home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

Environment Action
Alerts for March 1 - March 7, 2001

from Rainforest Action Network March 1, 2001

Here's several recent articles on the situation in Colombia. There is
coverage of both the U'wa and Oxy  in the corporate and financial press
as well as important analysis from the independant media about oil's  
central role to American involvement in Colombia.

We hope that everyone who has worked to support the U'wa is continuing
to educate themselves about the  broader context of Plan Colombia and
the battle against the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. One of the
best things we can do to help the U'wa is to get the truth out about
what is going on in Colombia.  Communities like the U'wa are the ones
who are paying the price for our addiction to fossil fuels.  They are
the people who are literally getting caught in the crossfire as U.S.
military aid escalates the violence
in Colombia.

Write letters to the editor, educate your communities and keep on
organizing to support the U'wa and all communities on the frontlines of
the corporate global economy.

For a local organizing packet to help you support the U'wa in your
community contact  Rainforest Action Network at
415-398-4404/1-800-989-RAIN or organize@ran.org

For background information on the U'wa struggle and downloadable
resources see :
www.ran.org www.amazonwatch.org www.moles.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In this Post
#1 Yahoo Finance - Oxy pipeline temporarily shut down Feb 28th
#2 Financial Times "Colombia strives to Strike Oil" Feb 19th
#3 Oil Rigged : There. s something slippery about the U.S. drug war in
Colombia. Feb 15th
----------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Yahoo Finance

NOTE . force majeure literally means "greater force"; a legal term for
when clause which allows for cancellation of contractual obligations
caused by events beyond the party's control, such as natural disasters
or wars.

Wednesday February 28, 12:22 pm Eastern Time

Occidental declares Colombia Cano Limon force majeure

BOGOTA, Colombia, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Occidental Petroleum Corp (NYSE:OXY
<http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=oxy&d=t> - news
<outbind://26/n/o/oxy.html>) has declared force majeure for production
at its Cano Limon oil field in Colombia due to repeated guerrilla
attacks on its pipeline, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.
``We have declared force majeure since Tuesday,'' a Bogota-based
spokesman for Occidental's Colombian operation told Reuters.
Oil output at Cano Limon field is ``shut down'' due to bomb attacks
which stopped pumping on its 220,000-barrel-a-day capacity pipeline on
Feb 17, the spokesman said.
Field operator Occidental receives 35 percent of the oil pumped through
Cano Limon, Colombian state firm Ecopetrol owns 50 percent, and
Spanish-Argentine oil company Repsol the rest.
Output from the Cano Limon field in the eastern Colombian province of
Arauca -- a rebel stronghold -- accounts for less than 5 percent of
Occidental's total world production.
The pipeline is a favorite target of rebels waging a 37-year-old war
against the government and was crippled by bombs 98 times in 2000 even
though most of it is buried six feet (two meters) under ground.
Its operators have been forced to declare force majeure twice in recent
years
----------------------------------------------------------------------

#2 Financial Times
Colombia strives to strike oil
By James Wilson in Cubara
Published: February 19 2001 18:34GMT

Far beneath the snow-capped peaks of the Cocuy mountains, half-concealed
groups of soldiers watch a helicopter as it flies into a narrow valley.

Dangling below the aircraft are more supplies for Occidental Petroleum,
which has been sinking an exploratory well here since November, moving
ever closer, it hopes, to one of Colombia's biggest oil finds. Also
observing, having passed an army checkpoint and climbed to the top of a
ridge overlooking the US company's drilling rig, are several members of
the U'wa.

This is the ancient territory of the U'wa, now numbering only
5,000-7,000 people and one of Colombia's 80 indigenous ethnic groups.
They have faced many intrusions, but as they contemplate Occidental's
search for the oil the U'wa know as ruiria, they feel a great threat to
their lifestyle and culture. "This is life or death for us. We want the
world to know what is happening in U'wa territory," says Shiwkara, a
community spokeswoman.

The U'wa case is emblematic of a David versus Goliath struggle between
indigenous groups, global energy needs and corporate power.
Violent clashes last year between the U'wa and the Colombian military
protecting the drill site left three children drowned after one of their
protests was forcibly broken up, the Uw'a say.

Both Occidental and the government think the U'wa case has become overly
influenced and manipulated by outsiders.

But throughout the troubles, Occidental has moved ahead with
exploration, sanctioned by the government in Bogotá. "We do not think we
are in a conflict here. We are a foreign investor fulfilling our
contractual obligations," a company spokesman said.

It says it is contributing a local health centre, schools and other
community projects. It also used to give grants to U'wa students until
it says these were rejected. Moreover, it thinks the U'wa have been
given one of their most important demands - the expansion of the
resguardo, reserved land from which non-indigenous people are excluded.

In 1979 and 1987 the U'wa were granted two separate reservations
totalling 69,000 hectares. In August 1999, the government agreed to
expand these areas into a 220,000 ha reserve solely for the U'wa.
Six weeks later, it granted Occidental its licence to drill its first
exploratory well, at a site 500m outside the expanded resguardo.
Despite their larger territory the U'wa have not been pacified. They
argue their lands will still be affected, their streams polluted and
their security compromised.

A stark lesson from Colombia is that oil attracts trouble from all
sides. Two armed rebel groups active in the country since the 1960s have
learned to exploit oil, either through extorting protection money or
blowing up installations.

Occidental knows these problems only too well. It built a pipeline
through this region in the 1980s to carry oil from its nearby Caño Limon
field. Last year the pipeline was blown up 98 times, and 79 times in
1999. Even so, Caño Limon has been "a good business", says the company.

Moreover, in a complex local power struggle, both the Farc and ELN rebel
groups have attacked the pipeline. The Farc has also targeted the U'wa
cause, killing three US citizens working with the U'wa in 1999.

The U'wa resent and fear being dragged into Colombia's military
conflict. Roberto Perez, president of the U'wa's tribal council, says:
"We have told the army and all armed groups to respect our territory."

Meanwhile, economic analysts say attacks already bleed the economy of
2-4 percentage points of growth annually. Even so, oil is Colombia's
biggest export, worth $4.6bn in 2000.

"I think, as a Colombian, that Colombia has to seek means of
development," says an Occidental employee. Ecopetrol, the state oil
company, says: "Forty million Colombians need these resources." The test
drill is expected to be completed by May. But the U'wa blame
Occidental's earlier Caño Limon development for environmental damage.
"Ten years ago you could pull fish out of this river with a bucket. This
year there has not been one little fish," says Rosario, one of four nuns
living at a mission built in the area in the 1920s.
A government official thinks it would be possible to safeguard the U'wa,
even if oil development goes ahead. But, the offical adds: "I would love
it if they didn't find a drop of oil. I would laugh the whole day.
Without oil, there is no problem."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
# 3

Feb 15, 2001
Resource Center of the Americas
www.americas.org
Oil Rigged
There. s something slippery about
the U.S. drug war in Colombia.
by Thad Dunning and Leslie Wirpsa

The public face of U.S. policy toward Colombia has long been the war on
drugs. Colombia, according to widely reported CIA estimates, produces 90
percent of the U.S. cocaine supply and 65 percent of U.S. heroin
imports. U.S. officials say the aim of Plan Colombia, a $1.3 billion aid
package signed by President Clinton last year, is fighting
. narco-guerrillas. and eradicating coca crops.

But that. s just part of the agenda. Plan Colombia is also about oil.
Colombia. s petroleum production today rivals Kuwait. s on the eve of the
Gulf War. The United States imports more oil from Colombia and its
neighbors Venezuela and Ecuador than from all Persian Gulf countries
combined. And, last June, Colombia announced its largest oil discovery
since the 1980s. The Colombian government and transnational oil
companies are eager to secure their exploration and production
activities with U.S. military might.

Some U.S. military officials harbor no illusions about their role in
Colombia. Stan Goff, a former U.S. Special Forces intelligence sergeant,
retired in 1996 from the unit that trains Colombian anti-narcotics
battalions. Plan Colombia. s purpose is . defending the operations of
Occidental, British Petroleum and Texas Petroleum and securing control
of future Colombian fields,. said Goff, quoted in October by the Bogotá
daily El Espectador. . The main interest of the United States is oil..

Colombia. s two major guerrilla groups condemn foreign control of the
nation. s petroleum even as they rely on the oil companies for ransoms
and extortion payments. The guerrillas face competition from rightist
death squads known as paramilitaries, many with documented links to
Bogotá. s army and some with alleged ties to the oil firms.
In recent months, the violence has begun to spread beyond the nation. s
borders. To the south, the Colombian war is further destabilizing
Ecuador, a country wracked for decades by political upheaval, including
a military coup during an indigenous revolt a year ago. To the north,
the war is heightening tensions in Venezuela, where populist President
Hugo Chávez has helped drive up world oil prices by reviving the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Critics of U.S. policy in Colombia have likened it to past interventions
in Vietnam and El Salvador. But with world oil prices stuck at all-time
highs, with U.S. oil consumption expected to rise 25 percent over the
next two decades, and with Middle East producers increasingly
unreliable, another important comparison is the U.S. war against Iraq.

One question is whether U.S. military aid will help keep the Colombian
oil flowing. whether it will enhance or erode the security of oil
operations. More troubling questions surround the human cost of further
militarizing a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Colombians
and displaced almost 2 million since 1985.

BLACK GOLD
Colombia. s known oil reserves amount to 2.6 billion barrels, far fewer
than those of the world. s major oil powers. But only about 20 percent of
the country. s potential oil regions have been explored, due to the
violence. Desperate for more investment, President Andrés Pastrana. s
administration sweetened the terms a year ago, allowing foreign
companies more of the profit from Colombian oil operations. As a result,
the state. s Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos (Ecopetrol) awarded a record
13 new exploration and production contracts last year.

Colombia. s biggest foreign investor is BP Amoco, formed when British
Petroleum merged with Chicago-based Amoco in 1998. The London-based
giant controls Colombia. s largest oilfield, a 1.5-billion-barrel trove
called Cusiana-Cupiagua in the northeastern province of Casanare A
444-mile pipeline called Ocensa carries BP Amoco oil to the Caribbean
port of Coveñas for export.

Los Angeles. based Occidental Petroleum helps operate the nation. s
second-largest oilfield, Caño Limón, holding 1 billion barrels in
Arauca, a province just north of Casanare. Occidental pumps away its
share through a 485-mile duct to Coveñas.

The June announcement confirmed a deposit about 55 miles southwest of
Bogotá. An international consortium led by Canadian Occidental Petroleum
expects as much as 300 million barrels from the oilfield, called
Boquerón, making it the nation. s third-largest deposit.
Other major investors in Colombian oil have included Exxon, Shell and
Elf Aquitane. The transnationals have helped boost the nation. s oil
production almost 80 percent over the last decade. Most of the exports
have gone to the United States, putting Colombia among the top eight
U.S. oil suppliers.

Many of these companies have led the fight for U.S. military aid to
Colombia, the world. s third-largest recipient of U.S. security
assistance. In 1996, BP Amoco and Occidental joined Enron Corporation, a
Houston-based energy firm, and other corporations to form the
U.S.-Colombia Business Partnership. Since then, backed by hefty
oil-industry donations to political candidates, the partnership has
lobbied hard for increased aid. Lawrence P. Meriage, Occidental. s
public-affairs vice president, not only pushed for Plan Colombia last
year but urged a House subcommittee to extend military aid to the
nation. s north to . augment security for oil development operations..
The firms have allies in the U.S. national-security apparatus. In 1998,
Gen. Charles Wilhelm, then head of the U.S. Southern Command, told
Congress that oil discoveries had increased Colombia. s . strategic
importance.. Last April, Sen. Bob Graham (D-Florida) and former National
Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft warned in a Los Angeles Times editorial
that Colombia. s reserves would . remain untapped unless stability is
restored..

Petroleum companies say their presence in Colombia creates employment
alternatives for coca farmers, adds muscle to counterinsurgency efforts
and, ultimately, promotes peace and stability. In 1996, British
Petroleum, Occidental and Royal Dutch/Shell co-sponsored a full-page ad
about Colombia in the Houston Chronicle, touting . a powerful new weapon
. . . in the war against drugs.. The ad pictured the nozzle of a gas
pump.

PETROVIOLENCE
Numerous studies suggest that transnational extraction of natural
resources from the Third World promotes not economic and political
stability, but violence and lawlessness. From Indonesia to Nigeria to
Colombia, mining and oil drilling have spurred the growth of rightist
militias, criminal gangs and leftist insurgencies. Political scientists
call this the . resource curse..

Since 1986, according to Colombian government sources, the country. s
guerrilla groups have bombed oil pipelines more than 1,000 times and
have kidnapped hundreds of oil-company executives and employees. Using
these operations as leverage, the guerrillas have generated roughly $140
million per year in ransoms and extortion payments. They also squeeze
. taxes. from local contractors working for the companies. In all, the
oil revenue rivals conservative estimates of guerrilla earnings from the
cocaine and heroin trades.

During construction of the Caño Limón pipeline in the 1980s, contractors
for the German company Mannesmann reportedly paid about $4 million to
the National Liberation Army (ELN) for the release of four kidnapped
engineers. Such payments enabled the ELN, verging on collapse, to
regroup and rearm. Today the ELN, with 7,000 members, is the nation. s
second largest guerrilla army. The 17,000-strong Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest rebel group, has adopted similar
tactics, even consenting to oil drilling opposed by local indigenous
people.

Guerrilla violence around the oil industry has intensified since July
13, when President Clinton signed Plan Colombia. Decrying . North
American intervention,. ELN guerrillas bombed the Caño Limón pipeline 23
times between July and September, forcing Occidental to declare force
majeure for 45 days. The pipeline was knocked out at least 97 times last
year, exceeding a record 79 outages from rebel attacks in 1999.
Recently, after a January 20 bombing west of Caño Limón, the duct was
closed for three days.

FARC rebels, meanwhile, bombed Ecopetrol. s southern pipeline 31 times in
September, forcing Ecuador. s state oil company, Petroecuador, which uses
the line to export 45,000 barrels a day, to suspend its obligations.

The paramilitaries, for their part, have moved into oil-rich provinces
such as Casanare and, along the southern border, Putumayo. In the
central city of Barrancabermeja home to the country. s largest oil
refinery, paramilitaries intensified a campaign of murdering civilians
in January. . Here we pump out all the energy we need,. said Lt. Col.
Hernán Moreno, head of the army. s New Granada Battalion in
Barrancabermeja, quoted in the New York Times. . The takeover of power is
thus of prime importance to these armed groups..

And paramilitaries target organizers such as Workers Trade Union leader
Alvaro Remolina, who has called attention to the labor practices of
Texaco and Occidental in Colombia. On January 11 last year, his nephew
was murdered near the city of Bucaramanga, while his brother and a
friend disappeared in the nearby town of Girón. He lost another brother
to assassins in 1996, and soldiers killed his sister-in-law in 1999.

One human rights report on oil and security in Colombia says
paramilitaries have received $2 million for protecting a Colombian
pipeline. El Espectador, the London daily Guardian and the BBC,
additionally, have documented paramilitary links to British Petroleum. A
top BP official admitted that a British security contractor for the oil
giant supplied night-vision goggles to an army brigade accused of
killing civilians and committing other abuses. The contractor also hired
former army commander Gen. Hernán Guzmán Rodríguez, a 1969 graduate of
the U.S. Army School of the Americas. In a 1992 report, the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights linked Guzmán to a
paramilitary group responsible for 149 murders from 1987 to 1990.

Colombia. s official armed forces have their own stake in oil. Since
1992, a . war tax. of more than $1 per barrel on foreign oil corporations
has helped Bogotá devote a quarter of its army to defending oil
installations. And government forces often sell security services
directly to the companies. Occidental, which earmarks roughly 10 percent
of its in-country budget to security, has made direct payments to the
army.

The oil violence weighs heaviest on local civilians. Disasters resulting
from pipeline attacks have killed people and wreaked environmental
destruction. In 1998, 73 people died after an ELN bombing of Ocensa, the
BP Amoco pipeline. The blast set ablaze the northwestern village of
Machuca, Antioquia.

Such violence has prompted communities to resist oil projects. The
7,000-member U. wa indigenous community in northeastern Colombia has
opposed attempts by Occidental and Ecopetrol to drill in its ancestral
land. Occidental is betting it could extract 1.4 billion barrels from
the area. Last February, when government security forces broke up an
indigenous roadblock against the project, three children drowned in a
river during the melee. In November, some 2,000 government agents
escorted Occidental rigs to drill an exploratory well in the land.

The project has brought violence from guerrillas too. In 1999, FARC
members kidnapped and murdered U.S. citizens Terence Freitas, Ingrid
Washinawatok and La. he Enae Gay, who were visiting to set up U. wa
education projects.

Despite the upheaval, oil remains Colombia. s largest export, with
earnings totaling $3.7 billion in 1999. Ecopetrol diverts most of this
profit to federal and local governments, but average Colombians see
little benefit. Officials face pressure from guerrillas and
paramilitaries alike to invest the payments in their favor. And many
officials simply steal or squander the money. Arauca, a boomtown about
25 miles from the Caño Limón oilfield, has received millions of dollars
annually in oil royalties but is ringed by shantytowns. In a
petroleum-rich central valley known as the Middle Magdalena, more than
70 percent of the 750,000 inhabitants live in poverty and nearly 40
percent are unemployed, double the official nationwide rate.

SLICK BORDERS
Petroleum is playing an important role as the war expands beyond
Colombia. Both the FARC and ELN have a growing presence in southern
Venezuela. Guerrillas there are using extortion and kidnapping to
generate revenue from ranchers and Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the
government oil company, according to a January 24 Financial Times
report.

Chávez, the Venezuelan president, says his government is not taking
sides in the Colombian conflict. Venezuelan military officials say the
guerrilla influx worries them less than a Plan Colombia provision to
equip Bogotá. s army with 60 Blackhawk helicopters. Under Chávez, who
took office in 1999, Venezuela has barred U.S. . counternarcotics.
flights over its airspace, calling them a violation of national
sovereignty. And some Venezuelan military equipment has found its way
into FARC hands.

Venezuelan oil weighs heavy in U.S. strategy for the region. The
third-largest U.S. oil supplier and the hemisphere. s sole OPEC member,
Venezuela has 77 billion barrels in proven reserves. the most of any
country outside the Middle East. The Chávez government convinced OPEC
members to cut production, a move that has lifted oil prices to more
than $30 a barrel, their highest level in a decade.
Chávez. s nationalist leanings and his pledges to prevent PDVSA. s
privatization have fueled worries among some U.S. policymakers about
U.S. reliance on the Venezuelan crude. In August, adding to these
worries, Chávez became the world. s first democratically elected head of
state since the Gulf War to visit Saddam Hussein, the leader of fellow
OPEC member Iraq. And, in October, Chávez agreed to provide Cuba with
inexpensive oil.

In other countries, the spillover violence from Colombia has begun to
menace petroleum production. Just across the San Miguel River from
Putumayo, the Colombian province, conflict pervades the town of Lago
Agrio the Ecuadoran oil hub. The area has long been a site of rest and
relaxation for FARC guerrillas. But the mood has changed since
U.S.-backed counterinsurgency and coca eradication caused a larger
influx of farmers, other displaced Colombians, guerrillas and
paramilitaries. Local police say violence in December killed 20 people,
including 15 who perished in clashes between Colombian guerrillas and
paramilitaries and five in a bombing of Ecuador. s only oil pipeline.
(The duct carries crude to a Pacific port for export. Occidental is part
of an international consortium vying to build a second Ecuadoran
pipeline, a $750 million project.)

Such turmoil has led to militarization, threatening to turn Colombia. s
oil violence into a regional scourge. Brazil, Peru and Ecuador all host
oil drilling near Colombia, and all are responding to guerrilla and
paramilitary incursions by sending in military personnel and equipment.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, the former U.N. secretary general serving as
Peru. s interim prime minister, said in January that he supported Plan
Colombia, marking a reversal from the policy of former President Alberto
Fujimori, who resigned in November. . We are guarding our borders for
possible infiltration, not only from Colombia but from Ecuador,. said
Pérez de Cuéllar, quoted by Reuters in January. . The violence is
serious..

Ecuadoran President Gustavo Noboa, who took office after a January 2000
military coup, has strengthened border security and threatened to
declare a state of emergency there. His foreign minister, Heinz Moeller,
has asked the United States for $160 million to supplement the $20
million for Ecuador under Plan Colombia. Moeller said he expects to
receive the aid because Washington, which already bases its Andean
military operations in the Ecuadoran coastal town of Manta, wants to
protect U.S. . investments. in Colombia. Moeller said the increased aid
was necessary to protect an . economic buffer zone. between his country
and Colombia, adding that the protection will require helicopters,
speedboats and reconnaissance equipment.
Goff, the former Special Forces sergeant, says U.S. military operations
in the Andes go beyond their stated purpose of fighting drugs. . We never
mentioned the words coca or narco-trafficker in our training,. he said.
. The objective of our operations was not the Colombians but the
Americans who pay taxes for the investment made in Colombia. The
objective continues to be oil. Look where American forces are. Iraq, the
Caspian Sea, Colombia. places where we expect to find petroleum
reserves..

PROSPECTORS
Oil will remain a U.S. military priority under President George W. Bush
if his campaign donors and cabinet appointees have any influence. The
top source of cash for his presidential and Texas gubernatorial bids was
Enron and its employees, including CEO Kenneth L. Lay, according to the
Center for Public Integrity. Enron, one of the companies that led
lobbying for Plan Colombia, owns Centragas, a 357-mile natural gas
distribution system in northern Colombia.
The cabinet includes Vice President Dick Cheney, former CEO of
Halliburton Company, a Dallas-based oil services leader; Commerce
Secretary Don Evans, former chairman of the Denver-based oil firm Tom
Brown, Inc.; and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, a former
board member of San Francisco. based Chevron Corporation.
Bush appointed John Maisto as National Security Council adviser for
inter-American affairs, his top adviser on the region. Maisto was
ambassador to Nicaragua during the U.S.-backed guerrilla war against the
Sandinista government and chargé d. affaires in Panama during the 1989
U.S. invasion that ousted Gen. Manuel Noriega. Under Clinton, he was
ambassador to Venezuela and, later, an adviser to the U.S. military' s
Southern Command.

Bush' s roster and the widening violence even before Plan Colombia hits
stride are portents of what the United States holds in store for the
region.

from Natural Resources Defense Council March 1, 2001

Natural Resources Defense Council's

EARTH ACTION: The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

March 1, 2001

******************************
Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions
below for how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions
or comments.
******************************

Contents:

1) alerts

a) ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE: Tell your senators that
drilling the Arctic Refuge is NOT an acceptable energy
policy

b) ENDANGERED WILDLIFE HABITAT: Protest government
intimidation of environmental activists in Belize

c) WATER POLLUTION: Tell the EPA raw sewage discharges must
stop

2) Status of Previous alerts

3) About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe

4) About NRDC/How to Contact Us

You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action
Center (http://www.nrdc.org/action), which includes tools
for taking action easily online.

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

1) alerts

ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Tell your senators that drilling the Arctic Refuge is NOT an
acceptable energy policy

On February 26, Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee Chairman Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced S.
389, his energy policy legislation. Although Sen. Murkowski
claims his bill is a response to both California's current
energy problems and the nation's long-term energy needs, in
reality the bill would do little or nothing to improve our
energy security or decrease energy costs, but *would* have
lasting, damaging effects on the environment.

Specifically, Sen. Murkowski's bill would increase air and
global warming pollution by weakening standards for power
plants and encouraging dependence on fossil fuels such as
oil and coal that produce the most carbon dioxide, while
driving up demand for gasoline by failing to upgrade fuel
economy standards.

Perhaps most disturbingly -- and reason enough to defeat
this bill -- S. 389 would open the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil drilling, imperiling one of our country's most
magnificent wilderness areas even though the government
estimates that the oil there would provide less than 180
days worth of domestic supply and take at least 10 years to
produce.

== What to do ==
Contact your senators and urge them to oppose Sen.
Murkowski's energy bill.

== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your senators directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Feel free
to include your own reasons why we should not risk
destroying or degrading our nation's most special places for
an energy policy that will do nothing to reduce our energy
costs or dependence. If you prefer to call your senators,
the Capitol Switchboard number is (202) 224-3121.

== For background ==
A Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st Century
http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp

...

ENDANGERED WILDLIFE HABITAT
Protest government intimidation of environmental activists
in Belize

Many of you are aware of NRDC's ongoing campaign to stop
Fortis Inc.'s proposed dam project in Belize's Macal River
Valley. You may have already sent protest letters to Fortis,
urging the company to cancel its plans for the dam, which
would flood and destroy crucial habitat for endangered
jaguars and scarlet macaws. But now a new wrinkle has
emerged.

In early February, environmental science teacher Kimo Jolly
was fired from his position at Sacred Heart Junior College
in Belize for speaking out in opposition to the dam project.
Mr. Jolly's dismissal follows a pattern of intimidation of
environmentalists in Belize, who have been called "enemies
of the state" in the ruling political party's newspaper. The
popular teacher has received widespread support in Belize,
and is preparing to mount a legal defense, but the Belizean
government needs to hear that the rest of the world is
watching, too.

== What to do ==
Write to Belize's ambassador to the United States to protest
the suppression of environmental debate in Belize and insist
that Kimo Jolly be reinstated to his teaching position.

== Contact information ==
You can email the Belizean ambassador directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action (where you
can also send a message to Fortis if you haven't already).
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to
send your own message, and please include your own reasons
why the government's intimidation of environmental activists
must stop.

Ambassador Lisa Shoman
Embassy of Belize
2535 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone:  202-332-9636 x228
Fax:  202-332-6888
Email:  belize@oas.org

== Sample letter ==

Subject:  Reinstate Kimo Jolly to his teaching post

Dear Ambassador Shoman,

I am writing to express my deep concern over the recent
firing of Kimo Jolly from his position as environmental
science teacher at Sacred Heart Junior College in San
Ignacio, Belize. Mr. Jolly's dismissal, which may have
resulted from government intervention, is completely
unjustified and is a direct result of his speaking out on
the proposed Chalillo dam in the Macal River Valley and
other environmental issues.

Although the right to free speech is guaranteed in the
Belizean constitution, in Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, and in the U.N. Convention on
Civil and Political Rights (to which Belize is a party), Mr.
Jolly's removal from his position seems to fit a pattern of
human rights abuses in Belize. Earlier this year, editorials
in your governing-party newspaper attacked Belizeans who
speak out for the environment as "enemies of the State" and
"terrorists."  

Suppressing the views of environmentalists is simply
inconsistent with Belize's strong record of environmental
stewardship, which is drawing worldwide acclaim and is a
major factor in the success of Belize's tourism industry. I
urge your government to clearly reassert the right of all
Belizeans to freedom of opinion and expression -- without
fear of recrimination. I also encourage your government to
ask Sacred Heart Junior College to reinstate Mr. Jolly as
soon as possible.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

...

WATER POLLUTION
Tell the EPA raw sewage discharges must stop

As we told you in a previous alert, on January 5th the
Clinton administration announced proposed regulations that
would control and prevent sewer overflows and would require
that the public be informed of potential health threats when
overflows occur. The proposed rules, however, were not
printed in the Federal Register prior to the end of
President Clinton's term, and Bush administration officials
have issued an order putting an indefinite hold on any
regulations that were not printed by the time they took
office, preventing the proposed sewer overflow regulations
from taking effect.

Sewer overflows dump raw and inadequately treated sewage
into basements, streets, and waterways, contaminating
beaches, lakes, and streams and jeopardizing public health.
Pathogens in sewage-contaminated waters can cause
gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses, dysentery, and
hepatitis. The consequences of contact with sewage-infested
waters are even greater for children, the elderly, and those
with weakened immune systems.  

== What to do ==
Send a message to Christie Whitman, the new administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency -- and the person who is
now reviewing the proposed rules under a directive from the
White House -- telling her to release the rules now.

== Contact information ==
You can email EPA administrator Whitman directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use
the contact information and sample letter below to send your
own message.

Administrator Christie Whitman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone:  202-564-4700
Fax:  202-501-1450
Email:  whitman.christine@epamail.epa.gov

== Sample letter ==

Dear Administrator Whitman,

I urge you to release the proposed regulations for
controlling sewer overflows announced by the EPA earlier
this year. Your agency has no reason to further delay these
proposed regulations, which, if finalized, would protect
public health and safety by keeping bacteria-laden raw
sewage discharges out of our basements, streets, rivers,
lakes and beach waters. Please act immediately to ban sewer
overflows, make public reporting and notification mandatory,
and require sewage systems to have adequate capacity and be
properly maintained.

Almost thirty years of inaction is long enough. Release
these regulations and get the raw sewage out of our
communities and waterways now.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

...........

2) Status of Previous alerts

DIESEL REGULATIONS
In our last alert, we asked you to contact White House chief
of staff Andy Card on "Call the White House Day" -- February
15th -- and urge the Bush administration to implement,
rather than challenge or change, new rules issued by the EPA
in the final days of the Clinton administration that will
reduce diesel truck and bus emissions by more than 90
percent. Your response was phenomenal (we received
unofficial reports that the huge number of calls overloaded
the White House phone system) and, clearly, the message came
through loud and clear: EPA administrator Christie Whitman
yesterday announced that the new administration will indeed
enforce these landmark rules. The regulations are scheduled
to take effect March 18; most emissions reductions must be
completed between 2006 and 2010. When fully in place, the
rules will prevent an estimated 8,300 premature deaths and
17,600 cases of bronchitis in children *every year.* THANK
YOU to everyone who helped achieve -- and defend -- this
historic public health protection.


******************************
REMINDER!! If you haven't already, be sure to check out
NRDC's new BioGems website at http://www.savebiogems.org.
Explore the beauty and grandeur of North and Central
America's critically endangered natural areas, take action,
and spread the word.

BioGems: Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
******************************


3) 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 subject line.

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 the subject line.

The 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 unsubscribe, send an email
message to wildcalifornia@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the
subject line.

...........

4) About NRDC

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with over 400,000 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
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earth Action email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

from Coaltion to Protect Predators March 1, 2001

This information should be considered in the proposal to reclassify the
wolf in the great lakes ... with the risks asscociated with the Minnesota
Plan , and mange in both states ... we will want to keep an eye on this ...
Karlyn


La Crosse Tribune / Weds., Feb. 28, 2001     lacrossetribune.com OUTDOORS
Mange killing wolves in Wisconsin   By BOB LAMB La Crosse Tribune   Mange
has put a dent in Wisconsin's wolf population, but there's no reason to
panic just yet, says Adrian Wydeven, a mammalian ecologist with the
Department of Natural Resources.  Nine wolves have been found dead this
winter. Six of those wolves died >from  mange or mange-related causes.
"This isn't a major concern yet, but any time disease hits a wildlife
population, it is a concern," said Wydeven during a telephone interview
Monday from his Park Falls, Wis., office.  Mange is a highly contagious
disease that can cause losses in canine  populations. Mange is caused by
small mites that burrow into the skin cause  irritations that result in
hair loss, and lead to bare, crusty skin. The  disease is usually spread by
physical contact with living or dead animals  infected with the disease.
Wydeven, who is responsible for leading the state wolf management program,
said it appears that coyote populations in northern Wisconsin are also
affected by the disease.  "The wolves may have gotten the mange from
coyotes. They'll kill coyotes,  then roll them around or play with them.
It's a good way to get mange,"  Wydeven said.  Although mange has killed
six wolves, Wydeven said losses resulting from  mange are probably more
serious to the coyote and fox populations.  Wolves, once extinct in
Wisconsin in the late 1950's, began re-establishing  themselves in the
state in 1975.  Last fall's population was estimated at about 250. However,
Wydeven believes  the current mange outbreak will reduce this year's
population growth. Still,  he said there is no reason to push the panic
button.  "Wolves are doing fairly well in our state. We've been gaining
about 20  percent annually since 1985," Wydeven said. "If we wouldn't have
had a  problem this year, I would have anticipated an increase of about 50,
so we  would have been up to about 300."  A comprehensive evaluation of the
state's wolf population is currently  underway, but actual numbers won't be
known until April.  Wydeven said despite the mange outbreak, he expects the
growth in the wolf  population will slow down because of a loss of habitat.
Wolf packs set up  large territories. Younger animals then set up new
territories of their own.  "And as the population gets higher, disease
spreads more quickly, too," he  said. "But I am not concerned that this
will jeopardize the future viability  of wolves in the Wisconsin. Some
fluctuations in numbers due to disease or  other environmental factors is a
natural part of any wildlife population."  In addition to mange
contributing to the death of six wolves this winter, two  others were
killed by vehicle collisions. Surprisingly, one wolf drowned in  the
Tomahawk River. One of the wolves killed by a vehicle, and the one that
had drowned, appeared to have some mange on them as well. Five of the dead
animals found were part of the DNR's intensive radio-collar study.  Wolf
282F, a radio-collared animal, was found drown under 2 to 3 inches of  ice
and 4 to 5 inches of snow on the Tomahawk River in western Oneida County.
The female wolf also was missing some hair, but did not appear to have a
severe case of mange.  "That death was a strange one for us," Wydeven said.
"In the last 20 years,  we have collected 70-some wolves that have died in
Wisconsin or adjacent  Minnesota. This is the first one that I'm aware of
that has drowned."  Wydeven recalls only one other death that was equally
as strange.  "I had one wolf four or five years ago with mange outbreak,"
he said. "We  found that wolf dead inside a porcupine den. It had quills in
it from the tip  of its nose to the tip of its tail. It was covered with
quills."  Wydeven believes the wolf died from a combination of mange and
the porcupine  quills.  "It was probably so desperately cold, that it
crawled in the den when the  porky was there, or the porky crawled in after
the wolf had crawled in,"  Wydeven said.   Bob Lamb is the Tribune's
outdoors editor. He can be reached at 791-8228, or  e-mail to:
<mailto:blamb@lacrossetribune.com> blamb@lacrossetribune.com       NOTICE:
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving this information for research and educational purposes.

from Adrian Miller March 1, 2001

Please visit this website for more information http://members.fortunecity.com/froguptree/

I am writing to inform you that bushland and National Park areas are
being cleared in paths up to 15meters wide in a area that has many rare
species of trees plants and other animals.

This is only approximately 100 kilometers south of Sydney on the M5
freeway a a 10minute drive from the hilltop turnoff.

The Contractors to Transfield only have a permit to clear 5 meters wide
but are taking great delight in knocking down and running over plants an
animals.

There are streamings being filled with silt and dirt, streams being
diverted, a small swamp with 4 species of frogs one a minature frog has
disappeared as have the frogs.

Is there anything you can do about this, the locals have tried with
little success at all, as the national media have not picked up on the
stories in the local paper.

Residents are feeling threatened and scared and many of them are elderly
people.

They have contacted the people listed below with little success.

Can you help them?
The local memeber of State Government:
Office for Mrs.Peta Seaton (Shadow Minister for the Environment)
24 Wingecarribee Street
BOWRAL, 2576
Phone No. (02) 48 61 3623
Fax No. (02) 48 61 3546
email: peta.seaton@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Wingecarribee Shire Council
ABN 49546344354
PO Box 141
Civic Centre, Elizabeth Street
Moss Vale NSW 2577 Australia
Phone: +61 (02) 4868 0888
Fax: +61 (02) 4869 1203
DX 4961, Bowral NSW
URL: www.wsc.nsw.gov.au
Email: wscmail@wsc.nsw.gov.au

MAYOR
(elected as Mayor 12/09/00):
Clr P Yeo (Philip . Phil)
7 Holly Street
BOWRAL NSW 2576
Phone: 02-4861 2832 Home
Mobile: 0409 949046
Fax: 02-4861 7639 Home

DEPUTY MAYOR
(elected 12/09/00)
Clr S H Murray (Sara)
39 Oxley Drive
MITTAGONG NSW 2575
Phone: 02-4871 1254 Home
Mobile: 0417 431894
Fax: 02-4871 1465 Home

Clr H J Carter (Heather)
Postal Address:
C/- 14 Bowral Road
MITTAGONG NSW 2575
Phone: 02-4871 1170 Work
Mobile: 0408 978488
Phone: 02-4861 6839 Home
Fax: 02-48616397 Home

Clr D J Fairall (David)
7 Nerrim Street
BUNDANOON NSW 2578
Phone: 02-4883 7192 Home
Mobile: 0427 946594
Fax: 02-4883 7326 Home

Clr T D Gair (Duncan)
. Carioca Park.
Somerset Road
FITZROY FALLS NSW 2577
Phone: 02-4887 7290 Home
Phone: 02-4887 7315 Work
Mobile: 0409 039731
Fax: 02-4887 7249 Work

Clr G Lewis (Gordon)
68 Park Road
BOWRAL NSW 2576
Phone: 02-4861 2459 Home
Mobile: 0409 127010
Fax: 02-4861 2758 Home

Clr R B Mandelson (Richard . Rick)
70 Railway Terrace
WILLOW VALE NSW 2575
(PO Box 141 MITTAGONG NSW 2575)
Phone: 02-4872 1718 Home
Phone: 02-4871 1019 Work
Mobile: 0408 290 705
Fax: 02-4872 3789 Home

Clr P Reynolds (Peter)
43 Links Road
BOWRAL NSW 2576
Phone: 02-4861 1214 Home
Mobile: 0409 156128
Fax: 02-4861 1405 Home


Clr J E Sherborne (John)
20 Macdonnell Street
YARRALUMLA  ACT  2600
Phone: 02-6282 0435 Home
Mobile: 0412 339786
Fax: 02-6232 4125 Home (from 9/2/01)

Clr P B Tuddenham (Paul)
1 Pine Street
MOSS VALE NSW 2577
Phone: 02-4868 1672 Home
Mobile: 0408 637071
Fax: 02-4868 1308 Home

Clr L A C Whipper (Larry)
4 Victor Road
ROBERTSON NSW 2577
Phone: 02-4885 1695 Home
Mobile: 0407 932922
Fax: 02-4885 1978 Home

Clr D J Wood (David)
"Cairnswood Park", Sproules Lane
BOWRAL NSW 2576
Phone: 02-4887 1289 Home
Mobile: 0408 467881
Fax: 02-4887 1297 Home


The Local News Paper is: The Southern Highlands News / They have been
helping but need more letters

Address
28 Wingecarribee Street
Bowral
NSW 2576

Contact
Phone: 02 4862 2900
Fax: 02 4861 6905
Newspaper email: web.news@ruralpress.com
Site email: web.news@ruralpress.com

The local 2WKT Higland FM Radio can be emailed on:
highland@suburbia.com.au

We also have 2ST who broadcast in the area their contact details,
Radio 2ST FM  BOWRAL
cnr Bong Bong and Banyette Sts
Bowral 2576
Ph:  02 4862 2411
Fax: 02 4861 2421

This Lady May help

The Hon. Carmel Mary TEBBUTT, M.L.C. B.Ec.
Minister for Juvenile Justice
Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth
and Minister Assisting the Minister for the Environment
Australian Labor Party

Contact Details:
     Ministerial office:
     Level 31
     Governor Macquarie Tower
     1 Farrer place
     SYDNEY 2000

     Ministerial office Email: JJ@juvjus.minister.nsw.gov.au
     Ministerial office Phone: 9228 5360
     Ministerial office Fax: 9228 5366
     Contact address:
     Parliament House
     Macquarie Street
     Sydney NSW 2000
     Email: carmel.tebbutt@parliament.nsw.gov.au
     Phone: 9230 2111
     Fax: 9230 2993


The Hon. Richard Sanderson AMERY, M.P.
Member for Mount Druitt.
Minister for Agriculture
and Minister for Land and Water Conservation
A.L.P.
Contact Details:
     Ministerial office Phone: (02) 9372 0123
     Ministerial office Fax: (02) 9372 0199
     Mount Druitt Electorate address:
     Suite 208,
     Westfield Shoppingtown,
     Carlisle Avenue,
     Mount Druitt NSW 2770.
     P.O. Box 57
     Mount Druitt NSW 2770.
     Email: Ministerial Email: ministers.office@agric.nsw.gov.au
Electorate Office Email:
     zcabban@parliament.nsw.au
     Phone: (02) 9625 6770
     Fax: (02) 9625 9965

THIS MINISTER CONTROLS THE PURSE STRINGS FOR THE PROJECT VIA DPWS
The Hon. Morris IEMMA, M.P. B.Ec., LL.B.


Member for Lakemba
Minister for Public Works and Services(DPWS)
and Minister Assisting the Premier on
Citizenship
A.L.P.
Contact Details:
     Ministerial office Phone: 9228 4299
     Ministerial office Fax: 9228 4277
     Lakemba Electorate address:
     242 Belmore Road
     Riverwood NSW 2210.
     Email: zkhan@parliament.nsw.gov.au
     Phone: (02) 9584 1788
     Fax: (02) 9584 1945
     PO Box: PO Box 1200
     Riverwood NSW 2210

http://members.fortunecity.com/froguptree/

from Environment News Service March 1, 2001

WHTIMAN CLEARS DIESEL TRUCK RULE

By Cat Lazaroff

WASHINGTON, DC, March 1, 2001 (ENS) - In the first sign that the new
Bush administration will not seek to overturn several major
environmental rules passed by the Clinton administration, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday it will move forward
on schedule with its rule to make heavy duty trucks and buses run
cleaner.

For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-01-06.html

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

TOURISM IS KILLING THE MEDITERRANEAN, TRAVEL FAIR TOLD

BERLIN, Germany, March 1, 2001 (ENS) - The Mediterranean's soaring
popularity among visitors could be its downfall unless a new form of
tourism is introduced, the World Wide Fund for Nature said today.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-01-10.html

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

GREENPEACE PRESENTS IMAGE PROBLEM FOR INTERFOR

By Neville Judd

VANCOUVER, Canada, March 1, 2001 (ENS) - New photos of logging on
British Columbia's coast prove that International Forest Products is
misleading the public, said Greenpeace, Wednesday.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-01-11.html

************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: MARCH 1, 2001

Corps' Mississippi Study Questioned Yet Again

Bipartisan Bills Would Protect Arctic Refuge as Wilderness

Conservation Groups Defend Alaska's National Forests

StarLink Corn Turns Up in Corn Seed

Pacific Heat Vent Could Diminish Greenhouse Warming

Plan Addresses Longline Fisheries' Impact on Seabirds

Illegal Oysters Send Seafood Sellers to Jail

Volunteers Needed to Guard Spawning Sturgeon

For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-01-09.html

*******************************************************************
SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
***********************************************************************

TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Riparian Habitat and Floodplains Conference Set

     SACRAMENTO, CA, Mar. 1 -/E-Wire/-- The Riparian Habitat and
Floodplains Conference, sponsored by the California Department of Water
Resources and 16 other public and private agencies and organizations, is
scheduled March 12 through 15 at Sacramento's Radisson Hotel.

     /CONTACT: DWR PIO, Don Strickland, 916/657-4469 or Environmental
Compliance, Analysis & Planning Branch, Earle Cummings, 916/445-7974/

       /Web site: http://www.dwr.water.ca.gov/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/01Mar0103.html

***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
***********************************************************************

TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Environ.com Named Environmental Compliance Expert for Leading Government
Procurement Web Site Fedmarket.com

     TEMPE, Ariz. and KETCHUM, Idaho, Mar. 1 -/E-Wire/-- Fedmarket.com,
a leading government contracting portal, appointed Environmental Support
Solutions (Environ.com) as its environmental compliance expert.

     /CONTACT: Robin Suzelis of Environ.com, 480-346-5524,
robin_suzelis@environ.com; or Eric Aaserud of Fedmarket.com,
208-726-5553 ext. 12, aaserud@wrtech.com/

        /Web site: http://www.environ.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/01Mar0102.html

***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
***********************************************************************

-- NEWS ADVISORY -- TO BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENTAL AND MEDICAL EDITORS:

South Carolina's Research Universities Host Conference on the Links
Between the Environment and Health

     COLUMBIA, S.C., Mar. 1 -/E-Wire/-- A two day conference entitled
"Dispelling the Fear & Discovering the Truth: Linking the Environment &
Health." Chemicals are contaminating our ground water, asbestos is
invading our lungs, and lead poisons our children while they play.
Environmental health hazards have gone from hidden files to widespread
public concerns.

     /CONTACT: Trish Jerman of Sustainable University Initiative,
803-777-7760, jerman@sc.edu, or Katy Ruth of Newman, Saylor & Gregory,
803-254-8158, or e-mail, kruth@nsandg.com for Sustainable University
Initiative/

        /Web site: http://www.sc.edu/sustainableu/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/01Mar0101.html

************************************************************
  SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
*********************************************************

from Sierra Club March 1, 2001

SC-ACTION Vol.  III, #23,
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
February 28, 2001

Quote of the day:

Calling global warming "a real phenomenon," U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency chief Christie Whitman said Tuesday the administration is
considering limits on carbon dioxide emissions as part of a broader
anti-pollution strategy. --Dow Jones Newswires -- February 27, 2001

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

I.  A Huge Victory for the Clean Air Act
II.  Two Bills to Save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Introduced in
Congress
III. Harris Poll: 59% Pessimistic About How Bush Will Handle The
Environment
****************************************************************************************


I.   A Huge Victory for the Clean Air Act

On February 27, the Supreme Court handed down a huge victory for the Clean
Air Act. In a unanimous decision in Whitman vs. American Trucking
Association the Court affirmed that air pollution standards must be set to
protect public health with an adequate margin of safety and not based on
costs. The Court also upheld the constitutionality of the Clean Air Act's
standard-setting process. Both decisions are a huge success for public
health and the environment.

As part of updating the Clean Air Act to reflect current scientific
knowledge, President Clinton in 1997 announced new health-based air
standards for soot and smog. Soon after the new health-based air quality
standards were finalized in 1997, industry, led by the American Trucking
Association, filed a lawsuit against the EPA to halt these efforts to clean
the air. On May 14, 1999, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against the EPA,
leaving the fate of the new standards in limbo until the February 27th
Supreme Court ruling.

It is vital to show support for the Court's ruling and call upon the EPA to
move forward with the soot and smog standards. These standards will protect
an estimated 130 million Americans, including 35 million children suffering
from asthma and other respiratory related illnesses due to poor air
quality. Please send a letter to the editor (LTE) of your local paper and
show support for cleaning up our nation's air quality.

To find out more information visit
http://www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/naaqs/courtruling.asp
or email dirk.manskopf@sierraclub.org.
Also for a list and addresses of newspapers in your area visit
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/letterstoeditor/index.html



II.   Two Bills to Save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Introduced in
Congress

At a rousing press conference in front of the US Capitol two bills to
protect the embattled coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
from oil and gas development were introduced. The bills, introduced by
Senator Joseph Lieberman in the Senate and Representatives Ed Markey (D-MA)
and Nancy Johnson (R-CT) in the House would designate the 1.5 million acre
coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge as wilderness--our nation's highest
level of land protection.

The press conference featured a wide array of speakers from both parties.
Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Paul Wellstone (D-MN),
Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John Corzine (D-NJ) and John Kerry (D-MA) all spoke
out in strong support for protecting the coastal plain of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.

Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO) and Minority Whip David Bonior (D-MI)
were among the House members who were in attendance. Gephardt said
protecting to Arctic Refuge would be "the most important environmental
issue" facing America for the next two years. Reps. Moakley (D-MA), Johnson
(R-CT), Olver (D-MA), Maloney (D-NY), Blumenauer (D-OR), Hoeffel (D-PA),
Holt (D-NJ), Udall (D-CO) and Inslee (D-WA) all lent their voices to
supporting the legislation.

To see if your member of Congress has signed on as an original cosponsor
click here.

Ninety-five percent of Alaska's vast North Slope is open to oil and gas
exploration and leasing. The coastal plain represents the last five percent
that remains off-limits to development. According to the U.S. Geological
Survey, the mean estimate of oil that could be recovered from the Refuge
would amount to less than a six-month supply for America.  In addition, it
would take at least 10 years to do the exploration, construction, and
drilling necessary to get it to U.S. markets.

A recent Associated Press poll of one thousand adults found that 53 percent
of US voters oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while
only 33 percent support such a move.


III.  Harris Poll: 59% Pessimistic About How Bush Will Handle The
Environment

Optimistic About How Bush Will Handle The Following Issues?


                              Optimistic Pessimistic
Defense                                71%        29%
Crime                                  58         42
Education                              58         42
Taxes                                  52         48
Foreign policy                         50         50
Helping people with disabilities       50         50
Medicare                               48         52
Jobs                                   48         52
Social security                        48         52
The economy                            47         53
Drugs                                  47         53
Health care                            43         57
The environment                        41         59
Abortion                               41         59
Conducted 2/15-20/01, surveyed 2,573 adults; margin of error +/- 2%
(release, 2/27).

-------------------------------------------------------
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
Sierra Club Vote Watch Website - http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/
White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
George W. Bush's  e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
Dick Cheney's  e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep
------------------------------------------------------------

from E/The Environmental Magazine March 1, 2001

Open Season
Trophy Hunters are Wiping out British Columbia's Grizzlies
By Paul Koberstein

Tourists jam Glendale Lodge in Knight Inlet, British Columbia, every fall to witness grizzlies feeding on pink salmon migrating upriver to spawn. They shoot the fearsome bears--with their cameras.

Are British Columbia. s grizzly bears being slaughtered by hunters, or managed sustainably?  It depends on who you ask. © Ian Mcallister / www.raincoast.org

But a different sort of visitor also comes to the coastal temperate rainforest to shoot some griz. With a gun. Hundreds from Canada, the U.S. and Europe are paying upwards of $10,000 for the opportunity to join a hunt that begins every September 1. They hunt grizzlies for the trophy, never for the meat.

And now there's trouble. The grizzly, hunted to extinction throughout most of its range in North America, may be facing a similar fate here in British Columbia (B.C.). Disturbing new evidence suggests grizzlies are being systematically extinguished from the province. Last December, 68 professional biologists called for a hunting moratorium pending the completion of long term population studies throughout B.C.

"The B.C. government denies that sport hunting is killing off its coastal grizzly bear population, yet has never done a credible study of grizzly populations," says Chris Genovali of the Raincoast Conservation Society. The group, based in Sidney, B.C., is fighting to protect the vast Great Bear Rainforest, which stretches almost the entire length of the B.C. coast.

"As a professional biologist, ecotour operator and just being on this small globe of ours, I find it appalling that this is allowed to continue," says Richard Biel of Canadian Wilderness Ecotours. "The oldest bears being killed now are around four years old. These creatures live to be 20 to 25 years old." The government of British Columbia claims that's all nonsense. The official line is that the grizzly bear population is in no danger of extinction.

The government has the backing of a powerful hunting lobby, the B.C. Wildlife Federation. This group, which recently brought National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston to speak at its annual convention, insists on a right to hunt. As for the hunters, many of them are wealthy Americans eager to show friends back in the states their valor.

The government's grizzly policies are being challenged by conservation groups in Canada, the U.S. and Europe as the brutal slaughter of an endangered species for the benefit of a small but loud cadre of hunters. The policies are also being questioned from within. One government biologist, Dionys de Leeuw, warns that hunting is on pace to extinguish all grizzlies from British Columbia between 2020 and 2034. Extinction could come even quicker, he adds, unless the B.C. government heeds its own warnings about the devastating effects of ongoing timber harvests in grizzly habitat.

Last November, in a celebrated report entitled "Grizzly Overkill in British Columbia Bear Management," de Leeuw, a senior habitat protection biologist with the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, writes that the province has vastly overestimated the number of grizzlies still alive in B.C., and is allowing them to get shot at an unsustainable rate. "B.C. grizzly bears are declining," de Leeuw says. "Exacerbating that decline by continuing the grizzly bear hunt is biologically irresponsible."

Official figures put the number of grizzly bears in B.C. at about 14,000, but de Leeuw says overhunting may have reduced the population to as few as 3,000. Hunters kill an estimated 300 each year, with another 300 killed for public safety purposes and by poachers. Over a 33-year period from 1965 to 1997, he estimates more than 6,000 female bears were slaughtered, far in excess of the number the B.C. government considers sustainable.

"These results are discouraging at best," de Leeuw writes. "They clearly indicate that rather than controlling the total kill of grizzly bears to what may well be an arbitrarily conservative level, for 33 years the province has allowed the kill to exceed its own standard of sustainable mortality."

Compounding matters is the dubious nature of the B.C. Ministry of Environment's grizzly population estimates. From 1972 to 1979 the province estimated a population of 6,660 grizzly bears. But in 1990, the Ministry estimated that the province was home to 13,160 bears, using a "habitat suitability" model that assumes grizzlies occupy all suitable habitat. de Leeuw contends the model is so flawed that virtually all grizzly bears could be exterminated in B.C. by sport hunters, and the government would still allow hunting. 

Jim Yardley, director of the Environment Ministry's office in Smithers, a community on the Skeena River in north-central B.C., says that de Leeuw's views "do not reflect the views of the ministry, which believes it is managing grizzly bears appropriately and conservatively." de Leeuw was slapped with a gag order and an unpaid suspension when he attempted to circulate his findings among his ministry colleagues.

But even some hunters are getting the picture. Kolbjorn Eide, a former hunting guide in the Lower Skeena region, quit the business a few years ago because of declining bear numbers, and now supports a hunting moratorium. "In the last 30 years from 1970, I would say we have lost about 80 percent of our grizzly population in the Lower Skeena," Eide says. "The B.C. Ministry of Environment has never taken any interest in protecting grizzly bears, and they still don't. There is nothing to save them if they keep up their policies."

Numerous scientists interviewed for this article say de Leeuw's report has significant scientific merit. "It's pretty damning information," says Dr. Bryan Horejsi, a carnivore biologist in Calgary. "There are more than enough reasons to be suspicious about the government's numbers."

Environmentalists are fighting back. The Raincoast Conservation Society and the Environmental Investigations Agency (EIA), a nonprofit based in London, have organized a protest among tourism companies in Europe, Canada and the U.S. "We're jacking up pressure on the economic side," says Martin Powell, an EIA operative. "The tourism industry is deeply concerned because people have put off coming to B.C. It's only a matter of time when that trickle turns into a flood."

EIA has also launched an appeal with the United Nations, under the Convention on International Treaty in Endangered Species (CITES). The treaty bans the export and import of listed species, or their body parts. The U.S. and Canada are among the 152 nations that have signed the treaty.
"We want a ban on all exports of grizzly trophies," Powell says, "so foreign hunters won't be allowed to take their trophies out of the country with them, and so they won't go there to hunt in the first place."

from Environment News Service March 2, 2001

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)      http://ens-news.com

               "We Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************

THOUSANDS FLEE AS MOZAMBIQUE FLOODS WORSEN

MAPUTO, Mozambique, March 2, 2001 (ENS) - An international rescue effort
is under way in Mozambique where 52 people have died in floods that now
threaten thousands more.

For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-02-12.html

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

SUITS AGAINST HOG FARMS PROMPTED BY FEDERAL INADEQUACIES

By Cat Lazaroff

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, March 2, 2001 (ENS) - Smithfield Foods Inc., the
nation's largest hog producer, is responsible for polluting the air and
water in at least three states, charge a host of environmental lawsuits
filed this week. The suits come on the heels of new reports showing that
agricultural runoff damages ocean habitats, and that farmers eager to
combat runoff are thwarted by a lack of federal funds.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-02-06.html

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

BITE THE BULLET, EMBRACE CLEAN ENERGY: UN

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 2, 2001 (ENS) - The United Nations is urging
governments to recognize the economic and competitive benefits of
switching to climate friendly economies. The call followed Wednesday's
announcement that climate change talks, which stalled last November in
The Hague, will resume in Bonn in July.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-02-11.html

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

GOVERNMENTS AGREE PLAN TO TACKLE PIRATE FISHING

ROME, Italy, March 2, 2001 (ENS) - Governments have agreed on a new plan
to fight illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. Environmental
groups say the voluntary plan is weaker than they would have liked, but
a step in the right direction.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-02-10.html

************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: MARCH 2, 2001

Arsenic Water Standard Challenged by Wood Preservers

Lawsuit Threatens Giant Sequoia National Monument

Earthquakes Cost U.S. Billions in Damages

Illinois Dairy Farm Illegally Dumps Wastes

Texas Droughts Extreme for Past 15 Years

Mechanical Failure Kills Endangered Colorado River Fish

Former EPA Chief Carol Browner Joins Aspen Institute

Students Rally for Arctic Wildlife Refuge

For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-02-09.html

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SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

The Nature Conservancy Recognizes International Paper for Wetlands
Restoration

     SPRINGHILL, LA, Mar. 2 -/E-Wire/-- The Louisiana chapter of The
Nature Conservancy has presented International Paper with its Corporate
Council for Conservation Leadership Award. The award recognizes IP's
Springhill Habitat Area Restoration Demonstration Project (SHARD),
through which the company transformed the wastewater site at its former
Springhill, La., Paper Mill into wetlands.

     /CONTACT: Gary O'Rielly, Regional Public Affairs Manager,
225-383-9681, or Jenifer Christman, Communications Manager,
901-763-6963, both of International Paper/

/Web site: http://www.internationalpaper.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/02Mar0105.html

***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
***********************************************************************

TO NATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Mayor of Panama City, Panama, to Address Environmental and Conservation
Issues

     FORT WORTH, TX, Mar. 2 -/E-Wire/-- Botanical Research Institute of
Texas (BRIT) to Present International Award of Excellence to the
Honorable Juan Carlos Navarro, Mayor of Panama City, capital of the
Republic of Panama, on Wednesday, March 7, 2001, in Fort Worth, Texas,
for his accomplishments in conservation.

     /CONTACT: Bill Lawrence of Lawrence & Associates, 817-923-3100, for
Botanical Research Institute of Texas/

/Web sites: http://www.ancon.org
http://www.municipio.gob.pa/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/02Mar0104.html

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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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TO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT EDITORS:

NJBPU Approves New Programs and Funding for Customer Energy Savings and
Renewable Energy

     WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 2 -/E-Wire/-- The American Wind Energy
Association (AWEA) and a number of renewable energy companies and
environmental groups applauded a March 1 decision by the New Jersey
Board of Public Utilities (BPU) approving programs that will help
customers reduce energy use and develop renewable energy sources such as
wind and solar energy systems.

     /CONTACT:
Utility Contacts:
Conectiv Power Delivery, Matt Likovich, 410-860-6366,
Elizabethtown Gas, George Koodray, 908-781-0500 X 4613,
GPU Energy, Ron Morano, 973-401-8097,
New Jersey Natural Gas, Roseanne Koberle, 732-938-1112,
Orange & Rockland, Michael Donovan, 845-577-2430,
PSE&G, Kathleen T. Ellis, 973-430-6618,
South Jersey Gas, Joanne Brigandi, 609-561-9000 X4240;

Contacts for the non-utility parties:
American Wind Energy Association, David Wooley, 518-438-9907 x238,
Randy Swisher, 202-383-2500,
BP Solarex, Todd Foley,410-981-0253,
Eastern Heating, & Cooling Council,Harry Roth, 1-800-247-6547,
Environmental Defense,Natalie Patasaw, 212-505-0606 x1151,
Honeywell, Dave Holland, 973-890-9500 X 3005,
Natural Resources Defense Council, Dale Bryk, 212-727-4480,
Renewable Ventures, Mike Walker, 919-469-3737/

/Web sites: http://www.bpu.state.nj.us
http://www.awea.org/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/02Mar0103.html

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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS, AUTO, ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Pacific Sands Gives Operations and Marketing Update; Looks Forward

     CLOVIS, CA, Mar. 2 -/E-Wire/-- Pacific Sands (OTCBB: PFSD) is
pleased to give several updates on its operations and marketing efforts
for the Eco One line of environmentally friendly products from the month
of February.

     /CONTACT: Investor Relations: Mick Wynhoff, 262-634-5774,
PacificSandsIR@aol.com/

/Web site: http://www.pacificsandsinc.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/02Mar0102.html

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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS, AUTO, ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Incredibly Clean, Futuristic Honda Fuel Cell Vehicle Serves as Official
L.A. Marathon Pace Car

Vehicle Is Fueled By Hydrogen, Exhaust Is Water

     TORRANCE, CA, Mar. 2 -/E-Wire/-- Honda's FCX-V3 fuel cell vehicle,
the latest in a long line of Honda's environmentally friendly vehicles,
will serve as an official pace car for the 26.2-mile, March 4 L.A.
Marathon. The pace car, complete with L.A. Marathon logos, will lead the
estimated 23,000 Marathon runners.

     /CONTACT: Mindy Gormley for Fuel Cell, 310-781-4261, or Matt Klink
for LA Marathon, 310-283-6267, both of American Honda Motor Co., Inc./
/Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/372013.html or
fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 372013/

/Web site: http://www.honda.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/02Mar0101.html

************************************************************
  SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
*********************************************************

from EarthNet News March 4, 2001

EarthNet News
...a project of the Center for Environmental Citizenship

March 1, 2001  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week, the fight over the Arctic Refuge begins and GE refuses to clean up their mess in New York.  Also, plan now to take the Graduation Pledge and attend the Environmental Journalism Academy!

--Amy Lesser, EarthNet editor
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.  Shadow Congress: Let the Games Begin!
2.  Quote of the Week
3.  Corporate Corner: GE's Toxic Legacy
4.  Glimmer of Hope: The Court Backs Clean Air
5.  Eco-Campus: Graduation Pledge
6.  Environmental Journalism Academy
7.  Letters to the Editor: A "meaty" argument
8.  Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
9.  Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info

SHADOW CONGRESS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three bills were introduced this week that would either protect or drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  Drillling for oil in the ANWR is one of "Big Oil" Bush's priorities, and environmentalists are gearing up for all-out war.  Although the amount of oil under ANWR would only support the U.S. for six months (and take 5 years to reach), the Bush administration is claiming that our current and future energy woes will be solved by drilling.  

Two of the new bills would designate the 1.5 million acre coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge as "wilderness," which would prevent drilling in the region.  The bills are sponsored by Sen. Lieberman (D-CT) and Reps. Markey (D-MA) and Johnson (R-CT).  The third bill, sponsored by Sen. Murkowski (R-AK), would permit drilling in the ANWR and allow the Energy Secretary to determine if any upcoming federal actions would have a "significant adverse effect" on domestic energy, which would significantly delay new land protections, air quality standards, and mining regulations.  

TAKE ACTION NOW:  Write your politicians from the EarthNet Action Center at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet and demand that the ANWR be protected. Destroying a national treasure is not worth six months of oil!

FOR MORE INFO: http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp; http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.html

UPDATE: Last week, the Bush administration came out in favor of the Brownfields Restoration Act highlighted in the Feb. 22 issue.  The bill is virtually guaranteed to pass now, but keep those letters coming!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Unfortunately, our affluent society has also been an effluent society."

-- Hubert H. Humphrey, Democratic politician, vice president, speech on 10/11/66 at Gannon College, Erie, PA

CORPORATE CORNER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Electric (GE) is responsible for dumping more than a million tons of toxic PCBs into the Hudson River in New York, which destroyed 200 miles of river and created the largest Superfund site in the country.  A debate is currently raging over the best solution for this environmental disaster. Many enviros, backed by the Sierra Club and various Hudson River groups, are urging the EPA to hold GE accountable to pay for the clean up.  But the company insists that such dredging efforts will actually make the problem worse by stirring up contaminants that are currently inert.  Instead of tackling the problem, GE is spending millions of dollars in a public relations campaign to avoid their responsibility.  And, while they're arguing, the water is poisoning fish, wildlife, and people.

TAKE ACTION NOW:  Tell the EPA you want GE to clean up their mess and pay for the devastation they wrought by emailing hudsoncomment.region2@epa.gov.  The comment period ends April 17th.  

FOR MORE INFO:  http://www.hudsonwatch.net; http://www.sierraclub/toxics/action/Hudson.asp

GLIMMER OF HOPE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week, the Supreme Court upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's right to set air pollution standards based on public health reasons rather than cost.  This is a huge victory for the environment and the 130 million Americans who deal every day with smog and soot.  Clinton announced the new air quality regulations in 1997, but lawsuits led by the American Trucking Association have held up the new standards in the courts until now.  

ECO-CAMPUS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Graduation Pledge Alliance is hoping that the term "GPA" may soon have two meanings in campus culture. The first GPA describes how well you did before graduation, and the second predicts what good you'll do after. The Pledge asks graduating students to "take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job...and try to improve [problems]." Recent "pledgers" have promoted recycling at work, removed racist language from a training manual, and even helped convince an employer to refuse a chemical weapons contract!

Start planning now to organize the Pledge on your campus. Contact Neil at NJWollman@manchester.edu for information. Or visit their website at http://www.manchester.edu/academic/programs/departments/Peace_Studies/files/gpa.htm.

ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM ACADEMY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Calling all student journalists!  Gain hands-on experience as you collaborate with top professionals from print, radio and the Web to produce stories that explore environmental issues.  Network with fellow college reporters, editors and photographers from across the nation and discover how social justice relates to urban environmental issues and public health concerns during the Community Environmental Tour.  

The 2001 Environmental Journalism Academy will be held at American University in Washington, DC from June 14-18.  $75 includes housing, food, and training.  Rolling admissions -- APPLY NOW at http://www.envirocitizen.org/news/eja/.  Pass the word along to your campus paper!

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Editor's Note: The Great American Meatout is on March 20.  Find out you can "kick the habit" at http://www.meatout.org.

There are many reasons to become a vegetarian or a vegan, including personal health, animal cruelty, environmental devastation, waste of precious resources, pollution,and global warming. 40% of America's beef is imported from land that once was home to vital rainforest life. 38% of the world's grain is used to feed livestock, enough to feed 400 millionpeople on a vegetarian diet. The world's oil reserves would last 260 years if humans ceased to eat meat. Livestock production uses over 50% of U.S. water. America's cattle industry creates 158 million tons of waste per year. It is the number one cause of water pollution.  I don't think we fully realize how much power we have as consumers, nor how much impact we have on our future and the world. I cannot understand how we can continue to engage in a diet we don't need that results in suffering and painful deaths to animals, destroys the land that supports our lives,and pollutes the air we breathe and the water we drink. Switching to a vegetarian diet is not difficult,and I have never felt better in my whole life. I have more energy andmore clarity of mind.  I'm doing better in college, and severe stomach problems I've had since a child completely vanished. I have done it not only for myself, but more importantly for my greater self which includes you and all life on Earth.Switching to a vegetarian diet or at least largely cutting back on meat eating is one of the easiest ways to take a stand for your future and that of future generations of people, animals, trees, Earth.   I beg only that we think deeply about the choices we are making, and make an effort act wisely.
-- Sage Sheldon, Oklahoma State University

Got something to say?  Send your letters to earthnet@envirocitizen.org.  We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and purpose.

JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS
------------------------------
These are a sampling of the over 180 environmental and activist jobs and internships listed at www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp!

Citizens Campaign for the Environment is seeking Campaign Staff for summer and full-time positions in Buffalo, NY.  Find the job description at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2384.

Washington Conservation Voters is seeking an Administrative Coordinator in Seattle, WA.  Find the job description at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2380.

The Green Guerillas is seeking a Community Organizer in New York City.  Find the job description at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2364.

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation is seeking a summer/fall Naturalist Intern in Sanibel, FL.  Find the internship description at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2368.

CONFERENCES AND GATHERINGS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp.

WHAT: Green Community Workshop
WHERE: Shepherdstown, WV
WHEN: March 15, 2001
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/detail.asp?id=703

WHAT: Nurturing a Green Campus Training
WHERE: Emory University, Atlanta, GA
WHEN:  March 22-23, 2001
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/detail.asp?id=712

WHAT: Cascadia Activism and Ecology Conference
WHERE: Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
WHEN:  April 5, 2001
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/detail.asp?id=710

ACTIVIST PHONE BOOK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121
White House Comment Line: 202.456.1111
EarthNet Action Center: http://congress.nw.dc.us/cec
White House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
Senate Address: US Senate, Washington, DC 20510
House Address: US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515
**Look up e-mail addresses in a comprehensive congressional directory at
http://congress.nw.dc.us/cec/congdir.html or http://www.vote-smart.org/ce

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Write your own short articles for submission to EarthNet. We are particularly interested in articles about student activism on your campus. The email accounts for EarthNet News are:
For general comments: mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
For article submissions or ideas: mailto:submissions@envirocitizen.org
Submit Jobs/Internships/Volunteer listings at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/add.asp.
Submit Events at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/add.asp.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe to our listserv, EarthNet News, go to http://www.envirocitizen.org/subscribe.html, or send an email to mailto:earthnet-request@earthsystems.org with the subject subscribe. To unsubscribe, send an email to mailto:earthnet-request@earthsystems.org with the subject unsubscribe.

from Global Response March 5, 2001

Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"

GREAT NEWS TO CELEBRATE!!  Boise Cascade cancelled its Cascada Chile
project.  Cascada Chile would have been the world's largest chip mill,
doubling the rate of logging in Chile's southern temperate rainforests.
Global Response members helped launch a worldwide campaign against Cascada
Chile, with an international letter campaign in 1999 (see GR Action #2/99
"Save Ancient Temperate Rainforests - Chile" at
http://www.globalresponse.org/gra_index/gra0299.html).

Thanks to all who wrote letters on this issue!

***********************
Here's a note we received from Defensores de los Bosques Chilenos
(Defenders of the Chilean Forests):

Boise Cascade project in Chile, Cascada Chile has finally been canceled.
Thanks to all of you who made this possible. This is a big success!!!
We'll try to send more details of the decission, although most of you know
what the authorities have said: environmentalists, EIA investment was too
high, the government didn't want the region to continue growing, etc, etc,
etc. The important thing is that this is true.
**********************

Here's a press release from Rainforest Action Network:

Boise Cascade Closes Mills, Cancels Major Project amidst Sweeping Changes
in the Wood Products Industry

Customers' Demand for Old Growth Forest Protection, Responsible Logging Is
Transforming the Marketplace

Boise, Idaho-Following on the heels of the recent announcement that it will
close its last mills in Idaho, this week Boise Cascade disclosed that the
company is also canceling its controversial Cascada Project in southern
Chile.

Slated to be the world's largest chip mill and Oriented Strand Board (OSB)
facility, the Cascada Project was expected to double the rate of logging in
southern Chile's old growth forests, the second largest temperate
rainforest on the planet. Intense international pressure and legal action
in Chile to protect endangered native forests from Boise Cascade's proposed
mill had successfully delayed the project for years.

"We may be seeing the last gasps of a dying old growth logging industry,"
commented Michael Brune, Campaigns Director of the Rainforest Action
Network.  "Legal activists and environmental groups have been fighting for
protection of Chile's endangered forests for some time.  We'd like to
congratulate our allies in Chile including Geo Austral, Defensores del
Bosque Chileno, and Renace as well as dozens of organizations in the U.S.
including American Lands Alliance, Co-op America, Global Response,
Greenpeace, the National Forest Protection Alliance, Natural Resources
Defense Council, World Wildlife Fund, and many others."

Boise Cascade's recent moves come at a time when the company is feeling
pressure from a rapidly changing marketplace with consumers turning away
from old growth wood and towards sustainably harvested products. Top wood
users and retailers including important Boise Cascade customers such as
Kinko's, Lowe's and Home Depot have committed to eliminating the use of old
growth wood and give preference to alternatives. Nearly twenty-five percent
of the U.S. lumber market has pledged to transform its use of wood and
paper products. Many of these companies are Boise Cascade's largest
customers.

"Boise Cascade's decision to abandon this woodchipping project in Chile
reflects the market and environmental chaos created by these 'cut and run'
multinational timber dinosaurs," asserted Jake Kreilick of the National
Forest Protection Alliance. "It's time for Boise Cascade to face the music
and take notice of the powerful statement the marketplace is making in
favor of protection of our last remaining old growth forests and U.S.
public lands."

More than three-quarters of the world's old growth forests have already
been logged and degraded, much within the past three decades. In the United
States, less than five percent of our original forests remain.

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

Here's an article from Environmental News Service:

Boise Cascade Pulls Out of Chile

                           BOISE, Idaho, February 22, 2001 (ENS) - Forest
products company Boise Cascade has announced
cancellation of plans to build and operate an oriented strand board
manufacturing plant and deep water port in Puerto Montt, Chile.

                           Public interest environmental lawyers in Chile
and environmentalists in the United States are calling the decision
a victory for Chile's ancient forests.

argument  that Cascada did not have
to  assess the impacts of cutting local forests.

                             FIMA submitted a petition to the Canada-Chile
Commission for Environmental Cooperation in June, 2000 and by August, the
Commission  agreed to hear arguments. This commission was created by a
trade agreement between Canada and Chile. Its mission is to review citizen
complaints and determine if governments are complying with environmental laws.

                           FIMA believes that unrelenting pressure on
Cascada Chile influenced Boise Cascade's decision
to cancel the Puerto Montt project.

                           Boise Cascade said that an unfavorable supply
and demand outlook for oriented  strand board is
the reason for its decision to halt the Cascada Chile  development. "Given
the expectation of an additional 7.4 billion square feet of OSB capacity
planned industrywide in North America and severely depressed  product
prices at this time, our plans for the project have been cancelled."

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

from Environment News Service March 5, 2001

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)      http://ens-news.com

               "We Cover the Earth For You"
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MERCURY POSES RISK TO ONE IN 10 U.S. PREGNANCIES

WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2001 (ENS) - One in 10 women of childbearing
age in the United States are at risk of having newborns with
neurological problems due to in utero mercury exposure, according to a
government study released last week. Fetuses are exposed to mercury in
the womb primarily because of their mothers' consumption of contaminated
fish.

For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-05-06.html

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G8 ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS KEEP CLIMATE BALL ROLLING

TRIESTE, Italy, March 5, 2001 (ENS) - Environment ministers from the
world's eight most powerful countries have reaffirmed their desire to
reach a global accord on implementing the Kyoto Protocol. This addition
to the United Nations climate change treaty governs the greenhouse gas
emissions of 39 industrialized nations.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-05-01.html

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PROPOSED CANADIAN PARK UNCHANGED SINCE CREATION

IQALUIT, Nunavut, Canada, March 2, 2001 (ENS) - An inland Arctic sea
whose mudflats, cliffs and rolling tundra banks are described as
unchanged since creation is a step closer to becoming Canada's newest
national park.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-05-10.html

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NEW HOPE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MALARIA

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 5, 2001 (ENS) - Pharmaceutical giant
GlaxoSmithKline has signed agreements with two non-profit organizations
to develop a new treatment for malaria.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-05-11.html

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ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: MARCH 5, 2001

Hawaiian Coral Smugglers Plead Guilty

Innovative Pollution Agreement Saves Company $825,000

Have DNA Lab, Will Travel

Airlines Reach Agreement on Texas Clean Air Plan

Using Nature to Manage Landscape Pests

The Wilderness Society Honors U.S Forest Service

Inland Aquarium Joins Marine Fish Conservation Network

Plant Grass on Spring Break

For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-05-09.html

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TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS:

Hunters Raise Millions for Wildlife

     CODY, Wyo., March 5 -/E-Wire/-- The wild sheep of North America
will continue to prosper because of dedicated hunter/conservationists
who raised nearly $4 million during the Foundation for North American
Wild Sheep's (FNAWS) 24th Annual Convention. Over $1.6 million, raised
through a special hunt tag auction, will be immediately used to fund
State and Provincial wild sheep and wildlife programs.

     /CONTACT: Paula Karres of Foundation for North American Wild Sheep,
307-527-6261/

     /Web site: http://www.fnaws.org/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Mar01/05Mar0109.html

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