetch (Astragulus magdalenae var. peirsonii). FWS
is taking public comment on the proposal until Oct. 6.
The proposal is in response to a legal victory by the
Center and California Native Plant Society. Species with
designated critical habitat are less likely to be declining,
and twice as likely to be recovering than those without.
The Bush administration is set to finalize a BLM plan
(RAMP) later this summer that would open 50,000 acres
of currently protected dunes habitat. Parts of that plan
are already being challenged in court by the Center. FWS
stated in the proposed rule, "Species specific management
needs and measures for Astragulus magdalenae var. peirsonii
are not addressed in the RAMP."
Learn more about the Algodones Dunes and the Peirson's
milkvetch.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/peirsons/index.html
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/goldenstate/cdca/algodones.html
_______________________________
CENTER CREATES ACTION TO MOVE USDA KILLER BEE APIARY OFF
IRONWOOD NATIONAL MONUMENT
Working with a USDA whistle-blowing scientist, the Center
successfully exposed a dangerous invasive species threat,
and helped BLM push USDA to remove a killer bee apiary
from the Ironwood Forest National Monument west of Tucson.
Non-native Africanized "killer" bees often attack people
and displace native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, doves
and other important native pollinators, disrupting ecosystem
function. USDA had thirteen colonies at the apiary, with
each colony having 10,000 to 40,000 "killer" bees.
Learn more about the Center's program to protect deserts.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/deserts/index.html
_______________________________
Click now and become a member of the Center for Biological
Diversity, and ensure a future for wildlife and habitat...
https://maxvps016.maximumasp.com/V016U45GEB/joinus/joinus.html
I'll get right to the point. You and many others
signed up to receive North America alerts with Care2 or ThePetitionSite
and we have information about sea otters that need your help.
Many folks know that the sea otter's soft, cuddly coat, and
friendly, inquisitive nature became the animal's downfall in
the 1800's. Until killing sea otters was outlawed, traders
drawn by that luxuriously soft fur drove the Oregon sea otter
to extinction and decimated populations all along the
California coast.
Sea otters were making a comeback, but recently, their struggling
populations began to decline again. To stop their demise this time,
however, we must heal the fragile web of life that has been disrupted
in our ocean habitats.
You are one of the FEW people who now knows that sea otters
are again in grave danger. This puts you in a unique position to
join Care2's campaign - with ocean specialists at Oceana - to
raise $10,000 to help save these brown-furred creatures and
protect our oceans. Please read on and find out more, or make
your contribution to Oceana right now:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/7254
What Has Happened to the Sea Otter:
Biologists think Alaska's killer whales began eating otters
when sea lions (their favorite food) began to disappear as a
result of declining polluck populations (due to overfishing).
These unprecedented sea otter deaths triggered an explosion of
sea urchins, resulting in a collapse of kelp beds and then,
a further decline in fish. So, although overfishing has not
directly harmed sea otters, it has resulted in a fractured
ecological web that now threatens sea otters AND other animals.
It is imperative that we heal the web now, before our last
remaining sea otters disappear forever. These special creatures
wrapped in their kelp beds are not just cute, but an integral
part of the marine ecosystems. Without the sea otters, our kelp
forests cannot thrive, and in turn, all of the young fish and
other sea creatures that depend on kelp forests will also die.
We partnered with Oceana to make your contribution really help;
Oceana is fighting overfishing across the world, and will work hard
stop this destruction of ocean ecosystems, especially the sea otters.
Become a member today so that your voice and your donation will
act a critical cry of outrage - and a glimmer of hope - in protecting
our oceans.
Join here: http://www.care2.com/go/z/7254
Thanks for your help. I'm sure the sea otters would thank you if
they could.
Hilary Stamper
Environmental Activism Manager
Care2.com
PS. You can check the progress of our campaign on the homepage of our
Race for the Oceans -
http://oceans.care2.com
(Note - the page is updated regularly but does not in real time.)
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Dear U.S. PIRG supporter,
The thick, black smoke that billows from diesel trucks and construction equipment not only smells awful but is also hazardous to our health. Diesel pollution is linked to childhood asthma attacks, lung cancer, and even deaths from heart and lung disease. While we're making progress cleaning up new diesel trucks and buses, just one diesel bulldozer pollutes as much as 26 new cars.
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed strong standards to reduce diesel pollution from new construction and other heavy equipment. If finalized, the rules would save thousands of lives each year. Unfortunately, this proposal stands in stark contrast to the rest of the Bush administration's record on the environment.
We need your help to make the diesel proposal a reality! Please take a moment to ask the EPA to strengthen and quickly finalize this proposal. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=109&id4=ES
UPDATE
I also want to update you on our efforts to stop the weakening of the Clean Air Act's New Source Review enforcement rules, which require modern pollution controls be installed on power plants and other smokestacks when the facilities are modified in ways that increase pollution. In late July, we sent out e-mail asking supporters to call their senators in support of an amendment sponsored by Sens. John Edwards and Joseph Lieberman that would have allowed states to choose to continue regulating air pollution from industrial facilities under their existing rules rather than having to adopt new, weaker EPA rules. Fearing defeat, the Senate leadership prevented a vote on the Edwards-Lieberman clean air amendment, but Sens. Edwards and Lieberman will continue to look for opportunities to pass this important amendment. Thanks to everyone who called their senators to ask them to support the Edwards-Lieberman clean air amendment!
BACKGROUND
Anyone who has been caught behind a diesel truck or bus on the road knows how much pollution they belch out. In the late 1990s, we led the successful campaign to clean up diesel trucks and buses. Starting in 2007, new clean air standards promise to reduce pollution from big rigs and yellow school buses alike by more than 90 percent, the equivalent of taking 13 million of today's trucks and buses off the roads.
Unfortunately, the diesel engines and fuel that power the heavy equipment used at construction sites, on farms and at ports remain largely uncontrolled. As a result, these vehicles produce more dangerous fine particle soot each year than cars, trucks and buses combined. They are also a major source of smog-forming pollutants and dozens of toxic chemicals, like benzene and formaldehyde.
In neighborhoods with construction projects ranging from a new shopping center to the reconstruction in Lower Manhattan, pollution from bulldozers, cranes and other construction vehicles jeopardizes the health of workers, residents, children and seniors. The pollution from these engines aggravates asthma and other respiratory conditions, contributes to heart disease, and cuts short the lives of thousands of Americans each year. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency recently concluded that diesel exhaust likely causes lung cancer at everyday levels of exposure. Diesel emissions also obscure visibility in national parks, damage plants and pollute lakes and forests with acid rain.
By requiring cleaner fuel and pollution controls similar to the catalytic converters used on cars for decades, the EPA has proposed cutting emissions from new diesel equipment by more than 90 percent — a plan the agency says would eventually prevent 9,600 premature deaths, 16,000 heart attacks and 5,700 children's asthma-related emergency room visits EACH YEAR. The proposal mirrors earlier EPA rules that will require new diesel trucks and buses to be much cleaner, starting in 2007.
Unfortunately, the new standards would not be fully phased in until more than a decade from now, and the proposal does not include trains and ships, which produce almost one-third of the pollution from "non-road" diesels.
In addition, the oil industry wants the EPA to make changes to the fuel requirements that could compromise the widespread availability of cleaner fuel. Diesel engine manufacturers want the EPA to further delay the rules and exempt certain engine classes, such as the smallest and largest engines, from the requirements, which would erode the public health benefits since smaller engines comprise 48 percent of all "non-road" diesel engines and larger engines produce a disproportionate amount of the pollution.
The EPA estimates that cleaning up "non-road" diesel fuel would cost an additional 4.8 cents per gallon, though engines running on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel will have reduced maintenance expenses equivalent to reducing the cost of the fuel by 3.3 cents per gallon. For the majority of equipment, the cost of meeting the standards would be roughly one to two percent of the typical retail price. The total cost of implementing the rules, estimated at $1.5 billion annually, would pale in comparison to the more than $80 billion saved each year in health and environmental benefits.
The Environmental Protection Agency is currently accepting public comments on this diesel proposal. Please take a moment now to ask the EPA to strengthen and quickly finalize these crucial health protections. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=109&id4=ES
Sincerely,
Gene Karpinski
U.S. PIRG Executive Director
GeneK@uspirg.org
http://www.USPIRG.org
P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.
Take action to save 10,000 lives by improving air quality in our cities. After you take action, please forward this alert to 5 or more friends who also want to save 10,000 lives. This measure requires a strong, quantifiable response from concerned individuals like you and people you know.
20/20 Vision is part of a coalition working to generate 100,000 comments in support of strong and urgently needed emission standards for construction vehicles such as bulldozers. Exhaust from these vehicles emits up to 8 times more toxic particulates than the average urban bus. Construction vehicles are the second leading contributor to air pollution, second only to power plant emissions. Currently these vehicles are virtually unregulated. An EPA docket on this issue is open until August 20th. We only have six more days. We are still 15,000 comments away, but with your help, our goal is achievable.
Nearly 10,000 lives will be saved each year by the proposed standards, and 6,000 children’s asthma-related emergency room visits will be avoided.
It is especially important to establish these standards now, as Bush’s nomination for the next EPA Administrator, Republican Governor of Utah Michael Leavitt, is a staunch supporter of industry.
Please take a moment to send your comment directly to the EPA through the following link, using any or all of the language provided or sending in your own personal statement. What matters is that your comment is counted. Hurry and tell your friends so their voices may also be heard.
http://capWiz.com/vision/mail/compose/?alertid=2423806&mailid=2423811&target=CU&customid=2423526&type=CU
_____________________________
20/20 Vision
1828 Jefferson Place NW
Washington, DC 20036
vision@2020vision.org
www.2020vision.org
202 833-2020
Dear NRDC BioGems Defender,
The Bush administration is about to take another step forward in its disastrous
scheme to take Yellowstone's last remaining grizzly bears off the endangered
species list by 2005. If successful, this delisting would throw open some of
the bear's most important habitat to rampant oil and gas development, as well
as allow the surrounding states to resume grizzly hunting.
But before the administration can move forward with this scheme, it must show
that it is taking steps to ensure the bear's future protection. To that end,
the U.S. Forest Service, which has authority over about 75 percent of the
grizzly's Yellowstone habitat, has submitted a proposed management plan for the
region.
As currently written, that plan leaves millions of acres of prime grizzly
habitat unprotected and vulnerable to commercial exploitation.
Please contact the Forest Service immediately and tell it to withdraw these
proposed plans before they push the grizzly bear back to the brink of
extinction. You can send an electronic message right now by going to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp
Time is running out for the grizzly. Only 200 years ago, more than 100,000
grizzly bears still roamed the American West. But a century-long campaign of
extermination drove the majestic bear from 99 percent of its historic range.
The grizzly would have vanished from the lower 48 states were it not given
endangered species protection in 1975.
Today, the Greater Yellowstone and Glacier Park ecosystems are the grizzly
bear's last strongholds in the continental U.S. But the embattled Yellowstone
population may number as few as 250 bears and has been cut off from other
grizzlies for more than a century.
The very survival of the Yellowstone grizzly now depends on aggressive
protection of its wild habitat so that the bear can be linked up, through
connecting forests, with healthier populations in Canada.
A female grizzly requires about 200 square miles of wild habitat, with little
human disturbance. She can ill afford the destruction of her favorite foraging
and denning areas. That's why the Bush administration's plan for delisting the
bear -- and the invasion of roads, wells, pipelines and chainsaws that would
follow in its wake -- could prove fatal to the grizzly bear's recovery.
Please call on the Forest Service to ensure the grizzly bear's future by
protecting its best habitat right now, before it is destroyed forever.
Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp
and send your message on behalf of Yellowstone's grizzlies. Thank you.
Sincerely,
John H. Adams
President
Natural Resources Defense Council
. . .
BioGems: Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
THERE’S STILL TIME TO COMMENT ON PROTECTIONS FOR AMERICA’S RAINFOREST!
Roadless Rule public comment period on the Rainforest extended through September 2, 2003!
The Forest Service announced on August 14 – the original deadline for comments - that they were extending the comment period on the Bush administration’s proposal to exempt America’s rainforest from the Roadless Rule. The extension came as a result of the agency’s failure to provide a timely response to conservation groups which requested more detailed information about plans to take the Tongass and Chugach out of the Roadless Rule.
The good news is that you have 2 addditional weeks in which to tell the Bush Administration you oppose their plans to exempt the Tongass and Chugach National Forests in Alaska from the Roadless Rule. Send an official comment today online: www.akrain.org!
Tens of thousands of Americans have already called on the Bush Administration to keep America’s rainforest protected. Make sure the Forest Service hears from you!
THE ISSUE:
On July 17, 2003 the Bush administration took the first procedural swipe at the landmark Roadless Area Conservation Rule by proposing to strip protections from America’s rainforest in Alaska – fully one-quarter of the lands protected by the Rule. The official notice appeared in the Federal Register and kicks off two, simultaneous 30-day public comment periods on the administration’s proposed exemptions of the Tongass and Chugach National Forests in Alaska from the Roadless Rule.
The Rainforest comment periods are the first opportunity the public has to officially comment on the Bush administration's attempts to gut the Roadless Rule. The administration is also expected, later this year, to propose to allow state governors to apply for exemptions from the Roadless Rule in their states. During development of the Rule, 2.2 million public comments were received in favor of enacting the conservation policy. More Americans took part in this rulemaking process than in any other federal rulemaking in history. Yet despite pledges to uphold the Roadless Rule, the Bush administration is moving to dismantle it.
In anticipation of the Roadless Rule exemptions, the administration has been planning for more commercial logging in the Tongass scheduling close to 50 projects in roadless areas protected by the Rule. The administration admits that over 300,000 acres will be clearcut. What they fail to reveal is that the 300,000 acres is not contiguous and will leave a patchwork of scars from industrial-scale logging and road-building across 2.5 million acres of the rainforest.
****
For more information, please contact Laurie Cooper (laurie@alaskacoalition.org)
ETC Group is taking the unusual step of attaching the following message from la Via Campesina (the global network of small farmers’ organizations) requesting financial support to make it possible for farmers to organize buses from Mexico city (and elsewhere) to Cancun to participate in the Farmers’ Forum at the WTO 6th Ministerial Conference Sept 8-14. If you can provide any help-or can pass this message along to others who could provide help-this would be much appreciated. ETC group has never made a request like this before but we believe it is vitally important for farmers to be fully present in the Cancun negotiations.
URGENT APPEAL - Llamado Urgente
(Español más abajo)
DONATE NOW ON LINE TO HELP PEASANT FARMERS GET TO
CANCUN FOR WTO PROTESTS (instructions at end)
Dear Friend of Farmer and Peasant Organizations:
Dear Opponents of the WTO and Free Trade Policies:
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE!
Mexican farmers and peasants URGENTLY need your financial support now to organize against the World Trade Organization (WTO). Any amount large or small that you can give, will help (see below for how to give on-line or how to send funds).
The next WTO meeting is in Cancun, Mexico, this September. This is the meeting after Doha, Qatar, and after Seattle. As you know, free trade policies, like those being negotiated in the WTO, are driving family farmers, peasants and indigenous people off the land, around the world, North and South, East and West. As a result, farmers, peasants, the landless, farm workers, women, forest people and indigenous people around the world have come together in the Via Campesina (http://www.viacampesina.org), and are demanding "WTO Out of Agriculture" and have put forth the alternative of "peoples food sovereignty."
The Mexican National Union of Autonomous Regional Farmer Organizations, UNORCA (http://www.unorca.org.mx/omc/ingles/index.html) -- one of the Mexican members of Via Campesina - has the responsibility to organize and host an INTERNATIONAL FARMERS' FORUM and Farmers' Encampment in Cancun, on behalf of Via Campesina. This Forum is a very important opportunity for farmer organizations worldwide to come together to work on alternatives to free trade policies, and to protest the WTO.
It is critical for all people who are concerned about the undemocratic nature and very negative impact of the WTO and other neo-liberal "free" trade agreements like FTAA and NAFTA on our lives, that as many Mexican peasants delegates as want to protest in Cancun can actually get there (internal travel by bus in Mexico is not cheap, and Cancun is in a remote location, more than 20 hours from the capital). Our minimum aim is to bring 10,000 delegates! It is critical that the INTERNATIONAL FARMERS' FORUM be a success.
We need your support for the transportation costs of people to the remote Cancun location. Cancun is the most expensive location in Mexico, and UNORCA cannot pull this off without financial support.
If you want to help Mexican rural social movements get to Cancun, please sponsor delegates to the INTERNATIONAL FARMERS' FORUM, Farmers' Encampment and WTO protests.
Average estimated costs for each delegate are:
transport US $48 (chartered buses)
food (3 meals) US 10 per day
lodging (encampment) US 12
Support for the Farmer Support Center: US 25 per day
You will receive a special thank you from the community your support goes to when you sponsor a whole bus for $500 from nearby states
HOW TO DONATE:
The easiest way to donate is to go to our web site at http://www.unorca.org.mx/omc/ingles/index.html and give using your credit card at our secure server now, or send a U.S. check or dollar-denominated international money order to Food First, who is receiving the money and transferring it to UNORCA in Mexico. Make the check or money order out to:
"FOOD FIRST, Unorca project",
and mail it to Food First/UNORCA, 398 60th Street. Oakland, California, 94618, USA. Donations are tax deductible in the U.S.
QUESTIONS:
If you have questions, contact UNORCA at forocampesino@laneta.apc.org and/or Food First at foodfirst@foodfirst.org.
Thank for your support to make ANOTHER WORLD POSSIBLE!
The farmers, peasants and indigenous people of UNORCA
Alberto Gómez Flores, National Coordinator
National Union of Autonomous Regional Farmer Organizations (UNORCA)
Juan de Dios Arias 48
Vista Alegre, Mexico DF, MEXICO
Tel/Fax +52 55 5740-0486
Tel/Fax +52 55 5741-5065
omcfueradeagricultura@unorca.org.mx
http://www.unorca.org.mx
SOLICITUD URGENTE
DONE AHORA MISMO A TRAVES DE NUESTRO PORTAL SEGURO DE INTERNET, O DEPOSITE EN NUESTRA CUENTA Y AYUDE A QUE LOS CAMPESINOS DE TODO MEXICO PUEDAN LLEGAR A CANCUN PARA MANIFESTARSE FRENTE A LA OMC (instrucciones al final)
Queridos amigas y amigos de las organizaciones campesinas e indígenas:
Estimados opositores a la OMC y del libre comercio:
OTRO MUNDO ES POSIBLE!
AGRICULTURA FUERA DE OMC
Los agricultores, campesinos e indígenas mexicanos necesitan URGENTEMENTE su apoyo económico para organizar en contra de la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC). Cualquier monto, pequeño o grande, que usted pueda contribuir, sería de gran ayuda (vea abajo como donar en línea y/o como enviar fondos).
La próxima reunión ministerial de la OMC se llevará a cabo en Cancún, México, este septiembre. Es la reunión que sigue después de Doha, Qatar, y después de Seattle. Como Ud. sabe, las políticas de comercio libre, como las que estan siendo negociadas en la OMC, están desplazando a los agricultores familiares, campesinos e indígenas de sus tierras, en todo el mundo, Norte y Sur, Este y Oeste. Como resultado, los agricultores, campesinos, indígenas, los sin tierra, jornaleros, mujeres, negros, pueblos que habitan los bosques, y otros, se han unido en la Vía Campesina (http://www.viacampesina.org), y están demando "OMC fuera de la Agricultura," y han planteado como alternativa la soberanía alimentaria de los pueblos.
La Unión Nacional de Organizaciones Regionales Campesinas Autónomas, UNORCA (http://www.unorca.org.mx), -- uno de los miembros mexicanos de la Vía Campesina -- ha asumido la responsabilidad de organizar un FORO CAMPESINO INTERNACIONAL y Campamento Campesino, en Cancún, en nombre de la Vía Campesina. Este Foro es una oportunidad de suma importancia para que las organizaciones campesinas del mundo puedan juntarse para generar alternativas a las políticas de comercio libre, y para protestar en contra de la OMC.
Es crítico para todas las personas preocupadas por la naturaleza anti-democrática y el impacto muy negativo sobre nuestras vidas de la OMC y de otras políticas neoliberales, tales como el ALCA y el TLCAN, que el mayor número posible de los delegados campesinos e indígenas mexicanos que quieren manifestarse en Cancún pueden llegar hasta alla. Ya que el transporte en autobús es muy caro en México, y Cancún está situado a más de 20 horas de la capital. Nuestra meta mínima es de facilitar la presencia de unos 10,000 delegados. Es crítico que el FORO CAMPESINO INTERNACIONAL tenga éxito.
Nos urge poder contar con su apoyo económico para los costos de transportar a la gente al remoto lugar de Cancún. Además, Cancún es el lugar más caro de México, y la UNORCA no puede lograr sus metas sin su apoyo económico.
Si Ud. quiere apoyar a los movimientos sociales del campo mexicano, para que pueden llegar a Cancún, por favor patrocine a uno o más delegados al FORO CAMPESINO INTERNACIONAL, Campamento Campesino, y protestas contra la OMC.
Costo promedio estimado para cada delegado:
Transporte, USD $48 (autobuses contratados)
Alimentación, $10/día
Campamento, $12
Apoyo al centro de atención a los delegados: $ 25/día
Ud. recibirá un agradecimiento especial si patrocina a un autobus entero (US$500, de los estados más cercanos a Cancún).
COMO HACER SU DONACION:
La manera más fácil de hacer su donación es ir a nuestro sitio web en http://www.unorca.org.mx/omc/index.htm y utilizar su tarjeta de crédito internacional en nuestro servidor seguro.
Si Ud. prefiere efectuar una transferencia bancaria, favor de depositar en:
Banco Banamex, Sucursal 0196, a la cuenta numero 2165601 a nombre de Unorca, A.C., Clave Estándar (CLABE) 002180019621621656014. Dirección del banco: Calzada San Antonio Abad 178, Mexico City, 06820, Mexico. Tel: +52 (55) 2226-4772
Si Ud. tiene preguntas, dirigirse a: omcfueradeagricultura@unorca.org.mx
Gracias por su apoyo para que OTRO MUNDO SEA POSIBLE!
El pueblo campesino e indígena de la UNORCA
Alberto Gómez Flores, National Coordinator
Unión Regional de Organizaciones Regionales Campesinas Autónomas (UNORCA)
Juan de Dios Arias 48
Vista Alegre, Mexico DF, MEXICO
Tel/Fax +52 55 5740-0486
Tel/Fax +52 55 5741-5065
omcfueradeagricultura@unorca.org.mx
http://www.unorca.org.mx
From: Matt Howes, National Internet Organizer, ACLU
To: ACLU Action Network Members
Date: August 19, 2003
The Bush Administration continues to move forward with a new airline profiling system despite significant concerns about its impact on privacy and safety.
This computerized profiling system -- known as CAPPS II -- would put the government in the business of conducting background checks on all travelers each time they fly. Not only would this system severely infringe on each individual's privacy, many innocent people would be delayed or banned from travel and have no way of finding out why. The system would furthermore be easily tricked by terrorists using false identification.
The Department of Homeland Security has opened a comment period on this new system and it is important that they hear from concerned people like you.
Click here for more information and to contact the Department of Homeland Security:
http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=13332&c=39
****************************************************************
For more information on other issues and the latest news, please visit our website at http://www.aclu.org
Help Strengthen the ACLU's Voice in Congress... Click below to become a card-carrying Member or donate today!
http://www.aclu.org/contribute/contribute.cfm?ORGID=AA02
If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to subscribe to the ACLU Action Network Updates, click http://www.aclu.org/team/member.cfm
To find out what more you can do to protect your civil liberties, please visit http://www.aclu.org/action
To: Northeast Activists
From: John Demos, American Lands Alliance
Date: August 19, 2003
SENATOR LEAHY (D-VT) INTRODUCES GREAT FORESTRY BILL
ENVIONMENTAL COMMUNITY EXPECTED TO ENDORSE THE BILL
SENATE CO-SPONSORS NEEDED
Senator Leahy has introduced a very good bill that deals with protecting communities from forest fire without sacrificing our environmental laws.
Besides the miserable “Healthy Forest Initiative” bill backed by Bush, several other bills are in play. All fall far short of adequately protecting people and homes, and all impact environmental regulations unnecessarily.
Leahy’s bill does allow some expedited treatment on public lands within one half mile of “at-risk communities”, but otherwise preserves the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and does not interfere in the judicial process.
Also the bill provides REAL MONEY for fire treatment (targeted to the half mile zone around at-risk communities), and for forest and watershed restoration. It prohibits the commercial timber approach of the President’s bill, and provides protection for roadless areas and old growth.
The Leahy bill also provides funding for treatment and restoration of non-federal lands. This could have a huge impact in the Northeast. Funds would be available for communities not bordering federal land.
The bill also avoids the “log the invasive species” approach of Bush’s bill and provides funding to prevent the introduction of invasive bugs in the first place.
VERMONTERS – Please thank Senator Leahy and ask Senator Jeffords to become an original co-sponsor.
NEW YORKERS – Clinton and Schumer need to sign on!
CONNECTICUT – Ask Lieberman and Dodd for their support!
RHODE ISLAND – Reed and Chafee should be on this bill!
MAINE – Help me convince Snowe and Collins that Leahy’s bill is the best for Maine and the nation!
MASSACHUSETTS – Kennedy and Kerry should have no excuses not to back up Leahy!
DELAWARE – Ditto for Carper and Biden!
NEW JERSEY – Lautenberg should be a slam dunk , but Corzine’s going to have some explaining to do if he doesn’t support something that will help his state and private lands.
NEW HAMPSHIRE – I know I’m dreaming, but I’d love to hear Sununu’s and Gregg’s rationalizations.
PENNSYLVANIA - Specter should stand up to defend an independent judiciary! Santorum …, well just give ol’ Rick a piece of your mind.
MORE DETAILS ON LEAHY BILL AND A SAMPLE LETTER
Cosponsor Drive Begins for the Forestry and Community Assistance Act (S. 1453): Please Call Your Senators Today
Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have introduced the "Forestry and Community Assistance Act of 2003" (S. 1453), which is based on the best available science on protecting homes, communities and municipal drinking water. S. 1453 provides funding and establishes programs for truly restoring forests and watersheds degraded by activities such as fire suppression, logging and road building, and funds watershed restoration work on State and Tribal lands. In direct contrast to the misnamed "Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003" (HR 1904), and the Bush Administration's so-called "Healthy Forests Initiative," the Forestry and Community Assistance Act protects forests that are currently healthy and resilient to fire such as roadless and old growth areas, which are threatened by logging and roadbuilding as a result of recent Bush Administration regulatory changes. Finally, S. 1453 does not interfere with the independent judiciary, does not cut the public out
of decisions affecting their public forests, and does not gut the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
TAKE ACTION: Please call your Senators today and ask them to become a co-sponsor of the Leahy/Boxer Forestry and Community Assistance Act (S. 1453).
You can reach your Senators by phone by calling the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
To look up your Senators' direct office phone numbers, faxes, or emails go to: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. Sample talking points and a sample letter to email or fax are pasted in below.
SAMPLE TALKING POINTS
The Forestry and Community Assistance Act (S.1453):
Protects Communities at Risk from Wildfire
· · S. 1453 protects Communities and their drinking water infrastructure by funding and prioritizing fuels reduction in the Community Protection Zone, the area directly around communities and municipal drinking water infrastructure, based on the best available Forest Service science.
· · S. 1453 wisely funds fuels reduction work on federal as well as state, tribal, and non-industrial private lands in the Community Protection Zone. Research has shown that over 85% of lands within the Community Protection Zone are on non-federal lands. In order to effectively protect communities, fuels reduction work must be accomplished on all lands surrounding the community regardless of their ownership.
Expedites Projects Around Communities, Keeps Environmental Laws Intact
· · S. 1453 expedites fuels reduction projects within the Community Protection Zone where the need is the greatest and least controversial.
· · S. 1453 does not interfere with the independent judiciary or change the standards of judicial review.
· · S. 1453 preserves the heart of the National Environmental Policy Act, upholds the Endangered Species Act for all activities, and preserves citizens' rights to engage in decisions affecting their public lands.
Protects Currently Healthy Forests
· · S. 1453 funds fuels reduction work rather than allowing the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to give healthy, fire resistant trees to the timber industry as payment instead of cash.
· · S. 1453 protects old growth and roadless areas, which contain the healthiest, most fire resilient forests on National Forest and BLM lands.
· · S. 1453 prohibits the taxpayer-subsidized construction of new or temporary forest roads. According to the Forest Service's own science, roads have been shown to increase the risk of fire, pollute watersheds, threaten wildlife and fish habitat, damage sensitive forest soils, and exacerbate future forest health restoration needs at taxpayers expense and the timber industry's profit.
Provides Funding for Forest and Watershed Restoration
· · S. 1453 authorizes $25 million per year for Land Grant Colleges, other Universities and 1890 Institutions to carry out research for preventing and controlling the introduction of exotic insects and diseases that threaten forests, expands existing efforts to detect newly introduced insects and diseases before they become too widespread, and expands programs to prevent and contain introductions of exotic insects found in U.S. ports via shipping and other pathways. (Title II)
· · S. 1453 establishes a watershed forestry assistance program to provide States and Indian tribes technical watershed restoration assistance on non-federal lands and dedicates grants to local watershed councils, private landowners and other non-profit organizations to implement and carry out important watershed protection and restoration work. (Title III)
· · S. 1453 establishes a forest restoration pilot program on National Forests and BLM lands by engaging American citizens in the forest restoration planning process through collaboration without undermining environmental laws. (Title III)
· · S. 1453 establishes a healthy forest reserve program on private lands designed to promote the recovery of threatened and endangered species, improve biodiversity, and enhance carbon sequestration without undermining the Endangered Species Act. (Title IV)
SAMPLE LETTER (TO FAX OR EMAIL TO YOUR SENATORS)
Dear Senator (insert name),
Very soon the Senate will be asked to vote on legislation that recently passed the House of Representatives entitled the "Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003" (HR 1904). I urge you to oppose HR 1904. The Bush Administration and many proponents of HR 1904 continue to dramatize last year's fire season in an attempt to advance timber industry proposals. Like the Bush Administration's falsely labeled "Healthy Forests Initiative," HR 1904 seeks to undermine environmental review, waive meaningful public participation, and interfere with our independent judiciary in order to favor big timber companies over community protection. For example, HR 1904, in an unprecedented attempt, changes the standard of judicial review to prevent courts from stopping harmful projects on lands managed by the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), thereby tipping the scales of justice to favor the timber industry and wiping out over a century of legal precedent.
There is a better way. Please co-sponsor the "Forestry and Community Assistance Act of 2003" (S. 1453) introduced recently by Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Boxer (D-CA). This common sense and balanced legislation provides the necessary funding to assist at-risk communities by thinning small diameter trees and brush in the Community Protection Zone directly around a community's structures and their drinking water supply systems. Instead of logging the largest, fire resistant trees far away from communities – which, according to the country's top forest scientists actually increases fire risk and makes fires larger and more intense -- S. 1453 focuses fuels reduction work immediately within this defensive Community Protection Zone. According to the Forest Service's own research, this approach is the only proven method to protect lives and homes and is the best use of taxpayer resources.
In addition and in contrast to HR 1904, the "Forestry and Community Assistance Act" (S. 1453) establishes and funds watershed and forest restoration programs without eliminating citizens' from the forest planning process and without gutting environmental laws. S. 1453 protects forests that are currently healthy and fire resilient such as old-growth and roadless areas, and prohibits road construction on these ecologically valuable lands. In summary, S. 1453 will save taxpayer dollars by prioritizing fuels reduction work where it will actually benefit communities, expedites fuels reduction projects directly around communities while retaining critical environmental safeguards and laws, keeps public lands in the public's hands, promotes and funds true watershed and forest health restoration, and protects pristine areas from logging and road building.
Please co-sponsor the "Forestry and Community Assistance Act (S. 1453). Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[First Name] [Last Name]
[Address]
[City], [State] [Zip]
For additional talking points and organizational materials please go to:
http://www.americanlands.org/august_organizing_packet.htm
Our forest campaign in the US needs your help before Sept 2nd:
Logging corporations and other natural resource companies could soon be able to plow, bulldoze and pillage through our national forests. The Bush administration is attempting to weaken the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, opening these areas to corporate interests. Our national forests are at risk. Click below to add your comments:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/index.fpl/10048/action_id/188.html
The US Forest Service has opened two public comment periods but time is of the essence. Find out more about the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and why it's important to keep the Bush Administration from giving away our forests:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/index.fpl/6880/article/520.html
Greenpeace is currently on tour in Southeast Alaska documenting and exposing the destruction of the crown jewel of our national forests, the Tongass. Visit our website for more information, photos and personal accounts of the voyage:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/endangeredfreedoms/
You can catch up with stories from the crew here:
http://weblog.greenpeaceusa.org/endangeredfreedoms/
Thanks for your help,
The US Forests team.
Your letters needed. In response to our petition, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering the Pacific
fisher for listing as an endangered species and will
be accepting comments until September 8, 2003. The
Pacific fisher is a rare forest carnivore that is threatened
by logging of old-growth forest in the Sierra Nevada
and the Pacific Northwes.
You can take action on this alert via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/fisher/
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about
this.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/fisher/forward/
We encourage you to take action by September 8, 2003
LETTERS NEEDED SUPPORTING PROTECTION FOR THE PACIFIC
FISHER
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/fisher/
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Wayne White
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am writing in support of listing the fisher (Martes
pennanti) as an endangered species in its west coast
range. The fisher has been decimated by logging of
old-growth forests and historic fur-trapping, and is
now gone from a majority of its historic range on the
west coast.
Although trapping of fisher has been banned in the
three west coast states for decades, the fisher has
not recovered. Logging on both private and federal
lands continues to fragment and destroy habitat, and
fisher continue to be incidentally trapped in snares
set for other furbearers.
Moreover, recent efforts by the Forest Service will
substantially undermine existing protections for the
fisher. These efforts include proposals to weaken forest
protections in the Sierra Nevada, to allow intensive
logging in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, and
to weaken survey and manage requirements and the Aquatic
Conservation Strategy in the Pacific Northwest. Such
efforts undermine the substantial gains that have been
made in the last decade towards protecting old-growth
forests and the species that depend on them, including
the fisher. These threats necessitate immediate protection
under the Endangered Species Act.
In sum, please protect the fisher, a truly beautiful
and unique animal, under the Endangered Species Act.
----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----
Sincerely,
--------------------------------------------------
If you received this message from a friend, you can
sign up for Center for Biological Diversity - Biodiversity
Activist at:
http://actionnetwork.org/BIODIVERSITY/join.html?r=udqAxC71Uu-bE
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Special Emergency Post:
For the past few years, many of you on this U'wa solidarity listserve
have tirelessly taken action to support their courageous struggle to
defend their lives, land, and culture, and to take a stand against the
ever-expanding tentacles of U.S. empire building and "war on terror"
that is exacerbating Colombia's already violent four-decade-long civil
war. The U'wa are currently working on a new communique and call to
action, appealing to the international community again to join them in
their renewed resistance to oil drilling plans slated not only for their
ancestral territory, but inside their titled "protected" reserve. Look
for their words and call to action next week.
In the meantime, another tragedy in the making is currently underway in
the rainforests of Colombia's neighbor, Peru. Like the U'wa struggle
against Big Oil, the indigenous peoples in Peru face a project that
threatens their very existence with big ties to the White House. A
temporary victory was achieved last week when the taxpayer funded U.S.
Export-Import Bank and International Development Bank delayed a vote on
whether to approve millions of dollars in loans to the controversial
project. But we need to let the companies involved know that we will
not let a U.S. company with deep ties to President Bush build a gas
pipeline and drilling platforms on land of uncontacted and isolated
indigenous peoples in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon! Please take a
moment to read the articles below and take action to urge Hunt Oil to
abandon plans to drill for natural gas on the reserve of Peru's
uncontacted indigenous peoples.
For more information, go to www.amazonwatch.org, or contact Kevin
Koenig, Amazon Campaign Coordinator, Amazon Watch at:
kevin@amazonwatch.org
If you wish to be taken off this listserve, please send a blank email
to:uwa_updates-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com
1.Amazon Watch Action Alert - Tell Hunt Oil: GET OUT Of
Uncontacted Peoples'Reserve!
2.Democracy Now! - Vote Looms for Financing of Gas Pipeline in
Peru
3.Independent-UK - Bush, the rainforest and a gas pipeline to
enrich his friends
4.The Washington Post - Pipeline Financing Vote Postponed
1. Amazon Watch Action Alert - Tell Hunt Oil: GET OUT Of Uncontacted
Peoples' Reserve!
WAY OF LIFE AT RISK AS DRILLING COMMENCES WITHIN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES'
LAST REFUGE
Hunt Oil Company of Texas is the majority investor in the highly
controversial Camisea Gas Project in the remote Peruvian Amazon, now
drilling in a Reserve for uncontacted indigenous peoples.
Uncontacted peoples have little immunity to outsider's diseases. Within
the Nahua-Kugapakori Reserve, an epidemic has recently affected the
entire Nanti population. Hunt Oil knew the risks but carried on
regardless. In the 1980's, 50 percent of the isolated Nahua people
already died from introduced diseases after coming into contact with
Shell Oil workers. Camisea Project representatives have forcibly
contacted isolated peoples, worsening the risk of disease and robbing
them of the right to chose their own way of life.
Indigenous organizations in Peru demand that the entire Project withdraw
from the Reserve before tragedy strikes.
Inside the Reserve, an entire culture could be wiped out. Outside the
Reserve, the Camisea Project is causing a major drop in the availability
fish and game, the main source of food for nearly 7,000 indigenous
people in the Lower Urubamba. Health workers fear that malnutrition is
threatening the lives of small children.
Hunt Oil, a company with close ties to President Bush and Vice-President
Cheney, is asking for millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer's monies from
the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) to fund this
destructive Project.
CALL OR SEND A LETTER TO HUNT CEO RAY L. HUNT! DEMAND THAT HUNT:
· Withdraw all operations permanently and completely from the
Nahua-Kugapakori Reserve
· Respect the rights of indigenous peoples affected by Camisea
EMAIL :
Steve Suellentrop, Hunt Vice-President for Camisea Project:
SSuellentrop@huntoil.com
Ray L Hunt
CEO, Hunt Oil Company
Fountain Place, 1445 Ross at Field, Suite 1400,
Dallas TX, 75202-2785
Fax: 214 978 8888
Tel: 214 978 8000
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Mr. Ray L. Hunt:
I urge Hunt Oil to permanently and completely withdrew all Camisea Gas
Project operations from the Nahua Kugapakori Reserve, home to highly
vulnerable indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation.
Currently 75 percent of the Project's gas wells are located within the
Reserve. The Project poses a terrible risk of spreading illness and
death among peoples with no immunity to outsider's diseases. When Shell
Oil explored for gas in the region in the 1980's, 50% of the uncontacted
Nahua population died from diseases introduced by workers.
In full knowledge of the potentially fatal outcome, the consortium led
by Hunt's partner Pluspetrol has sent search parties into the Reserve to
seek out uncontacted groups. Some communities are already suffering from
new introduced diseases.
I support the demand of indigenous organizations in Peru that oil and
gas development be halted and permanently removed within the territories
of indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation.
To avoid this tragedy in the making, Hunt Oil Company should take
immediate steps to protect life and culture by withdrawing from this
indigenous refuge.
Sincerely,
2. Democracy Now!
www.democracynow.org/article.plsid=03/08/05/156205&mode=thread&tid=25
Tuesday, August 5th, 2003
Vote Looms for Financing of Oil Pipeline in Peru
Listen to: Segment || Show
Watch 128k stream Watch 256k stream
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The main beneficiaries of the project are a subsidiary of Dick Cheney's
Halliburton and Hunt Oil Company, whose vice president was a top energy
advisor to George W. Bush. Construction of the pipeline is causing
forest erosion, landslides, spreading non-indigenous diseases, and
creating a shortage of food supplies in the region.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Two banks funded by US taxpayer dollars will soon decide whether to go
ahead with the Camisea Gas Project in Peru. Indigenous groups and
environmental activists call the project destructive and financially
unstable. The board of the Inter-American Development Bank is set to
vote tomorrow on whether to go ahead with a loan to finance the project.
The US Export Import Bank together with the IDB could provide 300
million dollars in loans to pave the way for financing the 1.6 billion
dollar project. The main beneficiaries of the project are two Texas oil
companies, Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Dick Cheney's
Halliburton and Hunt Oil Company, whose vice president was a top energy
advisor to George W. Bush.
Halliburton is lined up to get the billion-dollar contract for a
coastline processing facility and Hunt Oil is a primary partner in the
consortium of oil companies building the pipeline.
Two major investors in the Camisea Project, Citigroup and the Overseas
Private Investment Corporation, have already pulled out citing
environmental and financial concerns.
A consultant's report for the Export Import Bank, obtained through a
Freedom of Information request, reveals that the project violates the
bank's standards and that the environmental assessments are "woefully
inadequate." The US Agency for International Development issued a
statement opposing the project, and more than a dozen senators, led by
Patrick Leahy of Vermont, wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary John Snow
urging that the project be put on hold unless fundamental changes are
made and environmental damage is reversed.
With the pipeline 60-70% complete, a report out from Amazon Watch says
there is already significant damage to ecosystems and local indigenous
populations. Construction of the pipeline is causing forest erosion,
landslides, spreading non-indigenous diseases, and creating a shortage
of food supplies in the region.
Key pristine rainforests are affected, and an export terminal on the
coast would damage the vital Paracas Marine Reserve. A coalition of
indigenous, conservation, and other organizations in Peru are organizing
against the Camisea Project and in the US, environmental and human
rights groups are pushing EXIM and the IDB to postpone decisions on
funding until further review and public comment are undertaken.
a.. "The Camisea Project: Risky Business" excerpts from a documentary
film by Amazon Watch.
b.. Atossa Soltani, the President of Amazon Watch, which is
spearheading the international campaign to halt the Camisea Gas Project.
3. Independent-UK
Bush, the rainforest and a gas pipeline to enrich his friends
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
30 July 2003
President George Bush is seeking funds for a controversial project to
drive gas pipelines from pristine rainforests in the Peruvian Amazon to
the coast.
The plan will enrich some of Mr Bush's closest corporate campaign
contributors while risking the destruction of rainforest, threatening
its indigenous peoples and endangering rare species on the coast.
Among the beneficiaries would be two Texas energy companies with close
ties to the White House, Hunt Oil and Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), a
subsidiary of Vice-President Dick Cheney's old company, Haliburton,
which is rebuilding Iraq's oil infrastructure.
The pipeline slices through some of the most biologically diverse places
on earth. Their remoteness has preserved an extraordinarily rich
ecosystem in the coastal Paracas reserve, which is home to such rare
species as Humboldt penguins, sea lions and green sea turtles.
The Camisea natural gas project - with reserves of 13,000 billion cubic
feet of gas - has already scared off two big investors, Citigroup and
the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. According to an internal
report by the US Export Import Bank, obtained by the lobby group Amazon
Watch, proposals to mitigate the environmental impact of the project are
"woefully inadequate" and will lead to mudslides, destroy habitats and
spread diseases among indigenous peoples.
Friends of the Earth describes one threatened area as "one of the
world's most pristine tropical rainforests", home to the Nahua,
Kirineri, Nanti, Machiguenga and Yine indigenous groups. Past contact
between indigenous peoples and loggers has proven disastrous - 42 per
cent of the Nahua died from diseases contracted from outsiders in the
1980s.
Already, the project, which is 60 per cent complete, has run into
difficulties, including the kidnapping of 60 pipeline workers last week.
They were freed later by the Peruvian military.
Nevertheless, the Bush administration plans to approve financial support
for the project, possibly as early as this week, via both the US Export
Import Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The two
institutions, which are due to make their own final decisions in the
next couple of weeks, are expected to put up about $300m (£185m) in
loans and guarantees, which would in turn pave the way for financing the
rest of the $1.6bn project.
Ray Hunt, chairman of Hunt Oil, was a so-called "pioneer" who raised
more than $100,000 for Mr Bush in 2000. He and his wife recently gave
the maximum personal contribution to Mr Bush's re-election campaign.
Kellogg Brown & Root would not be involved in the pipeline but are well
placed to build a $1bn natural gas plant on the Peruvian coast if it
goes ahead. The ties linking KBR to Mr Cheney have prompted the same
charges of favouritism that surrounded the choice of Haliburton to
oversee Iraq's oil fields. The president of the Export Import Bank,
Philip Merrill, is a close associate of Mr Cheney. And the chief US
representative at the IDB, Jose Fourquet, is also a Bush "pioneer" who
helped mobilise Hispanic support in 2000.
The Camisea project has raised eyebrows in Washington as well as among
campaigners in the Amazon, not least because banks and governments
usually consider environmental impacts very carefully before approving
such ventures.
The US Agency for International Development is against the project and
several senior congressional leaders have urged the US Treasury to delay
a final decision until further reviews have taken place.
The Export Impact Bank's report conceded that key decisions were made
for economic reasons, that massive erosion had already occurred on the
pipeline route and that unique biodiversity faced "significant,
long-term and largely irreversible" deterioration. Three lobby groups -
Amazon Watch, Amazon Alliance and Environmental Defence - said last week
that the project was causing food shortages and disease in the Urubamba
valley.
The Bush administration is reticent about its plans but is keen to
exploit new sources of energy to reduce dependence on Middle Eastern
oil. Its ambition to open up the Alaskan reserve proved controversial,
and has so far been blocked by the US Congress.
4. The Washington Post
July 31, 2003, Thursday, Final Edition
SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A17
LENGTH: 335 words
HEADLINE: Pipeline Financing Vote Postponed
BYLINE: James V. Grimaldi, Washington Post Staff Writer
BODY:
Concerns about the impact on a Peruvian rain forest and coastal reserve
forced the Inter-American Development Bank yesterday to postpone for a
week a vote to finance a controversial $ 1.6 billion natural gas project
that involves two Texas energy companies with close ties to the White
House.
Members of Congress, worldwide environmental groups and some U.S.
officials had been urging the Bush administration to oppose the Camisea
natural gas system because it does not meet U.S. standards for
environmental protections on overseas projects.
IDB President Enrique Iglesias delayed the vote until Wednesday to allow
members of the bank's board to decide how they will vote, a bank
spokesman said. Bush administration officials have not decided if they
will support the project, a Treasury official said.
Hunt Oil Co., whose chairman, Ray L. Hunt, is a Bush fundraiser, has a
major stake in the project with partner Pluspetrol of Argentina.
Halliburton Co.'s Kellogg Brown & Root unit is a top candidate to build
a $ 1 billion liquefied natural gas plant on the Peruvian coast if Hunt
Oil moves forward on plans to export Camisea gas to the United States.
Vice President Cheney was CEO of Halliburton.
IDB and U.S. government officials said Treasury had notified the IDB
they were considering abstaining from the vote because of a federal law
that requires environmental assessments to be completed 120 days before
the United States votes on a multilateral development bank loan. The
U.S. Agency for International Development told Treasury that the Camisea
project did not meet that standard, according to a U.S. AID analysis.
The IDB staff proposes providing $ 75 million in direct financing and as
much as $ 100 million in indirect financing for the project. Approval
was expected to pave the way for at least $ 200 million in additional
low-interest private and public financing. Separately, the Export-Import
Bank of the United States is considering about $ 215 million in
financing.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bristol Bay, home to the world's premier walrus breeding
areas and a critical habitat for many fish, seabirds,
and sensitive marine mammals, is in danger of being
spoiled by oil drilling. Tell your senators and representative
to protect Bristol Bay!
***************************
Environmental Defense
take action for the environment...online
***************************
Take action or get more information:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/bristol2/
To take action via e-mail, see instructions below.
Spread the word:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/bristol2/forward/
Take action by November 18, 2003
-----------------------------------------------------------
Save Alaskan Wildlife from Oil Pollution
Alaska's beautiful and harsh Bristol Bay is home to
protected walruses, puffins, whales and important fishery
resources. Yet the oil industry has its eyes on the
area, and proposed legislation in Congress would open
Bristol Bay to offshore oil and gas drilling. A spill
in this region would spell disaster, as sea ice, fierce
storms, and rough ocean conditions would make cleanup
nearly impossible. Tell your senators and representative
to protect Bristol Bay.
Take action:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/bristol2/
-----------------------------------------------------------
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/bristol2/
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program.
You MUST Reply with "Send My Message" in the subject.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Your Congressperson
Your Senators
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I urge you to support continued protection for Alaska's
fishery-rich Bristol Bay, as Congress completes work
on the Interior Appropriations bill for fiscal year
2004. These protections have had bipartisan support
for 14 years, and both the House of Representatives
and the President have recommended continuation of
the offshore drilling moratorium for Bristol Bay. It
is time for the Senate to follow suit.
Bristol Bay is one of America's marine crown jewels,
and shelters the world's largest run of sockeye salmon.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has called Bristol
Bay the "single most important region of the U.S. Outer
Continental Shelf for the conservation of marine mammals
and endangered species and the protection and management
of fishery resources." As the tragic 1989 Exxon-Valdez
oil spill in Prince William Sound clearly demonstrated,
a spill in these Alaskan waters would be nearly impossible
to clean up. The risks to Bristol Bay's marine resources
and ecology far outweigh the minimal projected value
of its oil and gas.
Please continue congressional protection for Bristol
Bay, as recommended by the White House and the House
of Representatives.
Thank you.
----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----
Sincerely,
Help safeguard Greater Yellowstone's grizzly bears and their habitat!
Greater Yellowstone's grizzly bears need your help. Federal land managers
are considering a plan that will determine the fate of the bears' habitat.
Will measures be put in place to safeguard the last wild places for bears to
roam or will these last places be lost to more oil and gas development,
logging, roadbuilding and increasing off road vehicle use? You can make a
difference now by telling the Forest Service to protect the last best
grizzly bear habitat in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
We have tried to make commenting as easy as possible. Click on the
following link to send your coments online:
http://www.greateryellowstone.org/take-action/action-alerts/act_grizz.html
================================================================
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
Working to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations
MEMBERSHIP
By becoming a member of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition you can
help shape the future of the Greater Yellowstone region. Go to:
http://www.greateryellowstone.org/home_join.html
conference between the House and Senate. Last winter, the Bush administration successfully encouraged
the House to pass a Defense bill that waives major requirements of the
Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws for the military. If this
bill is passed into law, many species will suffer for example, the Navy has
targeted species protections in order to deploy new, high-powered sonar systems
that have already been linked to the deaths of dozens of whales and dolphins
that washed ashore, bleeding from the eyes and ears due to severe acoustic
trauma.
strip protections from the Tongass and
She, her family and
all of the Yellowstone packs have brought joy and awe to thousands of park
visitors. Today, threats to wolves like Promise are mounting. Secretary of the
Interior Gale Norton has already removed essential protections for wolves under
the Endangered Species Act. And states around Yellowstone are ready to unleash
deadly efforts that could wipe out wolf packs. You can help protect America's
wolves by "adopting" a wolf pup with a tax-deductible contribution. To
thank you for your special adoption gift of $25 or more, we'll send you our
popular plush wolf pup toy -- FREE. 
Federal officials have
designated three new areas in Florida where watercraft must operate at reduced
speeds, but manatee activists say the restrictions are too weak. Boats caused a
record high 95 manatee deaths last year, and conservationists feel more areas
need to be restricted to protect this species. The restricted areas are along
portions of the Caloosahatchee, Halifax and St. Johns rivers in northern
Florida. For more information or to get involved, visit
Defenders of
Wildlife, the Northern Jaguar Project and the Mexican conservation group
Naturalia purchased a 10,000-acre parcel of land in northern Sonora,
Mexico,
that forms the core of a jaguar preserve. This area is home to the northernmost
breeding population of jaguars in North America and scientists believe their
survival is crucial to the recovery of America's jaguar. The land is also home
to endangered ocelot, military macaw and a host of rare native plants and
animals.
