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Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response
Network:"
When we sent out this Action Alert last week, the two
addresses we gave got
garbled on some of your screens due to formatting
bugs.
Here's the Alert again, with the addresses
separated. Please join in this
effort to help the people of
Cajamarca, Peru, protect their watershed from
mining contamination, and
convince the World Bank and Newmont Mining
Corporation to require community
consent for mine expansion. Thanks for
your help in this
campaign. -- Paula
***************************************
GLOBAL RESPONSE ACTION ALERT #4/01
Stop Gold Mine Expansion / Peru
Sept-Oct 2001
***************************************
"We will
defend this water with our lives.”
-- Julio Marin,
President, Regional Coordinator
of
Watersheds Affected by Mining in Cajamarca (CORECAMI)
In less than
ten years, a rural agricultural and dairy producing region in
northern Peru
has been overwhelmed by a multinational mining operation whose
four open-pit
gold mines are the most profitable in all of South America.
Spread across
25,000 hectares (63,000 acres) of mountaintops, the Yanacocha
Mine is
already the world’s second-largest gold mine, and it intends to keep
growing. The joint-venture company owns mineral rights to an additional
125,000 hectares including Mount Quilish, the main source of water for the
city of Cajamarca.
At the mine sites, huge piles of low-grade ore
are soaked in a toxic cyanide
solution that leaches out the gold and silver
(see box). Although Yanacocha
managers claim cyanide and other
toxic metals cannot escape the mine site
into the watershed, mining expert
Dr. Robert Moran says, “all the sites I’ve
ever worked at experience some
degree of leakage.” Mine contamination has
already resulted in
three major fish kills in area rivers and trout farms.
“People are
troubled about their future and a heavy cloak of anxiety and
profound
concern darkens the spirit of the place and threatens any
meaningful sense
of well-being….There is general agreement that the current
situation in
Cajamarca is unsustainable from a social, economic, and
environmental
perspective,” states the report of an expert mission sent to
the region by
the Ombudsman’s Office of the International Finance
Corporation (IFC), the
private lending arm of the World Bank. The expert
team visited
Cajamarca in response to two formal complaints filed by
Cajamarca citizen
groups.
The first complaint demands investigation and reparations for
mercury
poisoning that affected up to 300 villagers in June
2000. The mercury
leaked from a Yanacocha Mine truck,
contaminating a 40-km. section of
highway, including three villages. The
second complaint demands company
accountability for many negative social,
economic, health and environmental
impacts on the community. Demands include
higher prices for land purchases,
public access to monitoring of water and
air quality, ecosystem
preservation, health services, and citizen
participation in all these
activities. Number One among these demands is no
further expansion.
Saving Mount Quilish (keeLEESH) is the greatest
concern for the city of
Cajamarca. Its 130,000 residents (plus
300,000 in the surrounding areas)
depend on water from Mount Quilish for
drinking and agriculture. The
Yanacocha Mine already owns almost
all of Mount Quilish and refuses to
relinquish its right to mine the
mountain. The IFC, which owns 5% of shares
in the Yanacocha Mine
and provides additional loans, also refuses to define
Mount Quilish
off-limits; it only says that Peruvian and IFC standards for
environmental
impact studies and public consultation will be applied.
For Cajamarca
citizens who are already embattled against the huge, powerful
mine, this is
insufficient assurance. They know the terrifying history of
toxic
spills at gold mines around the world, including the Romanian spill
this
year that killed fish along 250 miles of the Danube River and
tributaries. They know that similar indigenous communities in
Indonesia,
Nevada, Southern California and the Philippines are protesting
environmental
and human rights abuses of Newmont Mining Corporation, the
major shareholder
in the Yanacocha Mine.
REQUESTED
ACTION: A coalition of community defense committees in the
Cajamarca region is asking Global Response members to write to the IFC and
Newmont Mining Corporation, urging them to declare Mount Quilish off-limits
for mining, and to establish policies requiring the participation and
consent of affected communities.
**********************
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
**********************
CYANIDE HEAP LEACH
MINING – This toxic technology makes it possible to
recover gold from very
low-grade ores. Using massive equipment, the miners
dig huge open pits and
crush the rock. Then the ore is heaped on a liner and
sprayed with a dilute
cyanide solution. The cyanide bonds to gold. Miners
recover the
gold and recycle the cyanide solution to the next ore heap.
HOW
DANGEROUS IS IT? – Cyanide poisoning can occur through inhalation,
ingestion, skin or eye contact. In solid form at the size of a
grain of
rice it is lethal to humans; small concentrations kill fish, birds
and
mammals. In the leaching process, cyanide also dissolves
toxic metals such
as arsenic, lead, zinc, uranium, mercury, and cadmium,
allowing them to
contaminate water and soils. Toxic metals accumulate in
living tissue and
are passed through the food chain, causing a host of
illnesses in animals
and humans, including cancer. Acid drainage
from mines continues to
contaminate water decades after the mines are
closed.
COMMUNITIES SAY NO – Citizens are starting to chalk up successes
in their
battles against irresponsible mining. In 1998, the state
of Montana, USA,
passed a ban on all new open pit cyanide process gold
mines. The same year,
the Turkish Supreme Court found in favor of citizens
who claimed that a gold
mine violated their right to a clean environment. In
Canada, citizens
successfully blocked the Windy Craggy gold mine, and in the
USA they stopped
the New World Gold Mine near Yellowstone National Park and
the Crown Jewel
Mine in Washington state. As in Peru, water quality was the
primary
consideration in these successful citizen battles.
WHAT'S
THAT ON YOUR FINGER? – Jewelry comprises about 85% of the gold
market. To produce one gold ring, five or six tons of ore may be
dug up,
crushed, soaked in cyanide, and dumped into tailings pits,
threatening
plant, animal and human life for miles downstream and downwind.
*********************
REQUESTED ACTION: Please send
polite letters to partners in the Yanacocha
mine: Newmont Mining Corporation
and the International Finance Corporation
(the office of the World Bank that
provides loans to the private sector).
· Urge them to commit to
Cajamarca citizens’ demand for no mining operations
on Mount Quilish, the
main source of drinking water for Cajamarca and the
surrounding agricultural
region;
· Demand that both Newmont and the IFC establish policies
requiring the
participation and consent of affected communities in decisions
about new
mine sites and mine expansion. They must comply with
the Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development which states: “…each
individual shall have
appropriate access to information concerning the
environment that is held by
public authorities, including information on
hazardous materials and
activities in their communities, and the opportunity
to participate in
decision-making processes” (Principle 10).
ADDRESSES:
Wayne Murdy, CEO
Newmont Mining Corporation
1700
Lincoln Street
Denver, CO 80203 USA
FAX: 303 837-6100
Peter
Woicke
Executive Vice President
International Finance Corporation
2121 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20433 USA
FAX:
202 974-4359
This Global Response Action was issued at the
request of and with
information provided by the Northern Peru Federation of
Women’s
Organizations, the Regional Coordinator of Watersheds Affected by
Mining in
Cajamarca, the Cajamarca State Federation of Women’s
Organizations, the
Cajamarca State Coordinator of Villages Affected by
Mining, Oxfam America,
Mineral Policy Center, and Project Underground.
Special thanks to George
Blevins for his drawing. For excellent
information about mining and citizen
action campaigns, see these websites:
www.mineralpolicy.org; www.moles.org;
www.newmont.com;
www.ifc.org/cao; www.oxfamamerica.org;
www.globalresponse.org
********************************
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Global Response
PO Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306
Tel. 303-444-0306
Fax. 303-449-9794
Website: www.globalresponse.org
Mission: Global Response empowers people of all ages,
cultures, and
nationalities to protect the environment by creating
partnerships for
effective citizen action. At the request of
indigenous peoples and
grassroots organizations, Global Response organizes
international
letter-writing campaigns to help communities prevent
environmental
destruction. Global Response involves young people
as well as adults in
these campaigns, to develop in them the values and
skills for global citizen
cooperation and earth stewardship.
NEW! Now you can make donations online at: www.globalresponse.org .
HELP SAVE THE OGIEK'S HOME
On October 4th,
the Ogiek, an indigenous people living in Kenya's Mau
Forest, will once
again face the Kenyan government in court to defend the
land that has been
their home for centuries. The government is forcing the
Ogiek out of the
forest allegedly to protect the environment. But the only
environmental
threat to the forest is the logging companies permitted by
the government to
cut down the forest's trees.
The Ogiek needs as much support as possible
and it is easy to express
yours. Just log onto the Ogiek website
(www.ogiek.org) to send an
electronic protest letter to Kenyan government
officials. It only takes
seconds to help save a home created over
centuries.
For more information: www.ogiek.org
Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response
Network:"
This calls for a VERY quick response from members in the U.S.:
please make
phone calls to your senators TODAY. This Alert is
circulated by the
Indigenous Environmental Network.
ACTION
ALERT ACTION
ALERT ACTION
ALERT
Senator James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, has filed
amendments to
the Defense Authorization bill that would mandate drilling in
the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge and other sensitive areas. Both
amendments
authorize new and harmful spending including at least $38 billion
in oil,
coal, nuclear and auto subsidies (the same that passed in the
controversial
House energy bill, H.R. 4, in early August). We must ensure
that both
amendments do not become attached to important national defense
legislation!
GWICH’IN NATION CALLS ON ALL SUPPORTERS TO TAKE URGENT
ACTION NOW TO PROTECT
ARCTIC REFUGE
“The fate of the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge is the fate of the Gwich'in
Nation. If the Arctic
Refuge is sacrificed to meet the high energy
consumption needs of the US,
the Gwich’in will not be able to continue our
ancestral way of life and pass
it on to our future generations as we have
since time
immemorial. We need the voice of all our supporters to defeat
this attack on the inherent fundamental human rights of the Gwich'in Nation.
Our traditional culture and way of life which is interconnected with the
Porcupine Caribou Herd to meet all our essential needs such as food,
clothing, tools, spirituality and social structure is at
stake. Speak out
now!” Statement from Faith Gemmill,
Gwich’in Steering Committee
The Gwich’in need your help now to defend
this sacred place from the
desperate attempts of industry and the White
house to violate the birthplace
and nursery of the Porcupine Caribou Herd,
the coastal plain of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. The
Gwich’in people consider this area sacred, in
their language they call it
Vadzaih googii vi dehk’it gwanlii which
translates to “The Sacred Place
Where Life Begins”.
This is an alarming impediment for protecting the
birthplace and nursery of
the Porcupine Caribou Herd, one of the few
remaining untouched ecosystems in
North America. With
Presidential approval a foregone conclusion, it is
absolutely necessary that
the senate block this short sighted and
destructive bill.
The Arctic
Refuge is facing its greatest threat ever, with many opponents
stacked up
against it: the White House, the oil industry, the Teamsters, and
the Alaska
delegation. Even our strongest allies in the Senate are under
enormous pressure to change their position.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION
The Defense Authorization bill appears to be scheduled for the Senate floor
this THIS AFTERNOON (Tuesday 9/25), with votes on different amendments
continuing into the evening and possibly Wednesday morning . Our goal is to
let our Senators' phones ring again - loud enough so that the Senate will
take measures to prevent both Inhofe amendments from being offered.Our
message is:
1. The country and
the Congress need to focus on the crisis at hand,
not on issues that divide
us and are controversial.
2. There is
plenty of time to debate energy policy in the Senate at a
later date.
3. The human rights of the Gwich’in
Athabascan Nation must be protected
in any U.S. measures or policy’s
undertaken.
Please Call your Senators' offices immediately:
Ask
them to oppose both Inhofe amendments to the Defense Authorization Bill,
along with any other to mandate drilling in America's Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. Please call ASAP.
You can obtain their Senator
contact information online by going to
http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm. Your
local phone book will have
contact information for their local
offices. Or you can call the capitol
switchboard at 202-224-3121
and ask for the local office number.
Wopida
tanka! Thanks.
Indigenous Environmental Network
PO
Box 485
Bemidji, MN 56619 USA
Tel: + 1 218 751 4967
Fax:
+ 1 218 751 0561
Email: ien@igc.org
Web: www.ienearth.org
********************************
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Global Response
PO Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306
Tel. 303-444-0306
Fax. 303-449-9794
Website: www.globalresponse.org
Mission: Global Response empowers people of all ages,
cultures, and
nationalities to protect the environment by creating
partnerships for
effective citizen action. At the request of
indigenous peoples and
grassroots organizations, Global Response organizes
international
letter-writing campaigns to help communities prevent
environmental
destruction. Global Response involves young people
as well as adults in
these campaigns, to develop in them the values and
skills for global citizen
cooperation and earth stewardship.
NEW! Now you can make donations online at:www.globalresponse.org.
To: All Activists
From:
Steve Holmer
Date:
September 25, 2001
Congress Prepares to Cast Critical Forest Votes
Congress is rapidly getting back in gear and is expected to take up a
number of
critical issues of concern to forest activists. Here is a
quick
rundown of what's coming up. Now is a great time to contact your
Representative and Senators about these issues. Thanks.
Energy Legislation in the Senate
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has announced plans to attach the House passed
Energy
bill (H.R. 4) to the Senate Defense Authorization bill. This
would
open the door to extensive new oil and gas developments on public
lands,
including Alaska's Arctic Wildlife Refuge. The vote could happen
as early
as today.
Please call right away to your Senators' Washington, DC offices at
202/224-3121. Leave a message asking your Senator to OPPOSE any
amendments that would destroy America's Arctic Refuge and national
wildlands. Tell them that we do not need to devastate our natural
heritage
to meet our national security or energy needs.
Interior Appropriations Conference Committee
The Interior Appropriations Conference Committee is expected to begin
next week
with a number of key issues still unresolved. Please contact
your Rep.
and Senators at 202/224-3121 and urge them to: 1) Support
removing
the Stewardship Contracting Rider from the Interior bill; 2)
Support
ending the fee demonstration program or at a minimum allow for
only a
one year extension with no expansion on the number of fee
locations; 3) Support directing all hazardous fuels funding to the
urban
wildlands interface zone; and 4) Support report language
directing
the agency to complete fire management plans.
Farm Bill on the House Floor - Rep. Kind to Offer Environmental
Amendment
The House Farm bill may also begin next week. Rep. Kind (D-WI) is
expected
to offer an environmental amendment to increase funding for
conservation programs and to eliminate stewardship contracting language.
This
"stewardship" would allow the Forest Service to give away
unlimited
amounts of trees to pay for projects until 2007. Please
contact
your Representative at 202/224-3121 and urge him/her to support
the Kind
amendment to the House Farm bill.
Fast Track Pushed in Wake of Tragedy
National Public Radio reported this morning that the Bush Administration
and its
Republican allies in Congress are preparing for votes on Fast
Track in
the coming weeks. They argue that America needs to stand
strong
behind the President, and support steps to strengthen the
faltering
U.S. economy. Please contact your Rep. and Senators at
202/224-3121 and urge them to oppose Fast Track authority which
threatens
both workers and the environment. Thanks.
Steve
Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American
Lands
726
7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org
In recent years manatee deaths resulting from collisions
with
watercraft have risen dramatically in Florida.
In
response the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
proposed
establishing new refuges and sanctuaries to
protect
the endangered manatee. No matter where you
live,
please respond to this alert and support the
establishment of these much-needed protections.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please
see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/save_manatees/wkwxs54v78xbbk
Please visit the web address below and tell your friends
about
this important campaign to protect manatees.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/save_manatees/forward/wkwxs54v78xbbk
We encourage you to take action by October 10, 2001
Florida's Manatees Need Your Help
----------------------
The FWS needs to hear from you on this issue by October
9. The
boating industry and many who fear restrictions
on
waterway use are writing letters opposing the proposal.
Manatees
need more protections now, and can be protected
while not
unduly restricting boating.
Background:
The West Indian Manatee is listed as endangered under
the U.S.
Endangered Species Act with just over 3,000
in the
United States, primarily Florida. Over the last
few years
manatee deaths resulting from collisions
with
watercraft have risen dramatically, with 160 deaths
from 1999
through 2000 alone.
To stem this rising trend of manatee deaths from motorboats
and
increase manatee protection the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service,
on August 10, 2001, proposed a rule establishing
new
refuges and sanctuaries in Florida waters. The
FWS has
proposed increasing the number of refuges and
sanctuaries for the manatees by establishing 16 additional
sites in
eight Florida counties. Sanctuaries, where
waterborne activities, including boating, would be
prohibited would be established at four areas in Hillsborough,
Pinellas,
and Citrus Counties. Manatee refuges, with
limited
or regulated waterborne activities-such as
seasonal
or year-round speed zones-would be designated
in
Pinellas, Sarasota, Charlotte, Desoto, Lee, and
Brevard
Counties.
The Problem:
Unfortunately, many essential areas where refuges and
sanctuaries are critical for protecting manatees were
overlooked or omitted from the list. While some of
the
proposed refuges and sanctuaries are well placed
and
essential to the protection of manatees, several,
according
to scientific data, are misplaced or duplicate
proposed
state zones. We need to increase protection
and focus
efforts, according to FWS own words, "at
those
locations that are most crucial to manatee recovery."
The FWS
should revise and expand its proposed rule
to
include these other critical areas.
The Solution:
We need to urge the FWS to establish refuges and sanctuaries
at those
locations that are most crucial to manatee
recovery.
We need to thank them for taking steps to
protect
manatees and encourage them to swiftly implement
and post
signs at these refuges and sanctuaries. Next,
we also
need let them know where additional sites are
critically needed! (See details in the sample letter.)
Please respond to this alert by October 9 and let the
U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service know that you support
strong
manatee protection at those sites that are most
crucial
to the species recovery while still allowing
reasonable use of the waterways by boaters.
For additional information, please contact: Jessica
Koelsch,
Florida Marine Wildlife Program Manager at
(727)
895-2188 or jkoelsch@oceanconservancyfl.org
----------------------
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/save_manatees/wkwxs54v78xbbk
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just
choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program,
and edit the letter below as you wish. Do
not
delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END
OF
LETTER-". Please do not add your name and address
to your
letter. Our system automatically does this
for
you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our
sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points
into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth
ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds
of unedited letters will still create a large
impact,
so please reply even if you don't have time
to
personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Mr.
Cameron Shaw
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS)
efforts
to protect endangered Florida manatees by establishing
additional sanctuaries and refuges. In recent years
manatee
deaths resulting from collisions with watercraft
have
increased significantly and these sanctuaries
and
refuges will increase protection for this endangered
species.
These measures should be based on sound science
and be
implemented in a way that protects manatees
while
allowing reasonable human use of Florida's waterways.
Unfortunately, many essential areas where refuges and
sanctuaries are critical for protecting manatees were
overlooked or omitted from your list. While some of
the
proposed refuges and sanctuaries are well placed
and
essential to the protection of manatees, several,
according
to scientific data, are misplaced or duplicate
proposed
state zones. While we support protecting manatees
in the
proposed sites, we need to increase protection
and focus
efforts, according to FWS own words, "at
those
locations that are most crucial to manatee recovery."
The FWS
should revise and expand its proposed rule
to
include these other critical areas.
I recommend that the Service establish protection at
the
Caloosahatchee River in Lee County, where watercraft
mortalities have already exceeded the total number
of
manatees killed last year, and Chokoloskee Bay in
Everglades National Park, where there are also high
levels of
watercraft caused manatee deaths. The FWS
should
also establish protections in areas where the
state has
recently weakened state rules protecting
manatees
or declined to extend protections without
scientific justification.
I commend the Service's proposal to establish refuges
and
sanctuaries in crucial sites such as Blue Waters
in Citrus
County, the water-ski area in Sarasota County
and the
Barge Canal and Sykes Creek in Brevard County.
However,
I disagree with your plan to delay designation
of all
but two of the refuges and sanctuaries until
December
2002, to give the state time to protect these
areas.
The manatee is a federally listed endangered
species
and needs protection now!
The Service should also review other proposed refuges
and
sanctuaries to ensure that real manatee protection
needs are
met without duplication of other agencies'
efforts
and without unduly restricting watercraft activities.
I thank you for considering my recommendations on the
proposed
establishment of much needed additional manatee
refuges
and sanctuaries in Florida waters.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
Sincerely yours,
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
September 27, 2001
Note: While NRDC was deeply saddened by the tragic events of
September
11th and continues to offer its deepest sympathies to all
those
affected, the need for our work, and our commitment to
protecting the health and well-being of our planet and its
inhabitants, remain strong. We are resuming our regular publication of
Legislative Watch with this issue, and include our sincerest wishes
that our
readers and their loved ones are all safe and well.
Contents:
1) Legislative Watch
2) About
Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
3) About
NRDC/How to Contact Us
The information in this bulletin is also available on our website at
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp.
The web version links to
the text
of bills and congressional web pages. To take action on these
and other
environmental issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action, where you can
use our online activism
tools or
subscribe to Earth Action, our biweekly activist bulletin.
1) LEGISLATIVE WATCH
This is a status report on congressional action on the environment. To
make new
or updated sections easy to find, we've highlighted them
with:
= N O T E
! =
9/27/01
Congress' legislative agenda has changed dramatically in the wake of
the 9/11
terrorist attacks. Although Congress will still complete all
appropriations bills, attention will now likely focus on a number of
bills
concerning economic recovery, anti-terrorism measures, and war
effort
support. In recent days, most members of Congress have made
efforts
to drop any contentious issues, including the energy bill,
from the
agenda, but how long this spirit of compromise and consensus
will last
is uncertain.
...
Budget/Appropriations
= N O T E ! =
By 9/25,
both the House and Senate approved a continuing resolution to
provide
stop-gap funding through 10/16, H.J.Res. 65. This will keep
the
federal government running in October so that appropriations bills
can be
completed and signed (several more of these continuing
resolutions likely will be necessary). Conferees have been appointed
to
resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of
funding
bills for the Interior Department, the Energy Department, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and energy and water infrastructure
projects.
Funding may be cut in several of these areas to pay for
increased
military and other security expenditures.
= N O T E ! =
On 9/13,
the Senate approved S. 1215, its bill for next year's funding
of the
departments of Commerce, Justice, and State. Although the
Senate
included just over $3 billion for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (which manages ocean, coastal and fisheries
programs), the Senate cut funds for addressing polluted coastal
runoff.
The Senate, however, improved language in the bill that could
have
hindered federal efforts to develop a system of protected marine
areas.
The House approved its version of the funding bill (H.R. 2500)
on 7/18.
= N O T E ! =
The next
funding bill the Senate will likely consider is the Foreign
Operations funding bill. The House approved its Foreign Operations
funding
bill, H.R. 2506, on 7/24. The bill includes a $25 million cut
in funds
for the Global Environment Facility, which provides grants
for
projects that combat global warming and promote sustainable
development worldwide. Funding for the GEF in the Senate bill reported
out of
committee has been increased only slightly above last year's
levels.
The Senate is also poised to tackle the Agriculture department funding
bill, S.
1191. On 7/11, the House approved the fiscal year 2002
funding
bill for the Agriculture department, H.R. 2330, by a vote of
414-16.
The bill does not contain funding for important wetlands
reserves,
wildlife habitat, and farmland conservation programs.
Environmentalists would like to fully fund these programs by adding
$650
million.
On 8/2, the Senate passed, by a vote of 94-5, its $7.75 billion EPA
funding
bill (S. 1216), which includes full funding for the agency's
federal
enforcement efforts. The bill was amended by Sen. Boxer (D-CA)
to
require the EPA to take immediate action to protect children from
arsenic
in drinking water. On 7/30, the House approved its $7.5
billion
EPA funding bill (H.R. 2620) after amending it to prevent the
Bush
administration from delaying or weakening the new tougher
arsenic-in-drinking-water standard issued in January by the Clinton
administration. Language that would have hindered efforts to address
global
warming was removed from the bill, but an amendment to restore
$25
million for the EPA's federal enforcement activities failed by a
vote of
188-214. Other provisions remaining in the House bill weaken
efforts
to provide protections against radon, pesticides, and
hazardous
wastes.
On 7/31, the Senate passed the $7.4 billion emergency agriculture
spending
bill (S. 1246) after removing over $500 million in funding
for
wetlands, wildlife and farmland protection that Democratic leaders
had
initially included in the bill.
On 7/19, the Senate passed the Energy and Water spending bill, which
includes
Sen. Stabenow's (D-MI) proposal to ban oil and gas drilling
in the
Great Lakes for two years. In committee, the Senate improved a
provision
inserted in the House bill by Rep. Latham (R-IA) that would
have
blocked efforts to save three endangered species on the Missouri
River by
preventing the federal government from releasing water in the
spring to
restore more natural conditions (the Senate compromise would
allow
water to be released in the spring). The House passed its
version
of the energy and water bill on 6/28 by a vote of 405-15.
Among its
troubling provisions, the bill authorizes $1 million in
studies
on an expensive California water project that would destroy
environmental resources while failing to provide funds for
environmental restoration.
On 7/12, the Senate approved $18.5 billion to fund the Interior
department and related agencies. The bill, H.R. 2217, includes a ban
on oil
and gas development in national monuments and bans funds for
even
studying oil and gas development in sensitive coastal waters. The
Senate
also rejected an effort by the House to prevent expanded
offshore
oil and gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and
provided
less funding for energy efficiency than the House bill, but
rejected
a move to override environmental protections for endangered
species
by depriving them of water from the Upper Klamath Lake. Also,
Sen.
Stevens (R-AK) added a provision to override a court decision
limiting
large cruise ships in Glacier Bay National Park. On 6/21, the
House
passed its version of the Interior bill by a vote of 376-32.
Bipartisan amendments were approved to reverse Bush administration
policies
that would have allowed oil and gas drilling within the
boundaries of national monuments, oil and gas development off the west
coast of
Florida, and mining on public lands.
On 7/12, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $60 billion for
transportation funding (S. 1178). On 6/26, the House approved its
transportation funding bill (H.R. 2299). For the first time in six
years,
this bill does not include language blocking the federal
government from considering whether vehicle fuel economy standards
should be
increased.
On 7/10, the Senate approved nearly $7 billion in supplemental funding
for
fiscal year 2001. This bill, S. 1077, contains $300 million in
financial
assistance for low-income households struggling with high
power
bills this summer. The House approved its version of the bill
(H.R.
2216) on 6/20.
For a step-by-step guide to our annual odyssey through resolutions,
reconciliations and appropriations, see NRDC's budget process fact
sheet (http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/fbudg.asp).
...
Clean Air and Energy
= N O T E ! =
Both
Senate and House committees have turned their focus to the
vulnerability of our energy sources to terrorist attacks. A new
subcommittee on terrorism was formed in the House, and energy
committee
members are being briefed on the ability of our electric
power,
oil and gas, and nuclear infrastructures to withstand attacks.
= N O T E ! =
Since
9/24, Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) has been trying to attach the entire
House
energy bill (H.R. 4) or Sen. Murkowski's (R-AK) energy bill (S.
388) as
an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill (S. 1438). The
amendment
would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling
and
provide massive and unwarranted subsidies to the oil, coal, gas,
and
nuclear industries. Strong opposition to Sen. Inhofe's proposed
amendment
has delayed the bill's passage for at least a week.
= N O T E ! =
Because
congressional attention is almost exclusively focused on
responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Sen. Bingaman (D-NM), chair
of the
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has temporarily
postponed
previously scheduled consideration of his energy bill but
continues
to hold meetings and hearings on energy infrastructure and
supply.
On 8/1 and 8/2, the committee agreed to include nearly $40
billion
in new energy research and development funding, including $4
billion
over 10 years to address climate change. The committee may
later
consider controversial issues such as drilling in the Arctic
National
Wildlife Refuge, tightening vehicle fuel efficiency
standards, increasing subsidies for nuclear power generation, and
electric
utility restructuring.
On 8/2, the House approved its version of an energy bill (H.R. 4) by a
vote of
240-189. The House passed four separate energy bills out of
four
different committees, and combined them into one bill of more
than 500
pages that does little to create a sound, balanced energy
policy.
Rather, the bill would provide tens of billions of dollars in
subsidies
to the coal, oil, gas and nuclear industries, open the
Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge and other sensitive areas to oil and
gas
drilling, weaken environmental protections for other public lands,
do little
to improve fuel economy standards, and starve renewable
energy
and energy efficiency programs of needed funding.
= N O T E ! =
Prior to
9/11, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Committee
began consideration of higher vehicle fuel economy
standards. On 8/2, Sen. Kerry (D-MA) held a hearing on the recent
National
Academy of Sciences report on the importance of raising fuel
economy
standards. The committee is expected to consider a bill (S.
804)
introduced by Senators Feinstein (D-CA), Snowe (R-ME), Schumer
(D-NY),
and Collins (R-ME), which seeks to tighten corporate fuel
economy
standards for sport utility vehicles and light trucks. The
bill
would require that SUVs and other light trucks increase fuel
economy
to 27.5 mpg by model year 2007, expand the current fuel
economy
standards to trucks weighing between 8,500-10,000 pounds by
2007, and
raise the fuel economy of the federal government's fleet by
6 mpg.
SUVs and light trucks currently use 43 percent more gasoline
per mile
than the average car. H.R. 1815 is the House companion bill.
= N O T E ! =
Next week
Sen. Jeffords, chair of the Environment and Public Works
Committee, will hold meetings with environmental groups, industry
representatives and government officials to discuss crafting a bill to
reduce
power plant emissions, including carbon dioxide. Sen. Jeffords
and Sen.
Lieberman (D-CT) have co-authored a bill, S. 556, that would
impose
mandatory cuts on carbon pollution; the House companion bill,
H.R.
1256, was introduced by Rep. Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. Waxman
(D-CA).
NRDC's report, A Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st Century
(http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp),
outlines the
components of an alternative energy policy -- one that can meet the
nation's
energy needs without destroying wilderness or rolling back
environmental safeguards.
...
Clean Water
= N O T E ! =
For the
next few weeks, the primary focus of the House Water Resources
Subcommittee will be drinking water infrastructure security. Hearings
are
likely.
= N O T E ! =
On 9/12,
the House Resources Committee approved H.R. 1989, the
Fisheries
Conservation Act of 2001, which reauthorizes funding through
2006 for
seven different fishery management laws.
= N O T E ! =
On 9/6,
the Senate Armed Services Committee approved President Bush's
nominee
Mike Parker to run the Army Corps of Engineers. The
Environment and Public Works Committee also must approve this
nomination. Environmental groups are concerned about positions that
Parker
has taken in the past that indicate he does not value the
environmental mission of the Corps.
= N O T E ! =
The House
Resources Committee is expected to consider, on 10/10, H.R.
1985,
Rep. Calvert's (R-CA) bill to reauthorize a federal and state
partnership in California that provides water for urban and
agricultural users, as well as for wildlife and habitat restoration.
Environmentalists oppose the Calvert bill because it would upset the
balance
of this critical partnership, and could jeopardize the
environmental restoration that was expected to result. The Calvert
bill
would allow the construction of new dams in California without
appropriate review, and could give agricultural water users priority
over the
environment. Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) also introduced a
reauthorization bill (S. 976), but is still modifying it after similar
concerns
were raised at a hearing. Rep. Miller (D-CA) has introduced a
bill,
H.R. 2404, which would reauthorize the program without harmful
anti-environment provisions. Environmentalists support the Miller
bill.
...
Enforcement
= N O T E ! =
Facing
strong opposition from Sen. Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Boxer
(D-CA),
Donald Schregardus withdrew his nomination to head the EPA's
enforcement office on 9/10. Among other issues, the former head of
Ohio's
environmental protection agency faced criticism for the state's
inadequate enforcement of many federal environmental laws.
...
Global Warming
On 8/2, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved a bill (S.
1008)
introduced by Sen. Byrd (D-WV) and Sen. Stevens (R-AK) that
creates a
framework for the United States to develop a comprehensive
program
to reduce pollution that contributes to global warming. The
bill also
provides more than $4 billion over 10 years for research to
develop
clean, alternative energy sources.
On 8/1, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the State
Department authorization bill, S. 1401. An amendment offered by Sen.
Kerry
(D-MA) that urges the administration to continue to engage in
international negotiations to reduce global warming pollution passed
unanimously. The Senate bill is similar to the House-approved bill to
reauthorize the State Department (H.R. 1646) that contains language,
added by
Rep. Menendez (D-NJ), which urges the United States to reduce
greenhouse gases and continue to participate in international
negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol.
...
International Environmental Protections
On 6/13, Rep. Crane (R-IL) introduced H.R. 2149, the Trade Promotion
Authority
Act of 2001. This bill grants the president "fast track," or
expedited, authority to negotiate new trade agreements. The bill
prevents
labor and environmental standards from being addressed,
however,
and allows trade rules to directly challenge legitimate
public
interest laws and regulations. The bill, supported by the Bush
administration, is similar to fast track legislation that was rejected
by
Congress in 1997 and 1998, except that it provides even fewer
positive
labor and environmental provisions, while offering more
restrictions on public safety and environmental protection. A broad
coalition
of public interest organizations opposes any fast track
legislation that does not adequately address environmental, labor, and
social
justice issues.
...
Public Lands
= N O T E ! =
On 8/17,
President Bush signed into law H.R. 2131, a noncontroversial
bill
introduced by Rep. Portman (R-OH) that reauthorizes a "debt for
nature"
swap program that allows other countries to apply debt
payments
to projects aimed at saving tropical forests.
On 7/31, the House National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee
approved
the National Monument Fairness Act of 2001 (H.R. 2114), a
bill
seeking to curb the president's ability to either designate new
national
monuments or expand existing national monuments under the
1906
Antiquities Act. This bill, which would require congressional
approval
for monuments over 50,000 acres in size, is opposed by the
environmental community because it would hinder swift presidential
action to
protect important public resources that are threatened by
development.
On 7/25, the House Resources Committee approved the controversial
Conservation and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 701). CARA would provide
funding
for state and federal conservation and wildlife initiatives,
however,
environmentalists do not support the bill in its present form
because
it could create significant incentives for oil and gas
drilling
off Alaska's coast. It also fails to ensure that the funds it
makes
available would be used for environmental projects rather than
for roads
and infrastructure. Moreover, a funding deal negotiated last
year by
the Clinton administration and Rep. Dicks (D-WA) achieves many
of CARA's
positive goals without the anti-environment provisions.
...
For information on the environmental voting records of members of
Congress,
see the League of Conservation Voter's National
Environmental Scorecards at http://www.lcv.org/scorecards/index.htm
...........
2) About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
NRDC distributes three bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all
of them
or to join our activist networks, go to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp.
If you
already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or
update
your email address or other information, go to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor
(or see the unsubscribe
information below).
EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and calls out urgent environmental
issues
requiring immediate action. To unsubscribe from Earth Action,
send an
email message to earthaction@nrdcaction.org with
REMOVE in the
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LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in session and
tracks
environmental bills moving through the federal legislature. To
unsubscribe from Legislative Watch, send an email message to
legwatch@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in
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The CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT is distributed monthly to
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tools to
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...........
3) About NRDC/How to Contact Us
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to
protect
the planet's wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and
healthy
environment for all living things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
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10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General
information: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Email
subscription questions: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
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Also visit:
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-- Saving Endangered Wild Places
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http://www.savebiogems.org
