home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

Environment Action
Alerts for March 1 - 7 2000

mountain gorilla preserve attack                victory over Mitsibishi               Wilderness Society News Updates

endangered mountain gorillas poached      greenpeace-Frontier News         Greenpeace-Hands off Barent Sea!

greenpeace activist arrest                           greenpeace-ice camp                 environmental activists murdered
                                                                              
nrdc earthhsmart bulletin                            Solidarity Day for U'wa               Maheshwar Dam in India

 Save Pacific Salmon from Extinction                      TV news broadcast slams Gore            CMC applauds Mexico for not
                                                                                                                                                            building world's biggest salt factory

from African Wildlife Foundation March 1, 2000 http://www.awf.org/news/news97.html      http://www.awf.org/

from African Wildlife Foundation Sept 17, 1998

History of Poached - Endangered Mountain Gorillas

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 17, 1998

CONTACT: Katie Frohardt, (202)939-3340, (202)588-7528 Rebecca Villarreal, (202) 939-3344

"Gasigwa" - AWF Photo

"Birori" - AWF Photo

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from Greenpeace March 1, 2000

BP AMOCO IGNORES MESSAGE FROM
        ‘POLAR BEARS’

        Activists arrested presenting case against company’s
                    Arctic offshore oil drilling.

CHICAGO, March 1, 2000—Six Greenpeace activists (and
four “polar bears”) were arrested today at the BP Amoco
headquarters after they constructed a renewable energy
camp to spotlight the company’s complicity in the global
warming crisis that is destroying polar bear habitat. Just
after the activists delivered to the company a video
message from a sister camp stationed near BP Amoco’s
Arctic oil site, the activists were removed in a paddy wagon
and the camp was dismantled and confiscated by police.

“We tried to engage the company executives in a dialogue,
but they weren’t prepared to meet with us,” said
Greenpeace climate specialist Iain MacGill. “While we are
disappointed, we are not surprised that they are doing there
best to avoid facing up to the reality of global warming.
These company executives are smart, and they know by
now that their Arctic oil plans fuel global warming and
directly risk the fragile Arctic environment.”

The Greenpeace activists created the protest camp at BP
Amoco headquarters just two days after it established Ice
Camp Sirius on the frozen Arctic Ocean near the site where
BP Amoco intends to build its controversial Northstar
offshore oil facility. If allowed to proceed, the BP Amoco
project will open a new frontier for oil drilling in the Arctic.

The purpose of the Chicago camp was to bring “ground
zero” for global warming—the Arctic—to BP Amoco’s
doorstep and to call on the company to abandon Northstar
and reinvest the money in mass production of solar
technology. “The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere
else on the planet, three to five times the global rate” said
Dan Ritzman, Greenpeace spokesperson, from the Arctic
Ice Camp. “BP Amoco promotes itself as a green oil
company concerned about global warming, yet it continues
to drill in new oil frontiers.”

Ice Camp Sirius is also powered by wind and solar energy
sources—an overt challenge to BP Amoco to make good on
its claim that it will push ahead with solar power.
Greenpeace activists will use the camp to keep close watch
on Northstar activities. The camp also provides Greenpeace
a platform for gathering support for a BP Amoco
shareholder resolution that calls on the company to pull out
of Northstar and reinvest the savings in its solar division.
The resolution will be voted on at the company’s annual
general meeting April 13.


----------------------------------------------
Greenpeace Arctic Activists List
NO NEW OIL
http://greenpeace.org/arctic

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from NRDC March 2, 2000

Natural Resources Defense Council's

EARTHSMARTCARS BULLETIN

NRDC's earthsmartcars campaign aims to convince U.S. automakers that the
key to cleaner cars (or "earthsmartcars," as we call them) is new
technologies. Just as computers have transformed the world, technology can
transform the auto industry.

March 2, 2000

******************************************
Contents

1) EARTHSMARTCARS CAMPAIGN UPDATE

2) NEWS: CLEAN CAR PROGRESS AND SETBACKS

a) Gas-Guzzling Vehicles Driving up Oil Prices?
b) California Rules to Cut Pollution from Diesel Buses
c) Book Predicts Bright Future for Earthsmartcars
d) 'Compact' Car News

3) ABOUT OUR BULLETINS

4) ABOUT NRDC

******************************************

1) EARTHSMARTCARS CAMPAIGN UPDATE

This is a monthly progress report on NRDC's campaign to persuade major
automakers to bring clean, alternative cars-of-the-future to market today.

3/2/00

We've made huge strides in our campaign to persuade America's automakers to
produce hybrid gasoline-electric cars. With your help, NRDC so far has
collected more than 70,000 signatures to present America's automakers on
Earth Day, April 22, 2000. With less than two months to go in the campaign,
we need you to "go the extra mile" by using the Tell a Friend feature at
http://www.nrdc.org/earthsmartcars to encourage your friends, family and
colleagues to sign our earthsmartcars pledge.

Earthsmartcars campaign victories:

Your voice is being heard! When we began this campaign last spring, we met
with top executives of the Ford Motor Company to convince them that
Americans want affordable, low-polluting hybrid-electric vehicles available
for lease or purchase as soon as possible. They told us that hybrids were a
lower research and development priority than other cars, and that Ford
would introduce a hybrid-electric vehicle at some unspecified point in the
future. Ford's engineers also tried to convince us that diesels -- which
are more fuel-efficient, but dirtier -- were a good alternative. We made it
clear that this was an unacceptable trade-off.

We are very pleased that Ford has recently announced that it will produce a
line of hybrid-electric cars in 2003 and the North American models will be
powered by a combination of a gasoline engine and electric batteries. The
company has created a website (http://www.ford.com/content/hev/) to collect
input on features you'd like to see in your "earthsmartcars." Please let
Ford know what you think and help us keep the pressure on.

Keyspan Energy and Portland General Electric have joined NRDC's
earthsmartcars campaign by indicating their desire to purchase hybrids and
other clean-technology vehicles. Keyspan, a holding company for major
electric utilities like Brooklyn Union, has a corporate fleet of 2,757
vehicles and sees purchasing "earthsmartcars" as a means to reduce
emissions that cause pollution and contribute to global warming. PGE sees
the use of cleaner vehicles as part of its long-standing commitment to
protecting the environment and the health of local communities, and has
already begun adding alternative vehicles to its fleet. NRDC commends
Keyspan and PGE for their support of earthsmartcars. You can support
earthsmartcars by encouraging your local utility or other fleet owners in
your area to join the campaign. For guidance in helping companies achieve
"earthsmart" fleets, contact Shawna Friedman at sfriedman@nrdc.org.

...........

2) NEWS: CLEAN CAR PROGRESS AND SETBACKS

Gas-Guzzling Vehicles Driving up Oil Prices?

As gasoline and heating oil prices soared this winter, fingers were pointed
at OPEC and its constraints on production. However, the real culprit might
be Americans' growing demand for fuel to power their monster SUVs. In the
1990s, purchases of SUVs tripled from 6 percent to 19 percent while the
percentage of compact cars purchased dropped from 20 percent to 13 percent.
The number of midsize cars also declined. Combining this with the fact that
Americans are driving more each year, our gas consumption has jumped 25
percent since 1990, and now stands at over 2 billion barrels a day, keeping
us dangerously dependent on foreign oil.

...

California Rules to Cut Pollution from Diesel Buses

Smoke-spewing transit buses must disappear from California's streets and
highways over the next several years under a far-reaching regulation
unanimously adopted on February 24th by California's Air Resources Board.

The board's decision requires all new California transit buses to use
alternative fuels or new diesel fuels and technology that are well beyond
current technology. The new regulations -- the first in the nation to
mandate lower polluting buses -- are an initial step in a major new effort
by California officials to reduce the public's exposure to diesel exhaust.
Further, the rules will set the stage for new federal truck limits which we
will now push to match the low California bus limits.

The soot and gases expelled by diesel engines have been linked to lung
cancer, asthma attacks and other diseases. Some improvements in bus exhaust
will be immediate as transit agencies buy new vehicles. But the most
sweeping changes begin in four years, when new buses must meet tough new
standards for soot. The regulations are designed to reduce diesel soot from
new transit buses by 80 percent in 2004 and require old buses to be
equipped with new pollution devices beginning in three years. The rule is a
major step forward in reducing pollution from harmful diesel buses, but
NRDC and other environmental and public health experts are continuing to
push transit agencies to make a switch to cleaner alternative fuel buses.

...

Book Predicts Bright Future for Earthsmartcars

Driven by diverse factors including air pollution legislation, the threat
of global warming, and surprisingly active international competition,
American carmakers are slowly but surely waking up to the need for
clean-technology cars. In "Forward Drive: The Race to Build the Car of the
Future," author Jim Motavalli chronicles the history and future of the
coming "transportation revolution" that will bring us vehicles that promise
to "not only greatly reduce pollution but also to perform better, be more
reliable, cruise farther, and last much longer than anything the public has
ever seen."

Motavalli, who has been both a syndicated auto columnist and an
environmental reporter, examines the surprisingly long (dating back more
than 160 years) history of clean technology vehicles, detailing the impact
of gasoline automobiles, and looking at the future of clean-technology
vehicles. The book also analyzes the diverse political and financial forces
which influence the production of clean-technology vehicles, and predicts
that market forces are moving the United States into a clean-car era.

For more information on "Forward Drive," visit Amazon.com. If you buy the
book using the direct link below, NRDC will get 5%.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578050359/naturalresourc09

...

'Compact' Car News

* How many more big and bloated Global Warming Vehicles (aka SUVs) does
this planet need? Here's a fun and quick way to give your thumbs down to
the Ford Excursion (aka the "Ford Valdez"), the mother of all Global
Warming Vehicles.

Visit the website of the popular radio program "Car Talk" at
http://cartalk.cars.com/About/Worst-Cars/ballot.html and vote in the "Worst
Car of the Millennium" contest. The massive and polluting Ford Excursion is
one of the nominees; winning the title would send the message to Ford that
bigger doesn't necessarily mean better.

* If fuel cell technology is to fulfill its promise as a long-term power
plant replacement for cars, trucks, and buses, we'll need a cheap, easy way
to produce huge quantities of hydrogen gas. With that in mind, there's some
potentially good news.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science reported last month
that green algae, a plant that grows throughout our planet, has the ability
to convert water and sunlight into hydrogen gas, promising an almost
limitless source of cheap, non-polluting fuel. Hydrogen's only by-product
is water vapor.

* Car-free days are becoming a trend worldwide. In an effort to cut down on
air pollution, Rome and about 150 other Italian cities recently banned cars
from their centers, launching a campaign that will impose such bans on the
first Sunday of each month through May. People came out on foot, skates,
and bikes to enjoy the unusually quiet and clean streets. Many cities
offered free public transportation, and didn't charge entrance fees to
museums and archeological sites.

In related news, residents of Bogota went to work on bicycles,
roller-skates and even in horse-drawn carriages recently, as the city
observed a day-long ban on the use of private cars as part of an
environmental awareness program.

A festive atmosphere prevailed as residents of the city -- where an average
of nearly 1,100 people are killed in traffic accidents every year --
celebrated the fact that an estimated 665,600 private cars had been pulled
off the streets for a day. Most of the traffic fatalities in Bogota involve
pedestrians, who are run down at a rate that would be considered
intolerable in most cities around the globe.

...........

3) ABOUT OUR BULLETINS

This bulletin is distributed monthly by request to people who have joined
NRDC's earthsmartcars campaign by signing our petition urging automakers to
manufacture hybrid gasoline-electric cars. To sign the petition and receive
the bulletin, visit our website at http://www.nrdc.org/earthsmartcars. To
unsubscribe from EARTHSMARTCARS BULLETIN, send a blank email message to
leave-earthsmartcars@earth.lyris.net.

Other NRDC Bulletins:

EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and calls out urgent environmental issues
requiring individual action. To subscribe to EARTH ACTION, send a blank
email message from the email address at which you wish to receive the
bulletin to nrdc-action-subscribe@igc.topica.com. To unsubscribe from EARTH
ACTION, send a blank email message to
nrdc-action-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com.

LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in session and tracks
environmental bills moving through Congress. To subscribe to LEGISLATIVE
WATCH, send a blank email message from the email address at which you wish
to receive the bulletin to nrdc-news-subscribe@igc.topica.com. To
unsubscribe from LEGISLATIVE WATCH, send a blank email message to
nrdc-news-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com.

CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT is distributed bimonthly to
members of NRDC's California Activist Network and provides action tools to
Californians and others concerned with protecting the state's natural
resources and the health of its citizens. To join the network, visit NRDC's
Save Wild California website at http://www.nrdc.org/wildcalifornia or send
an email message to join-california-activist-network@earth.lyris.net. To
unsubscribe, send a message to
leave-california-activist-network@earth.lyris.net.

...........

4) ABOUT NRDC

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a non-profit environmental
organization with 400,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists,
attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the world's
natural resources and improve the quality of the human environment.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-2700
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earthsmartcars email: earthsmartcars@nrdc.org

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from IFAW March 3, 2000

We've done it!  With your help, IFAW has succeeded
in our campaign to save Laguna San Ignacio and the
Baja whale sanctuary! Your action through our online
campaign has had an incredible impact!  Read the full
scoop at http://www.savebajawhales.com/index.html?victory

Late yesterday, in a joint statement, Ernest Zedillo,
President of Mexico, and James Brumm, V.P. of North
American Operations for the Mitsubishi Corporation,
announced [at a press conference in Mexico City] that
their longstanding plans to build the world's largest
salt plant at Laguna San Ignacio, in Baja California Sur,
Mexico, are cancelled.

Your activism was instrumental in influencing
Mitsubishi's change in plans.  IFAW applauds Mitsubishi's
turnaround from environmental outlaw to environmental
champion, and we want to show our support of their
decision by thanking them for doing the right thing.  
Please return to the savebajawhales site now to send a
quick note of thanks to Mitsubishi and the President of
Mexico: http://www.savebajawhales.com/action/index.html?thanks

Your voice was pivotal in creating this chorus of protest.
More than a million people wrote to Mitsubishi to protest
the salt plant.  More than 40 California cities passed
resolutions against the proposed project and 15 mutual
funds played a critical role in persuading Mitsubishi to
cancel the plant. More than 30 leading scientists and a
coalition of environmental organizations, including IFAW,
NRDC and more than 50 others in Mexico, have shown that a
united effort can produce this sort of landmark result.

IFAW is committed to continuing our mission to protect
habitat for animals, stop commercial exploitation, and to
help animals in crisis and distress, and we need the help
of committed activists like you.  If you have not already
done so, we hope you will take a moment to become an IFAW
member.  Through IFAW, you can reach out to protect animals
from cruelty, to rescue animals in natural disasters, to
prevent commercial exploitation and trade of wildlife, and
to preserve safe places for animals to live. Your support
goes toward helping us execute critical campaigns just
like the Campaign to Save Laguna San Ignacio, and your
investment helps ensure the future of our planet for
everyone.  Please join us in our efforts today.  
http://www.savebajawhales.com/join.html?join

Thanks again for your part in this victory,

Jared Blumenfeld

Director of Habitat
International Fund for Animal Welfare
http://www.savebajawhales.com/index.html?victory

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from Rainforest Action Network March 3, 2000

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from Greenpeace March 4, 2000

Greenpeace UK publishes a weekly newsletter on Frontier Oil development,
and the main focus is the Northstar Project now that our ice camp is set up.
Here's a copy of today's issue for your interest.

Thanks to everyone who sent messages to our ice campers. Now that
they're settled in, have warm accomodation, and have installed the wind
turbines, this weekend they might have time to read them! You can still send
messages to this address or to stop.northstar@ams.greenpeace.org, and I'll
pass them on.

Kevin Jardine
Greenpeace International

******* Frontier News *******
Greenpeace UK's e-bulletin on fossil fuel issues
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk <http://www.greenpeace.org.uk>
Volume 2 Issue 3
2nd March 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS SET UP ARCTIC ICE CAMP
BP's "Northstar" now under surveillance
2. CHICAGO COPS BUST POLAR BEARS
US activists arrested presenting case against BP's Arctic drilling
3. UNTESTED TECHNOLOGY IN EXTREME CONDITIONS
BP's Northstar project backgrounder
4. DTI HINTS AT DATE FOR NEW OIL AND GAS LICENSING
Habitats Directive means next offshore carve-up not before the summer
5. CHINA'S SOLAR DEAL PUTS UK IN THE SHADE
Asian manufacturing industry boosted by African sun
6. TEXACO QUITS CLIMATE SCEPTICS GROUP
Climate lies "out of fashion" in corporate America
7. FREE "CHEER UP A BEAR" WINDOW STICKERS
Help stop BP's Arctic drilling
8. FRONTIER NEWS: Subscription details

*********************************************

1. GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS SET UP ARCTIC ICE CAMP
BP's "Northstar" now under surveillance
ALASKA, February 28, 2000 - Greenpeace volunteers set up an ice camp on
the frozen Arctic Ocean to investigate and monitor the construction of BP
Amoco's Northstar project, the first offshore oil rig to be built in the
Arctic Ocean.  Equipped with polar survival gear and communications
equipment, the eight volunteers, braving temperatures of minus 42 C, set
up camp just one mile from the controversial Northstar site.  The camp,
completed early on Monday morning, took two weeks to deploy due to the
extreme Arctic Winter.  It consists of two survival huts powered by five
wind turbines. Speaking from the camp, Dan Ritzman, Greenpeace climate
campaigner said: "We're here to highlight the threat BP poses to the
future of the Arctic. Our camp is on the frontline of global warming - the
Arctic is heating up faster than anywhere else on the planet.  The ice is
melting, polar bears are starving, yet BP is digging for new oil which
will only make the problem worse". The team will be sending regular
webcasts from the camp @
http://www.greenpeace.org/~climate/arctic99/indexb.html
<http://www.greenpeace.org/~climate/arctic99/indexb.html>  

2. CHICAGO COPS BUST POLAR BEARS
US activists arrested presenting case against BP's Arctic
drilling
CHICAGO, March 1, 2000 - Six Greenpeace activists and four "polar
bears" were arrested today at the BP Amoco headquarters after they
constructed a renewable energy camp in the grounds to spotlight the
company's complicity in the global warming crisis that is destroying polar
bear habitats in the Arctic. Just after the activists delivered a video
message from the Arctic ice camp stationed near BP's Northstar site, they
were removed and the camp dismantled and confiscated by police. BP
officials refused to discuss the threats Northstar poses to the fragile
Arctic environment.  Greenpeace climate specialist Iain MacGill said:
"While we are disappointed, we are not surprised that they are doing their
best to avoid facing up to the reality of global warming." Pictures of the
arrests @ http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/arctic/arrest.htm
<http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/arctic/arrest.htm>

3. UNTESTED TECHNOLOGY IN EXTREME CONDITIONS
BP's Northstar project backgrounder ALASKA - BP's
Northstar is no ordinary oil development. Northstar is the first offshore
drilling project in the Arctic Ocean, located in an area that is either
frozen solid or in broken sea ice conditions for around ten months of the
year. This winter, BP Amoco is beginning the first stage of the project by
building ice roads across the frozen ocean. BP will suck 45 million
gallons of water from the Kuparak river for this construction work,
without an analysis of environmental impacts. Some 50,000 truckloads of
gravel will then be hauled six miles offshore to create an artificial
island to house 30 wells and production facilities. BP will be using
technology that is untested in these extreme conditions. It will attempt
to bring oil ashore through a sea-bed pipeline that will be highly
susceptible to gouging by broken sea ice. US army engineers have estimated
that there is up to a one-in-four chance of a major spill from Northstar.
The long Arctic winter and severe conditions are likely to hamper both the
detection of oil spills and any clean up operation.  Oil spills would harm
polar bears, seals and endangered bowhead whales that migrate through the
area. Full briefing @
<http://www.greenpeace.org/~climate/arctic99/indexb.html
click on "the
facts" then scroll down to "Northstar" briefing

BP's view @
<http://www.bpamoco.com/alaska/index_nstar.htm

4. DTI HINTS AT DATE FOR NEW OIL AND GAS LICENSING Habitats
Directive means next offshore carve-up not before the summer

LONDON, February 28, 2000 - The Department of Trade and Industry has
responded to oil industry concerns about serious delays to the  next
Atlantic Frontier licensing round by indicating that it may be launched in
the summer. Last week's Frontier News reported that the oil lobby group
UKOOA feared the 19th round had slipped into the distant future. But on
Monday this week, a senior DTI civil servant told Greenpeace that the oil
and gas minister Helen Liddell MP would make "an announcement about the
19th licensing round this summer". This is the first time the Government's
position has shifted from it's defiant assertion, after the High Court
Judgement in November, that the Habitats Directive ruling would not delay
the launch scheduled for February or March this year. The new date gives
clearest indication yet of how long the DTI plans to take over the
implementation of the Directive.

5. CHINA'S SOLAR DEAL PUTS UK IN THE SHADE
Asian manufacturing industry boosted by African sun

CHINA, February 27, 2000 - Following a 1998 deal which provided solar
electricity to Zimbabwe's rural households, China is about to equip
Zimbabwe's capital city, Harare, with solar power.  Other African
countries are also reported to be interested in buying Chinese solar
technology. Already, China manufactures as many photovoltaic (PV) cells as
the UK. Another country emerging as a strong player is India, who produced
five times as much PV as the UK in 1999.  BP, one of the key manufacturers
in India, has no PV manufacturing capacity in the UK.

6. TEXACO QUITS CLIMATE SCEPTICS GROUP
Climate lies "out of fashion" in corporate America

WASHINGTON, February 29, 2000 - Texaco has become the first major US
oil company to leave the Global Climate Coalition, an industry group that
opposes action to reduce fossil fuel emissions.  Texaco said it is not
leaving the group because of any fundamental differences of opinion but
because it wanted to speak for itself and through other broader-based
organisations on the issue of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.
Oil giants BP Amoco and Shell left the group in 1998 and 1997
respectively. More recently Ford and DaimlerChrysler quit the group but
said they remained opposed to the mandatory curbs in greenhouse gas
emissions set out in the Kyoto treaty.  Christopher Ball of the Ozone
Action group in Washington, D.C. summed up the recent defections saying:
"It seems like lying about global warming has finally fallen out of
fashion in corporate America."

7. FREE "CHEER UP A BEAR" WINDOW STICKERS
Help stop BP's Arctic drilling Show your solidarity with threatened polar
bears, not to mention their cousins that have been arrested by the Chicago
police department (see above) by displaying a window sticker. The sticker
shows the head of a miserable bears with the text "Cheer up a bear - Stop
BP's Arctic drilling." To order a free sticker contact Greenpeace
supporter services on 0171 865 8100 or supporter@uk.greenpeace.org
<mailto:supporter@uk.greenpeace.org> "

8. FRONTIER NEWS: Subscription
details If you want to stay informed and continue to receive Frontier
News, do nothing. If you do not want to receive future copies of Frontier
News, send the following message to majordomo@xs2.greenpeace.org
<mailto:majordomo@xs2.greenpeace.org> unsubscribe frontier-news
Similarly,
if you wish to subscribe with different address, send the following
message: subscribe frontier-news [address] Frontier News is edited by
Matthew Spencer and produced by Tom Baker. It is written by Rob
Gueterbock, Matthew Spencer, Stephanie Tunmore, Ian Taylor and Tom
Baker.
Editorial queries to Owner-frontier-news@xs2.greenpeace.org
<mailto:Owner-frontier-news@xs2.greenpeace.org> Greenpeace UK
Canonbury
Villas London N1 2PN Tel: 020 7865 8100 Fax: 020 7865 8200
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk <http://www.greenpeace.org.uk>

----------------------------------------------
Greenpeace Arctic Activists List
NO NEW OIL
http://greenpeace.org/arctic

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from Greenpeace March 4, 2000

Here's a good article that ran a few days ago in a Fairbanks, Alaska
newspaper.

SOURCE: Fairbanks AK News-Miner - Print Circ 18,493
SUPPLIER: World Wide Web
DATE: 02-29-2000
HEADLINE: Greenpeace sets up camp on Beaufort ice

Article last updated:

Tuesday, February 29, 2000 5:43 AM MST

Protesters target Northstar project

By BRIAN O'DONOGHUE  

Staff Writer  

Greenpeace has erected a camp on the frozen Beaufort Sea in
hopes of calling attention to BP Amoco's $455 million development
of Northstar, the Arctic's first offshore oil field.  

"This is in keeping with the Quaker tenet of bearing witness," said
Greenpeace Alaska spokeswoman Melanie Duchin, outlining the
group's plans for using mobile satellite communications at Ice
Camp Sirius to distribute photographs and video of the oil
company's construction activity. The efforts of the Greenpeace
team may extend to civil disobedience, she said.  

"We want to show the world what this green oil company, or so
they portray themselves in Europe, is doing to the Arctic," said
Duchin, interviewed from the group's Anchorage headquarters.  

BP Exploration spokesman Ronnie Chappell said company
representatives have already visited the Greenpeace campers. The
eight-member group received a "safety briefing" on the nearby work
and were cautioned against foolishness.  

"We pointed out that we have a lot of very large gravel trucks
operating on ice roads where they can't stop on a dime," Chappell
said.  

BP, the state's largest oil producer, has hundreds of construction
workers installing pipelines ashore and racing to expand Seal
Island, a shifting formation located six miles into the sea, into a
permanent drilling platform. Gravel hauling and other work involving heavy
equipment must be finished before the coastal sea ice and tundra thaws in
late spring.  

When completed, the fortified island will support wells tapping
Northstar's 145-million barrel reservoir. Next month contractors
working from atop the seasonal ice are scheduled to begin laying a
pair of pipelines into a newly cut subsea trench.  

Greenpeace has long opposed Northstar, contending offshore oil
field development exposes polar bears, ring seals and other
denizens of an already harsh ecosystem to devastation from a spill
that industry is ill-prepared to clean up.  

The Greenpeace camp is located roughly a mile east of Seal
Island. Activists first set up camp near Reindeer Island on Feb. 12. They
were operating out of tents until Saturday when a DC-3 cargo plane
delivered two metal huts equipped with Toyo heaters and other equipment
supporting an extended stay out on the ice closer to the developing oil
field.  

"As soon as they can they'll be operating five wind generators to
power the place because that's what we believe in," Duchin said.  

Ice Camp Sirius represents an escalation of the environmental
group's continuing legal offensive against the Northstar project.  

BP built an ice road to Seal Island last winter hoping to expedite
the gravel work in preparation for early drilling. Greenpeace foiled that
play, stalling issuance of a required federal permit in court until the
company's $4 million investment melted away. Greenpeace still has several
other regulatory and procedural challenges working their way toward
decision in state and federal avenues of appeal.  

"We're juggling a lot of legal balls," Duchin said.  

Chappell said BP has obtained all the permits it needs to complete
planned work at Northstar. While no one expects trouble, he said,
the company is prepared to summon Alaska State Troopers or
North Slope Borough safety officers if protesters get in the way. He added
that the oil company supplied the activists with emergency numbers to call
if they get into trouble on the ice. "We want to make sure no one gets
hurt," Chappell said.  

The Northstar protest comes a month after Greenpeace members
dressed as polar bears paraded outside BP Amoco's headquarters
in London. A group of sympathetic stockholders has submitted a
petition opposing Northstar, placing the issue of Arctic Ocean
development on the agenda for BP Amoco's annual meeting. The
meeting is scheduled to take place in London on April 13.  


----------------------------------------------
Greenpeace Arctic Activists List
NO NEW OIL
http://greenpeace.org/arctic

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from Wilderness Society March 5, 2000

This month's e-bulletin features:

- Forest protestors bashed in East Gippsland: Wilderness Society calls on
Victorian Premier to abandon Regional Forest Agreement process

- Changing less than 30 jobs will save the South Coast forests of NSW

- Victorian National Party leader supports Queensland-style forest
agreement

- Tourism may save the tall trees of the Styx valley in Tasmania

- Judge slams Bunnings in 'cash for no comments' scandal

- Guide to environmentally-friendly copy paper now online

- East Gippland: Too precious to lose

- Other recent media releases

- Forthcoming events, including forest tours in Tasmania, and a forum on
the future of the Great Barrier Reef in Sydney

We will be returning to our usual practice of sending approximately 1-2
emails/month to this list.

If you would like to receive media releases and alerts more frequently
than this, please consider joining one or both of our new email lists.

- Join the media releases email list and receive Wilderness Society media
releases as soon as they are added to our website. To join the media
release list, visit http://www.wilderness.org.au/news and follow the
directions.

- Join the action alerts email list and receive Wilderness Society alerts
as soon as they are added to our website. To join the media release list,
visit http://www.wilderness.org.au/alerts and follow the directions.

Regards

Wilderness Society Web Team
Email: web@wilderness.org.au

______________________________________________________________________


Bracks Must Act to Stop Forest Bashings - Regional Forest Agreements Must
be Abandoned - 22 February 2000

______________________________________________________________________

 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000222_mr.html

State Premier Steve Bracks must scrap the failed Regional Forest Agreement
(RFA) process in Victoria following last night's vicious bashing of
forests protesters in East Gippsland. The bashing is the latest in an
escalating cycle of violence in Victoria's forests.  

Victorian Campaign Coordinator, Gavan McFadzean said; "The Wilderness
Society calls on the Premier to abandon the Howard Government's expensive
failure, the RFA process. Already the Howard government has poured $200
million into the failed RFA's."  

"Three years and millions of dollars of taxpayers money after the signing
of the East Gippsland RFA, the first in the country, jobs are still being
shed, old growth forests are still being clearfelled and social disharmony
is at an all time peak."  

"How much social divisiveness must regional Victoria endure before the
Bracks government will abandon the RFA's and work with the community to
find outcomes which protect forests and jobs?"  

"Still the Bracks government appears intent on signing two more of these
unwanted RFA's by March 31, for Gippsland and western Victoria."

"In the light of the escalating violence in the forests, and the terrible
employment and environmental legacy left by existing RFA's across the
state, we implore the Premier not to send Gippsland and Western Victoria
down the same path."  

"The only winners of the RFA are the woodchip barons and their supporters
in the Howard government. This was underlined yesterday when John Howard
rejected funding support for the Queensland Forest Agreement in a meeting
with Queensland Premier Peter Beattie."  

"This agreement is the only one in the country that has the support of
both loggers and conservationists and is based upon a phase out of logging
native forests."  

"I have called for an urgent meeting with the Premier to discuss the RFA
process and protect the community from vicious bashings of the sort
perpetrated last night."  

"The Wilderness Society also called upon the CFMEU to publicly distance
themselves from the actions of this 'basher gang."  

______________________________________________________________________


Changing less than 30 jobs will save the South Coast forests of NSW - 28
January 2000

______________________________________________________________________

 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000128_mr.html

Today's release by Government of the options for the NSW southern Regional
Forest Agreement has failed to tell the public one simple fact. All the
icon high conservation value forests in the South Coast could be
protected, along with an end to old growth logging and woodchipping, if
the environment movement Conservation Plan was instituted.

The conservation movement's plan would involve less than 30 workers
needing assistance into new careers, in industries such as the regions
booming plantation sector. According to the government's option paper, the
jobs lost would involve between 9 and 14 mill workers and 6 in the logging
and haulage sector.

The communities around Nowra, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay, Braidwood and
Narooma would benefit enormously from the protection of the icon forests
in the conservation movements plan. The south coast is one of the
best-loved holiday destinations and most important tourism regions in the
state. The conservation movement's plan would protect such community icon
forests as "Greater Murramurang" (adjoining Murramurang National Park)
Monga, Greater Conjola and Badja. These places protect the habitat of
dozens of threatened species, some of the States best natural catchments
and coastal lakes, and some of the best tourism locations in southern NSW.

Protection for the forests of the south coast would also assist in the
regions pre-eminent economic activity - tourism, which in the south coast
is largely based around nature and is worth a massive $911 million
annually. The conservation plan would also protect the regions water
supply, which is sourced almost entirely from forested catchments and is
worth over $800 million annually. The value of production from all the
native forest mills in the region is a pittance comparatively, at only $31
million per year.

Instead, 4 of the 5 options proposed by the Carr and Howard Governments
entrench woodchipping and old growth logging for the next 20 years. Three
of the five options actually increase and intensify the level of logging
during the next 20 years - by up to double the current long-term wood
supply agreements.

Earlier this month Mr Carr was passionate about protecting the
environment. He now has a chance to put that passion into action, by
taking the green option for the benefit of the people of NSW. Otherwise it
may be back to the blockades, protests on the street, and consumer action
to protect the South Coast Forests. It is clear which path the people of
NSW wish to take, and it is now up to Premier Carr to lead the way.


______________________________________________________________________


NSW ALP should follow lead of Victoria National Party - 04 February 2000

______________________________________________________________________

 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000204_mr2.html

The Wilderness Society today called on the NSW ALP to catch up with moves
by the Victorian National Party to abandon the RFA process and support a
Queensland-style Forest Agreement.

The call comes as the Victorian National Party leader, Peter Ryan, was
reported in yesterday's The Age newspaper to have "indicated support for
the approach taken in Queensland, where the Government, unions, timber
industry and conservationists agreed on an $80 million adjustment package
that included establishing plantations to phase the industry out of
[native] forests." *

The Victorian move follows the abandonment of the Regional Forest
Agreement (RFA) process in Western Australia by both the National Party
and the Labor Party, along with the Queensland Labor Government's non-RFA
Queensland Forest Agreement.

"The NSW ALP has fallen behind their counterparts in Queensland and
Western Australia, and the National Party in Western Australia and now
Victoria, in forest policy," said The Wilderness Society spokesperson
Marian Spencer.

"A wave of anti-RFA, anti-woodchipping, and anti-old growth logging
sentiment is sweeping the community and now political parties around
Australia. It is time the NSW Government caught up."

The Queensland Forest Agreement sees a more than doubling of the forest
reserve system; immediate protection for all old-growth, wilderness and
other high conservation value forests; and a phase-out of native forest
logging into plantations over a 25 year period. It was supported by the
timber industry and conservationists. It differs clearly from every RFA so
far completed in the country, which have all met with rejection by the
community.

* The Age, 3 February 2000, page 3.

______________________________________________________________________


Wilderness Society Welcomes Breakthrough On Styx Forest Tourism - 18
February 2000

______________________________________________________________________

 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000218_mr2.html

The Wilderness Society today welcomed a resolution from the Derwent Valley
Council last night asking Forestry Tasmania to delay logging in the tall
trees of the Styx Valley to allow negotiations about the area's tourism
potential to occur.

The Society's Tasmanian Campaign Coordinator, Geoff Law, described the
move as a breakthrough in getting recognition of the giant trees of the
Styx.

The motion, put forward by Mayor Tim Morris last night, resolved that "the
Council writes to Forestry Tasmania requesting that they delay logging in
the tall trees of the Styx Valley to allow negotiations for the tourism
potential of the area."

Forests threatened by logging in the Styx Valley include the area where
the Wilderness Society created the world's tallest-ever Christmas Tree
last December.

Mr Law said the Wilderness Society had taken 400 people on commercial
tours into the area since last November. Many others have visited the area
on private trips using maps provided by the Society.

______________________________________________________________________


Judge slams Bunnings in 'cash for no comments' scandal - 19 January 2000

______________________________________________________________________


Western Australian hardware and woodchipping giant, Wesfarmers Bunnings,
has received scathing criticism from a Queensland judge for use of 'the
cheque book' to gag community opposition to the construction of a new
hardware superstore in suburban Brisbane.

In what The Wilderness Society have dubbed the 'Cash for no comments'
affair, Justice Skoien of the Planning and Environment Court of Queensland
dismissed an appeal by Bunnings Building Supplies Pty Ltd to build a
hardware superstore in residential Capalaba. In his judgement the Judge
denounced business practices which were found to "gag potential opposing
submitters."

Last year the community of Capalaba in suburban Brisbane became incensed
by what they described as "Bunnings' arrogant attitude and tactics" in
attempting to establish a new hardware superstore in their quiet
residential precinct. After purchasing and demolishing nine residential
houses, Bunnings then applied to have the area rezoned from residential to
commercial and lodged plans to develop a 3.17 hectare hardware facility.
The ensuing community campaign against the superstore saw residents form
an alliance with The Wilderness Society after they discovered information
about the anti-woodchipping 'Buy-pass Bunnings' consumer campaign on the
Internet.

State Campaigner, David Mackenzie, said; "We could really relate to this
small community taking on a corporate giant. We were only too glad to put
them in touch with legal and environmental networks which were able to
assist their campaign. Whether it's community concerns about the logging
of old growth forests in WA or the development of a new hardware store in
suburban Brisbane, Bunnings has to learn that they can't just bulldoze
community concerns in the pursuit of profits."

In a result similar to that portrayed in the Australian film 'The Castle',
the residents, represented by law student, Stephen Keliher, took on the
might of giant Bunnings, represented by a QC. After months of campaigning
and five days in court, the Capalaba community stopped Bunnings' proposed
development.

In dismissing the appeal, not only did Justice Skoien find that the
proposed hardware would "seriously degrade the amenity of the residents of
the secluded and rather attractive Brewer St precinct". He also described
a practice which he deplored "in the strongest possible terms".

"Bunnings approached a large number of local residents and for a small sum
of money, obtained from many of them the option to purchase their
residence at ridiculously high prices. ...Each option contained a clause
whereby the  resident agreed not to object to the Bunnings' application.
...I am driven to the conclusion that there was never any intention to buy
any of the properties and the real reason for each option was to gag
potential opposing submitters."

He went on to say that such use of "the cheque book" by developers may
pervert the Council's "opportunity to assess the application in the light
of the informed attitude of interested parties".

Capalaba residents are aware that these 'options agreements' have been
entered into by Bunnings in the establishment of at least one other
superstore in Brisbane.

"We believe Bunnings' approach in Capalaba is similar to its approach to
forests in WA. Since Bunnings dominates the timber industry in WA,
producing all of WA's native forest woodchips and about half the sawn
timber, one has to wonder whether similar business practices are affecting
our old growth forests.

"This is especially the case in Bridgetown where the local residents have
objected very loudly to the logging of Hester Forest, and yet Bunnings
still intend to take chiplogs from this high conservation value forest
which is home to threatened wildlife such as the chuditch and red-tailed
black cockatoo.

"The revelation that Bunnings has used such tactics to silence community
concerns makes a mockery of the statement in the Wesfarmers 1998-99 Annual
Report that, "...we endeavour to respond to the attitudes and expectations
of the communities in which we operate...". Bunnings Building Supplies Pty
Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wesfarmers limited."

NB: The judgement by Justice Skoien is available by email or fax by
contacting The Wilderness Society's WA Campaign Centre.

______________________________________________________________________


Guide to Environmentally Friendly Photocopy Paper now online

______________________________________________________________________


The Wilderness Society's Victorian Centre has put it's guide to
environmentally-friendly photocopy paper online at
http://www.wilderness.org.au/projects/Victoria/paperguide.html

While the information on suppliers is Victorian-focussed, the guide
contains a lot of useful information on which brands of photocopy paper
are environmentally-friendly and worth buying, and which papers not to buy.

______________________________________________________________________


East Gipplsland: Too Precious to Lose

______________________________________________________________________

 http://www.wilderness.org.au/projects/Victoria/egippsland.html

The Wilderness Society's Victorian Campaign Centre has also recently put
online a beautifully-produced guide to East Gippsland's environmental
values, and why it is too precious to lose.

______________________________________________________________________


Other Media Releases

______________________________________________________________________

* The Wilderness Society opens up Styx Forest to motorists - 03 March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000303_mr2.html

* Better late than never ... but not if you're a Loggerhead! - 02 March
2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000302_mr.html

* Spiritual and religious leaders to visit Tasmania's Styx Forest - 01
March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000301_mr2.html

* Ben Lomond forest tours - a sight you won't see from the main roads! -
01 March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000301_mr.html

* ACT Labor Party and Greens Call for an end to Woodchipping and support
Conservation Reserve Proposals for the N.S.W. South Coast Forests - 18
February 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000218_mr.html

* Victorian Nationals leave Borbidge in the woods over forest policy - 04
February 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000204_mr.html

* Queensland's Dept. of Mines and Energy should shelve Cape York mining
plan - 31 January 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000131_mr.html

* Government destroys heritage of Hilliger Forest despite admitting it has
no idea of sustainability - 27 January 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000127_mr.html

* Liberals for Forests founder Dr Keith Woollard to visit Hobart - 26
January 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000126_mr.html  

* Battle for beautiful Boorara old growth forest begins - 24 January 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000124_mr.html  

* Tasmania to log an area of public land larger than Hobart's urban area
this year - 20 January 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000120_mr.html  

* Forest rescuers win a spectacular reprieve for Hilliger old growth
forest in WA - 11 January 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/20000111_mr.html  

* Forty forest rescuers stop old growth logging in WA's Darradup Forest -
04 January 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/news/media/200001104_mr.html  

______________________________________________________________________


Forthcoming Events

______________________________________________________________________


* [Tasmania] Public Meeting: Styx Forest - Tourism Goldmine or Woodchip
Wasteland? - 08 March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000308_styxpubm.html

* [Launceston] Ben Lomond Forest Tour - 12 March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000312_tour.html

* [Tasmania] Worship in the Styx Forest - 12 March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000312_styxlent.html

* [Launceston] International Forests slideshow - 21 March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000321_slideshow.html

* [Launceston] Ben Lomond Forest Tour - 26 March 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000326_tour.html

* [Launceston] Ben Lomond Forest Tour - 09 April 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000409_tour.html

* [Launceston] Winter Wanderings Talk & Slideshow - 11 April 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000411_talk.html

* [Launceston] Ben Lomond Forest Tour - 23 April 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000423_tour.html

* [Sydney] Staying Alive: The Future of the Reef - 06 May 2000
 http://www.wilderness.org.au/calendar/20000506_forum.html

______________________________________________________________________


This message comes to you from The Wilderness Society News List.

This is a free, low-volume, announcement-only email list, so you won't get
bombarded by messages from other people on the list. We expect to be
sending no more than 1 or 2 messages per month to this list.

The Wilderness Society is a national, community-based, environmental
advocacy organisation whose mission is to protect, promote and secure the
future of wilderness and other high conservation areas.

Since its formation in 1976, The Wilderness Society has protected over
five million hectares of wilderness in Australia, including Kakadu, the
Daintree, Kangaroo Island, south west Tasmania, Australia's sub-Antarctic
Islands and Shark Bay.

To take action on behalf of wilderness today, visit our website at
http://www.wilderness.org.au/

************************************************************************************************
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from Greenpeace March 6, 2000

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************

from Global Response March 7, 2000

Dear Members of Global Response's Quick Response Network:

Our friends at New England Biolabs Foundation are circulating this Emergency Action, which was issued by Guatemalan environmental organizations following the murders of two environmental activists last week.  Please send letters to the addresses given below.  Thanks.

URGENT CALL TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AROUND THE GLOBE, FOR SOLIDARITY

In response to the vile and cowardly assasination of two brave
conservationists, Erwin Aroldo Ochoa Lopez and Julio Armando Vasquez
Ramirez, which occurred this Tuesday, February 29th, in Puerto Barrios,
Guatemala, the environmental community of Guatemala requests your
immediate
support in:

- expressing your condemnation for the assasination of two exceptional
conservationists who risked their lives for the collective good, trying to
save Guatemala's natural resources;

- demanding an investigation by the Guatemalan authorities and that the
guilty parties be brought to justice, such that the actions do not go
unpunished;

- insisting that the Guatemalan government follow through on its campaign
promise to guarantee the personal security of citizens.  These bloody
incidents of violence and intolerance should not be repeated in this
country, which considers itself a democracy.

Both of these conservation colleagues worked for the National Protected
Areas Council (CONAP), which is similar to a National Park Service.  Erwin
Ochoa was the Legal Advisor to CONAP, and was in charge of investigating
more than 40 cases of environmental crimes perpetrated against protected
areas and natural resources in the Atlantic Zone of Guatemala.  Julio
Vasquez was the Administrative Assistant for CONAP in this region.

During its recent electoral campaign, the new Guatemalan administration
promised to provide safety for Guatemalan citizens.  The administration
should keep this promise, by showing that it is acting against crime,
violence and impunity.  Nevertheless, these bloody events show that
pressure
on the country's natural and cultural resources is increasing, and those
who
take action to defend these resources find themselves more and more
vulnerable to threats and attacks by looters.

Guatemalan society strongly condemns the murder of these two young people
who fought for a better world for future generations.

PLEASE help us to express to the Guatemalan government the international
community's condemnation of these horrendous acts and demand that they not
go unpunished!!

Please send faxes to the following people:

Lic. Alfonso Portillo
President of the Republic of Guatemala
Tel/Fax:  +(502) 221-4419

Lic. Adolfo Gonzalez Rodas
Attorney General of the Republic of Guatemala
Fax: +(502) 221-2718

Lic. Guillermo Ruiz Wong
Minister of the Interior, Republic of Guatemala
Fax:  +(502)362-0239

General Efrain Rios Montt
President, Guatemalan National Congress
Tel/Fax:  +(502)232-1260 to 69, x504

Ms. Patricia Quinto
Governor, Department of Izabal
Tel/Fax  +(502)948-7666


__________________________
Author of this Emergency Action:

Martine Kellett, Executive Director
New England Biolabs Foundation
32 Tozer Rd, Beverly, Ma 01915
Tel:(978)927-2404
Fax:(978)921-1350
e-Mail: kellett@nebf.org     web site: http://www.nebf.org

--------------------------------------
GLOBAL RESPONSE is an international letter-writing network of environmental
activists.  In partnership with indigenous, environmentalist and peace and
justice organizations around the world, GLOBAL RESPONSE develops "Actions"
that describe specific, urgent threats to the environment; each "Action"
asks members to write personal letters to individuals in the corporations,
governments or international organizations that have the power and
responsibility to take corrective action.  GR also issues "Young
Environmentalists' Actions" and "Eco-Club Actions" designed to educate and
motivate elementary and high school students to practice earth stewardship.

P.O. Box 7490 Phone: 303/444-0306
Boulder CO, USA 80306-7490 Fax:   303/449-9794

To receive Global Response "Actions" and "Emergency Actions" by email:
Send a blank message to: globresmembers-subscribe@igc.topica.com

Visit our website at: http://www.globalresponse.org

To unsubscribe from this email list, send a blank message to globresmembers-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com

_____________________________________________________________
Want to find the best email lists? Check out the Topica 20!
http://www.topica.com/topica20

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************

from Gobal Response March 7, 2000

Dear Members of Global Response's Quick Response Network:

Please read this update on the situation at the Maheshwar Dam in India (for
more information, see Global Response Action #6/99 "Stop Dam
Construction/Narmada River, India" on our website:  www.globalresponse.org)

Send your endorsement of International River Network's letter to US-based
Ogden Corporation to:
owner-irn-action@netvista.net

Or write your own letter to the Ogden address given below.

Thanks for your continued support of the people of the Narmada Valley.


URGENT ! URGENT !URGENT !URGENT !URGENT !URGENT !URGENT !

STOP OGDEN CORPORATION'S FINANCING OF MAHESHWAR DAM!
PLEASE ENDORSE THE FOLLOWING SIGN-ON LETTER!

US-based Ogden Corporation is considering purchasing a 49% equity share in
the Maheshwar Dam in India. Massive resistance against the project has
forced the withdrawal of 2 German companies and an American company in
recent years. On February 24, 2000, thousands of people in India launched
an indefinite protest to stop construction of the dam which would affect
35,000 people. There is clear evidence that no land is available for
resettlement.

We urge you to endorse the letter below to Ogden Corporation urging them to
withdraw from the project. If you are able to endorse the letter, please
send your name, affiliation and country to Susanne Wong at International
Rivers Network (swong@irn.org) BY MONDAY, MARCH 13.

Please do all you can to collect endorsements among your own networks.

Thank you for your time and apologies for cross-postings.

Susanne Wong
International Rivers Network

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

SIGN-ON LETTER TO OGDEN CORPORATION


March ?, 2000

Scott G. Mackin
President and CEO
Ogden Corporation
Two Pennsylvania Plaza
New York, NY 10121

Dear Mr. Mackin,

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, urge Ogden Corporation
to withdraw from the Maheshwar Dam in Madhya Pradesh, India.

The Maheshwar Dam would displace more than 35,000 farmers, wage laborers,
fishers and crafts people in 61 villages and submerge about 5,700 hectares
of rich agricultural lands. Independent investigations both by the Tata
Institute of Social Sciences and the German NGO Urgewald have found that
resettlement planning for this project is totally inadequate and that no
land is available to provide land-for-land resettlement as stipulated by
the Narmada Tribunal Award, the Madhya Pradesh rehabilitation policy, and
the statutory environmental clearance of the Ministry of Environment and
Forests.

The project is in clear violation of the conditions under which it received
its environmental and techno-economic clearances from the central
government. The conditional clearance given by the Environment Ministry on
January 7, 1994 stipulated that all people affected by Maheshwar must be
rehabilitated and resettled by 1997-1998. The clearance also stated that
the Environment Msinistry reserves the right to revoke the Environmental
Clearance of the Project (under the Environment Protection Act 1986) in
case of violation of the stipulated conditions.

The Madhya Pradesh government has admitted to the Supreme Court of India
that it has no land to resettle people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar
Project downstream of Maheshwar. People displaced by the Bargi and Tawa
Dams are still fighting for resettlement 10 and 25 years, respectively,
after the dams were completed. Based on the state's past performance, how
and where will the Madhya Pradesh goverment resettle people displaced by
the Maheshwar Dam?

The affected people, led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan which has campaigned
for 15 years to stop dams on the Narmada River, are determined that they
will never let the project be built. Over the last two years, thousands of
farmers whose lives and livelihoods will be destroyed by the Maheshwar Dam
have occupied the dam site nine times, barricaded all roads leading to the
dam for three months, and held mass demonstrations and hunger strikes
opposing the dam.

On February 24, 2000, several thousand people affected by the project began
an indefinite protest in front of the project office near Mandleshwar. The
protestors have vowed to remain there until the Indian government stops the
project and initiates a full review of alternatives.

Meanwhile, the project continues to be plagued by financial problems.
Electricity generated by the dam is projected to cost four to five times
more than current electricity produced by Madhya Pradesh. The Madhya
Pradesh Electricity Board, which is supposed to purchase power from the
project, is on the verge of bankruptcy and is likely to default on its
payments. Due to the project's serious financial risks and intense
opposition from local people and Indian and international environmental and
human rights groups, U.S. power utility PacifiCorp backed out of the
project in 1998, and German utilities Bayernwerk and VEW Energie pulled out
in April 1999.

The undersigned organizations are determined to support and publicize the
struggle of the villagers in the Narmada Valley. We call upon your company
to withdraw from Maheshwar and decline involvement in a project which is
based on the destruction of local peoples' livelihoods.

We look forward to your response to our concerns.

Endorsed by:

**IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ENDORSE THE LETTER, PLEASE SEND US THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION.

NAME:
AFFILIATION:
COUNTRY:





--------------------------------------
GLOBAL RESPONSE is an international letter-writing network of environmental
activists.  In partnership with indigenous, environmentalist and peace and
justice organizations around the world, GLOBAL RESPONSE develops "Actions"
that describe specific, urgent threats to the environment; each "Action"
asks members to write personal letters to individuals in the corporations,
governments or international organizations that have the power and
responsibility to take corrective action.  GR also issues "Young
Environmentalists' Actions" and "Eco-Club Actions" designed to educate and
motivate elementary and high school students to practice earth stewardship.

P.O. Box 7490 Phone: 303/444-0306
Boulder CO, USA 80306-7490 Fax:   303/449-9794

To receive Global Response "Actions" and "Emergency Actions" by email:
Send a blank message to: globresmembers-subscribe@igc.topica.com

Visit our website at: http://www.globalresponse.org

To unsubscribe from this email list, send a blank message to globresmembers-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com

_____________________________________________________________
Want to find the best email lists? Check out the Topica 20!
http://www.topica.com/topica20

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************

from Defenders of Wildlife March 7, 2000

DEN ALERT:
SAVE PACIFIC SALMON FROM EXTINCTION!

Two centuries ago, millions of wild salmon returned from the Pacific
Ocean each year fighting strong currents hundreds of miles inland
along Washington's Snake River to their spawning grounds in the
mountains of Oregon and Idaho. Today, only thousands of Snake River
salmon make that remarkable journey returning to the same stream
where they were born. Habitat degradation, competition from hatchery
fish, over-harvesting and the impact of dams on the natural hydrology
of rivers have resulted in all four Snake River salmon species
being listed under the Endangered Species Act. In fact, one species
has already gone extinct.

The Army Corps of Engineers is currently soliciting public comments
on the best way to save the endangered Snake River salmon.
Conservationists, state and federal scientists, fisherman, tribes
and Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber all agree that the removal of
four dams on the Lower Snake River is the most effective way to
prevent extinction of these salmon. Since the installation of the
last dam in 1975, Snake River salmon runs have declined by nearly 90
percent. The Army Corp's salmon decision will set an important
precedent for future salmon recovery efforts needed in California
and other states.  

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please take a minute to email the federal salmon managers and express
your support for salmon recovery before more species go extinct.
Please feel free to personalize the sample letter provided below.
Your comments must be received NO LATER THAN MARCH 31.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to the web, simply click on the link below which
will take you to the DEN Action Center web site:

http://www.denaction.org

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
If you do not have web access, you can still respond to this alert.
Simply, choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program.
Be sure to include the original message in your reply. Then edit the
message provided below or send it as is and press SEND. We will
automatically add your name to the letter and send it to the correct
e-mail address or fax number. You must include the whole letter in
your response starting with "==START OF LETTER==" and ending with
"==END OF LETTER==."  

We strongly encourage you to personalize your message by putting
the message in your own words or adding personal thoughts. A
personalized letter is viewed as more important than a computer-
generated one. However, hundreds of unedited letters will still
have a large impact. Therefore, please reply even if you don't have
time to personalize the letter.




==== START OF LETTER - ALERT 7 ==== DO NOT REMOVE THIS MARKER

Dear federal salmon managers:

I strongly support the removal of the four Lower Snake River Dams
(Alternative 4) as described in  the Draft Lower Snake River Salmon
ligration Feasibility Report and Draft Environmental Impact Statement
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I also urge the Federal Caucus
to support dam removal in its Fish and Wildlife Recovery Plan for the
Columbia Basin. Removing the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Lower
Granite and Little Goose Dams are a necessary and effective first
step towards preventing extinction and encouraging recovery of the
salmon and steelhead species on the Snake River.

Please consider the following points:

* Dams Block Salmon Migration - Snake River dams kill salmon by
delaying the migration of young salmon to the sea by increasing
their exposure to predation and disease and creating obstacles to
adult salmon returning to spawn.

* Science Supports Dam Removal -  Studies by the National Marine
Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State and Tribal
fisheries agencies and independent scientific committees have all
reached the same conclusion -- dam removal must be the cornerstone
of the salmon recovery strategy.

* Dam Removal is Less Costly Than Other Options - Removing the four
dams is far less costly than other salmon recovery options, including
new restrictions on farmers, loggers and commercial fishermen.
Diverting water from farmer's irrigation systems in order to rush
young salmon to the sea could cost more than $1 billion and eliminate
more than 6,000 farming jobs.

* Dam Removal Will Create New Jobs - Experts say that restoring 140
miles of the Lower Snake River to pre-dam conditions would create
more than 3,100 recreation-related jobs and generate more than $200
million in annual economic benefits. Dam removal will also protect
farmers, loggers and commercial fisherman.

* The Benefits Provided by the Dams Can be Replaced - By investing
in highways and rail upgrading, reforming irrigation equipment and
building new sources of clean power, we can replace the benefits now
provided by the dams.

We can not delay any longer! Delay significantly increases the risk
of extinction for endangered Snake River salmon, according to the
National Marine Fisheries Service. I urge you to recommend dam
removal (Alternative 4). The survival of Snake River salmon is of
local, regional and national importance and breaching the dams is
the most effective solution.

Thank you for consideration of my comments.

Sincerely,

(Your name and signature will automatically be added here)

==== END OF LETTER - ALERT 7 ==== DO NOT REMOVE THIS MARKER

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************

from Patrick Reinsborough" <rags@igc.org

U.S NATIONAL TV NEWS BROADCAST SLAMS GORE FOR INACTION ON THE U'WA
CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE WHO HAS HOUNDED GORE OVER THE LAST MONTH!


In this post :

1. press release for NY Times ad targeting Gore
2. Transcript of ABC National news broadcast on U'wa
3. ACTION ALERT : U.S. Congress to vote on military aid!


MARCH 9TH INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY FOR THE U'WA!

Protest Fidelity Investments!  Protest Al Gore!  Call your
representatives and urge them to vote against Clinton's Colombia war
package!

Let Rainforest Action Network know if you are organizing something :
Contact Patrick 1-800-989-RAIN, organize@ran.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#1

AMAZON WATCH    RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK    PROJECT UNDERGROUND

For Immediate Release              March 6th, 2000

Contact: Stephen Kretzmann, 510-551-7953 or Atossa Soltani, 310-317-7045
Lauren Sullivan, 415-398-4404 or Danny Kennedy, 510-705-8981

Enviros Question Gore's Commitment in a N.Y. Times Ad
Expose V.P.'s "Deep Ties" to Occidental Petroleum
Gore Urged to Act in Defense of the U'wa People of Colombia

Escalating a campaign questioning Vice President Al Gore's environmental
commitment, environmental organizations today placed a  full-page ad in
the west coast edition of the New York Times. The ad, whose headline
reads "Who is Al Gore? Environmental Champion or Petroleum Politician?
The U'wa people need to know" substantiates Gore's connections to
Occidental Petroleum and argues that the Vice President has a specific
responsibility to act on behalf of the U'wa people.

The U'wa, a remote Colombian tribe, are engaged in a tense standoff with
Los-Angeles based Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) over the drilling of the
Gibraltar 1 oil well. The U'wa, a deeply spiritual people who believe
that oil is the "blood of Mother Earth", have repeatedly stated that
they "are willing to die" to keep oil drilling off of their ancestral
lands. More than 2,500 local farmers, union members, and students have
joined thousands of U'wa and other indigenous peoples in non-violent
blockades and protests near the well site to stop Oxy's project. The
heavy military presence around the oil project has already led to
violence against peaceful indigenous peoples. In the last month, many
have been injured and at least three have died. The situation remains
very tense.

Gore has enjoyed the corporate sponsorship of Oxy throughout his
political career. He controls up to $500,000 in Oxy stocks and has
received $20,000 a year for almost 30 years from mining rights to his
land that Oxy never mined. Gore's father made a great deal of his wealth
while working for Oxy and its ex-chairman, Armand Hammer. Gore Sr. sat
on the Board of Oxy for twenty-eight years. Since Gore was elected Vice
President, Oxy Chairman Ray Irani has given more than $400,000 to the
Democratic Party. Furthermore, Gore's "reinventing government"
initiative resulted in the sale of the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve
to Occidental in 1998. The unprecedented closed bidding process was the
largest privatization of federal property in U.S. history, one that
tripled Occidental's U.S. oil reserves overnight.

Environmental and human rights leaders have been attempting to direct
the Vice President's attention to this issue for years. In March 1998,
the Amazon Coalition wrote the Vice President on this issue requesting
his assistance. There was no reply. A month later a full-page ad in the
New York Times generated hundreds of letters to Gore. Gore also met
briefly with the spokesman for the U'wa people, Berito Kuwaru'wa, after
the Indian chief received the 1998 Goldman Environmental Prize. Despite
repeated attempts, Gore has consistently ducked the issue by attempting
to both deny his connections to Oxy and claim political impotence.

In January, grassroots environmental activists from around the country
began targeting Gore at his campaign appearances. Eight were arrested at
a sit-in at Gore's campaign headquarters over the U'wa issue in
Manchester, New Hampshire. The Democratic debate at the Apollo Theatre
was briefly interrupted by protesters, and in Olympia Washington, U'wa
supporters reportedly drowned out Gore supporters. Just Saturday,
activists in Boston disrupted yet another campaign rally. In all,
organizers estimate that at least twenty-five campaign appearances over
the last 6 weeks have been marred by protests around the U'wa issue.
Activists continue to demand that Gore take action that results in an
immediate suspension of Oxy's project, and a significant reduction of
tension on the ground.

"Neither we, nor the U'wa, are going to go away", said Steve Kretzmann
of Amazon Watch. "As a professed champion of the environment, Gore has a
general moral obligation to take action in defense of the U'wa and their
homeland. More importantly, as someone with deep ties and access to
Occidental, Gore clearly has a specific duty to take action in this
case. We won't accept the excuse that he's powerless to stop this
situation. As Vice President of the United States, he has the power to
make a difference".

Text of the NY Times ad can be viewed at www.ran.org,
www.amazonwatch.org or www.moles.org

-30-
------------------------------------------------------
#2 ABC NEWS! (National Broadcast)

Questioning Gore?s Integrity
Vice President Criticized for Betraying Environmental Cause
By Terry Moran
<http://more.abcnews.go.com/onair/worldnewstonight/moran_terry_bio.html>

teaser--
Peter Jennings:

Far from the campaign trail; but very much a story about one of the
candidates is one way to frame our Closer Look segment tonight. The
story
begins in the Colombian rain forest, with one of the region's oldest
indigenous peoples and makes its way back to the vice president of the
United States. We'll spend some time tonight trying to sort it out.
(Commercial break)

L O S A N G E L E S, March 6 - Al Gore says he?s the environmental
candidate. He wrote a best-selling book on it, and it?s a central part
of
his presidential campaign.
?I will not let you down,? stated Gore when he spoke at the League of
Conservation Voters in New York on Feb. 24. ?I will fight with
everything
I?ve got to protect the environment here in New York, all through our
country,
and around the world.?
But all along the campaign trail, Gore is greeted by demonstrators who
say
he has betrayed the environmental cause when it comes to protecting
native
peoples.
The story begins in a remote region of Colombia, where the U?wa people
have
threatened to commit mass suicide if U.S.-based Occidental Petroleum
goes
forward with plans to drill for oil on what the tribe claims are its
traditional lands.
The U?wa oppose the drilling because they fear it will violate the rain
forest, which they consider sacred.
Making It a Personal Issue
Last month, a violent confrontation between villagers and police led to
at
least one death. What has all this got to do with Al Gore? Money.
?There?s probably no company in America today,? says Charles Lewis of
the
Center for Public Integrity, ?that is as close personally and
financially to
the vice president than occidental petroleum.?
After Gore?s late father left the U.S. Senate, he was named to the board
of
Occidental Petroleum. Financial records show the vice president is the
executor of his father?s estate, which holds as much as $500,000 worth
of
Occidental stock.
That means Gore could ultimately benefit from the company?s operations
in
Colombia. Plus, Occidental is a major Democratic Party donor, giving
nearly
$500,000 in soft money since 1992. To environmental activists, the vice
president?s duty is clear.
?If he wants to be an environmental champion,? says Atossa Soltani of
Amazon
Watch, ?he needs to make a statement on this issue. And he needs to take
personal?responsibility for his family fortune.?
Conflicting Political and Legal Pressures
It sounds simple: a multinational oil company, a threatened native
people, a
powerful politician. But there are other factors at work here that have
put
the vice president in a dilemma.
First, as executor of his father?s estate, Gore has legal
responsibilities
that could prevent him from simply dumping the Occidental stock.
And the Clinton administration is supporting the Colombian government in
its
battle with guerillas and drug dealers, who control 40 percent of the
country.
Many foreign policy experts say developing the oil business as an
alternative to drugs is crucial to Colombia?s survival.
?If they would stop oil exploration,? says Lowell Fleischer of the
Center
for Strategic and International Studies, ?which seems to be the goal of
some
of these indigenous leaders, I think that would just lead to more
problems.?
Vice President Gore refused several requests to speak with ABCNEWS about
the
U?wa and his family?s holdings with Occidental.
But as the demonstrators dog him - and Occidental begins drilling in
Colombia - Gore?s public silence on the issue leaves him open to the
charge
that for all his speechmaking on the environment, he won?t put his money
where his mouth is.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FYI: Visuals included long pan of today's New York Times ad (California
version) placed by RAN, Project Underground and Amazon Watch, video
footage
the U'wa shot with the camera we sent them, protests vs. Gore in NH, LA,
NY
and Oakland and Berito Kuwaruwa blowing the sacred conch shell!

#3
_________________________________________________________
ACT NOW MARCH 3, 2000 - MARCH 16, 2000
EYES WIDE SHUT: U.S. AID PACKAGE TO ABUSIVE ARMY
FIRST VOTE ON PACKAGE:  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 9
_________________________________________________________

In January, President Clinton introduced an emergency supplemental aid
package to Colombia.  The Administration's $1.3 billion aid package to
Colombia is a disastrous approach to stemming the drug trade and ending
the
South American nation's brutal armed conflict. This new aid, combined
with
funds already directed toward Colombia, will amount to $1.6 billion over
the next two years. Over 60% of this package is assistance to the
Colombian
army, widely-recognized as the most abusive military in the Western
hemisphere.  This aid will make the United States a major actor in
Colombia's counterinsurgency war.

________________________________________________________
T I M E   T O   A C T
________________________________________________________

The proposed U.S. aid package to Colombia is moving quickly through
Congress.  However, grassroots efforts and recent reports linking
Colombian
military and paramilitary forces have initiated debate in Congress.  
This
provides grassroots groups working on Colombia a small window of
opportunity to affect the package.

The Aid package is scheduled to be introduced in an "emergency
supplemental" on MONDAY, MARCH 6 in the House of Representatives.  It
will
be voted on by the Appropriations Committee probably on THURSDAY, MARCH
9.
It will then go to the floor of the House for a vote on MARCH 16 and
then
to the Senate.

_______________________________________________________
A C T I O N   A C T I O N   A C T I O N
_______________________________________________________

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND ASK THEM TO:

1) Oppose military aid to Colombia

2) Support positive amendments that

A. shift assistance from the military assistance to positive social
investments in Colombia
B. shift funds for military assistance to demand reduction, education
and
treatment programs in the United States
C. include human rights conditionality and monitoring of security
assistance

3) Sign-on to the dear colleague letter that Reps Campbell, Schakowsky,
Baldwin and Nadler are circulating.  The letter asks Appropriations
Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young not to appropriate additional funding
for the Colombian military as proposed in Clinton's supplemental
request.

__________________________________________________
H O W   T O  C O N T A C T
Y O U R   R E P R E S E N T A T I V E
__________________________________________________

U.S. Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121
Web address for email addresses and phone #'s:
http://www.house.gov
_________________________________________________
TALKING POINTS
_________________________________________________

+ This aid package will not only pour hundreds of millions of dollars
into
the most abusive military in the Western Hemisphere, but it will almost
certainly destabilize fragile peace negotiations and undermine support
of a
negotiated settlement.

+To avoid getting the United States more deeply involved with
Colombia's infamous armed forces, I ask you to oppose aid to the
Colombian
army due to human rights concerns, especially army links at a regional
and
local level to brutal paramilitary forces.

+Instead, I urge you to support a substantial positive aid package for
Colombia, including: humanitarian relief for people displaced by
violence;
crop substitution programs for small farmers to switch from coca to
legal
crops; economic assistance; programs to strengthen Colombian government
investigations into human rights violations and drug trafficking; aid
for
civil society efforts for human rights and peace.

+Finally, because the United States "War on Drugs" is one that must be
fought at home, I ask you to increase funding for drug treatment and
prevention programs here in our own country.

__________________________________________________
alert produced by:
U.S./Colombia Coordinating Office
agiffen@pop2.igc.org
Phone: 202-232-8090
http://www.igc.org/colhrnet/
---------------------
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from Center for Marine Conservation March 7, 2000

For Immediate Release:
Contact:
Vicki Paris, CMC, (202) 857-1683

Washington, D.C. - Today, the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) applauded Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo's brave decision to stop the proposed building of the world's largest industrial salt plant on the shore of Laguna San Ignacio. The Mexican government and the Mitsubishi Corporation agreed that public and scientific concerns and the preservation of the area's ecosystem outweighed the economic benefits of the plant.

"We are very pleased with this decision," said Roger Rufe, president of CMC. "The Mexican government has once again taken a leadership roles to conserve the gray whale, as well as this area of immense natural beauty. We applaud President Zedillo for having the foresight to recognize that the protection of local economic activities and this biosphere reserve are more valuable to Mexico than this project."

Laguna San Ignacio is 435 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border in Baja, California. It is a very important