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Environment Action
Alerts for
March 16 - March 23, 2001
from Union of Concerned Scientists March 16, 2001
TELL YOUR SENATOR TO SUPPORT
RENEWABLE ENERGY
TODAY
ISSUE:
Democrats in the US Senate, led by Senator Bingaman
(NM), are preparing a comprehensive energy bill for
introduction as
early as next week. UCS recently learned
that the bill no longer includes a
Renewables Portfolio
Standard (RPS)
ACTION:
Please call your
Democratic Senator immediately. You can
reach them by calling 202-224-3121.
If that number is busy, try 202-224-4691
or 202-224-8541 and ask to be
transferred to
the appropriate Senate office
you can also visit:
http://www.senate.gov
If you are in
Oregon, Washington, New York, California,
North Dakota or South Dakota
please make this your next
call. Democratic Senators in those states are
particularly supportive and most likely to push Bingaman
to put the RPS
back in the bill. If you are in New
Mexico your calls to Senator Bingaman
are especially
important. If you are in a state without Democratic
representation in the Senate, you can call Senator
Daschle, the Senate
Minority Leader at (202) 224-2321.
from Environmental Defense March 16, 2001
You can take action on this alert either by email
or
preferably on the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18228B0316092734C241
Alert expires on March 25, 2001
Here's what this alert is about:
Help Farmers Help the Environment
----------------------
Take Action! Tell your Senators to reward farmers
who
improve water quality and restore wildlife habitat.
***************************
Action Network from
Environmental Defense.
Finding the ways that work. Funded
by members like you.
***************************
Congress will decide this month whether to boost federal
incentives
for farmers, ranchers and other private
landowner to reduce polluted
runoff, protect food and
drinking water supplies,
retire environmentally-sensitive
land, or provide
habitat for rare species.
What's At Stake:
Because farmland
and ranchland cover 55% of the landscape,
agriculture
dramatically impacts water quality, food
safety,
wildlife habitat, and the pace of sprawl. Fortunately,
many farmers and ranchers are implementing better land
use practices. For example, nearly half of America's
farmers have changed the way they plow to reduce polluted
runoff into nearby streams.
But, most farmers and ranchers
seeking federal assistance
to improve water quality,
combat sprawl, or protect
rare wildlife species are
rejected. Every day, thousands
of farmers and ranchers
seeking federal financial and
technical assistance to
meet many of the nation's pressing
environmental
challenges are turned away due to inadequate
federal
funding.
This month, Congress
will pass a budget resolution
- a blueprint for federal
spending for the next ten
years. Tell your Senator to
join the "Reed-Jeffords-Leahy"
letter to the Senate
Budget Committee" to help boost
funding for USDA
conservation assistance programs.
The budget resolution provides a
rare chance to reward
private landowners
who:
COMBAT
SPRAWL: Farmers and ranchers serve as the frontline
against sprawl, but more than 2 million acres of farm,
ranch, and forest lands are developed every year. Federal
aid to purchase development rights can protect
high-quality
farmland and ranchland from sprawl.
REDCUE POLLUTED RUNOFF: While
agriculture is a leading
source of water pollution,
many farmers want to adopt
practices that reduce
fertilizer and pesticide use,
and restore wetlands and
streamside buffers to filter
runoff. These practices
will help keep drinking water
treatment
clean.
PROTECT
ENDANGERED SPECIES: Most imperiled species
rely on
private lands. Unfortunately, many conventional
farming
practices threaten 1/3 of imperiled species
by
eliminating woodlands and grasslands, using too
much
water, or applying excessive amounts of nutrients
and
chemicals. Many farmers are willing to adopt practices
that protect and restore wildlife habitat, such as
retiring sensitive lands, irrigating more efficiently,
or adopting harvest practices that protect birds.
COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE: Many of the
same practices that
reduce polluted runoff or enhance
wildlife habitat
also help stem global warming. Many
farmers are willing
to adopt practices that reduce
nitrous oxide and methane
emission, sequester carbon,
and reduce demand for fossil
fuels.
Read more about USDA conservation
assistance programs
by visiting http://www.environmentaldefense.org/pubs/NewsReleases/2001/Mar/a_farmers.html
View the
Reed-Jeffords-Leahy letter at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/senateletter
Spread the word about this alert
by visiting http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/farm/forward
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE
WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take
action
on this alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18228B0316092734C241
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you
wish. You
must include the whole letter in
your response including
"-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW-" and "-END OF LETTER-".
Please do not add your
name and address to your letter.
Action Network
automatically does this for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Charles Schumer
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW---------
I urge you join
the Reed-Jefford-Leahy letter to the
Senate Budget
Committee to reward farmers who improve
water quality
and habitat for wildlife.
Most farmers, ranchers and landowners seeking federal
help to improve water quality, combat sprawl, or help
rare species are rejected due to inadequate funding.
To help meet these pressing environmental challenges,
Congress must increase funding for USDA conservation
assistance programs in the budget resolution.
Farmers and ranchers are
willing to do their part.
But, too little funding is
available to provide basic
technical information on
buffer strips and other practices
that reduce polluted
runoff. Three-out-of-four farmers
seeking financial
help to retire sensitive lands, use
water more
efficiently, or restore lost wetlands are
rejected.
I urge you to help farmers and ranchers meet these
environmental challenges by joining the Reed-Jefford-Leahy
letter to the Senate Budget Committee.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
from Amazon Alliance March 16, 2001
**************
ACTION ALERT
**************
URGENT REQUEST: Please fax letters to Peruvian government
officials
requesting immediate action to protect
uncontacted indigenous tribes from
contact with loggers
and missionaries who have entered into their territory.
Dear Friends,
The uncontacted indigenous tribes
of the states of Madre de Dios and
Ucayali, Peru,
referred to as the Mascho-Piro, are being threatened by the
presence of loggers and missionaries in their territory.
These tribes live
in voluntary isolation to avoid the
persecution and sickness their peoples
experienced in
recent history following confrontations with outsiders. The
invasion of loggers and missionaries in their lands is
forcing them to
migrate into areas populated by other
native communities and this has led
to increasing
conflict. On Febrary 12th of this year, several members of a
tribe of uncontacted peoples were wounded and killed by
gunshot in a
violent encounter with a local community.
The Native Federation of the
Madre de Dios River and Tributaries (FENAMAD)
has been
working intensively to safeguard the territory of the uncontacted
peoples. Progress was made last July, 2000 when the
government created a
temporary Reserve Zone that
included some of the uncontacted peoples'
territory and
banned logging concessions in that area. However, much of
their lands still remain outside of this temporary
protected area.
To
ensure the survival of these peoples, the government must act
immediately to prohibit the entrance of loggers and other
outsiders into
their territory and advance efforts to
establish permanent legal protection
for the territory
of the uncontacted peoples.
Please take the time to send a letter to Peruvian
government officials
requesting action NOW to protect
the lives of the uncontacted peoples.
Below you will find fax numbers, a sample letter, and a
public declaration
from FENAMAD. A detailed
article in Spanish regarding the conflict has
also been
sent to you in a separate email. For more information or pictures
of the uncontacted peoples, please contact the Alliance
coordinating office
at betsy@amazonalliance.org or
1-202-785-3334 or email FENAMAD directly at
marinke@terra.com.pe.
Thank you for your active support.
Sincerely,
Betsy Boatner
---------------------------------------------
Index
1.
Fax Numbers for Peruvian government officials
2. Model Letter Regarding Uncontacted Peoples (English and
Spanish)
3. Declaration from
FENAMAD concerning the recent conflict with uncontacted
peoples. (English and Spanish)
----------------------------------------------
1. FAX NUMBERS FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Please send a copy of your letter
to FENAMAD at 51-84-572-499
or email it to <marinke@terra.com.pe>.
(If faxing from the United
States, dial 011 prior to the number.)
Dr. Valentín Paniagua Curazao
Presidente de la Republica del Perú
Fax: 51-14-266-770
Ing Carlos Amat y Leon
Ministro de Agricultura
Fax:
51-14-310-035
Ing
Matias Prieto Celi
Jefe del Instituto Nacional del
Recursos Naturales-INRENA
Fax: 51-12-243-218.
Mr. Javier Perez de
Cuellar
Presidente del Consejo de Ministros
51-14-475-728
Dra. Susana Villarán de La Puente
Ministra de la Mujer
Fax:
51-14-263-920
Dr.
Walter Alban Peralta
Defensor del Pueblo
Fax: 51-14-267-800
-----------------------------------------------
2. MODEL LETTER
Washington, DC
March XX, 2001
Dr. Valentin Paniagua Curazao,
President of the Republic of Peru
Mr. Carlos Amat y
Leon, Minister of Agriculture
Mr. Matias Prieto Celi,
Director of the National Institute of Natural
Resources, INRENA
Mr. Javier Perez
de Cuellar, President of the Council of Ministries
Dr.
Susana Villaran de La Puente, Minister of the Ministry of Woman
Dr. Walter Alban Peralta, Public Defender
Dear Sirs:
We are deeply disturbed to hear of
the conflict between a band of nomadic
uncontacted
peoples and the Native Amahuaca Community of Santa Cruz in the
Province of Purus, on February 12th, 2001, which resulted
in the wounding
and death of several members of the
uncontacted tribe, denominated Mascho
Piro. We recognize that this conflict has
resulted from the presence of
loggers and missionaries
in lands inhabited by the uncontacted peoples
which has
provoked their displacement and led to increased contact between
the uncontacted peoples and nearby indigenous
populations.
The
presence of any outsiders in the lands inhabited by the uncontacted
peoples represents a severe threat to their
survival. We strongly urge the
Peruvian
government to take immediate action to prohibit all logging
operations in the territory of the uncontacted peoples and
advance efforts
to establish permanent legal protection
for their territory banning all
commercial natural
resource exploitation.
We
recognize efforts taken by Peruvian authorities to stop the operations
of illegal loggers in the area inhabited by the uncontacted
peoples in the
Department of Madre de Dios in March
2000. We also commend the Peruvian
government for advances in support of indigenous
territorial rights that
followed the agreement signed
by regional authorities of Madre de Dios and
representatives of the native communities affiliated with
the Native
Federation of the Madre de Dios River and
Tributaries (FENAMAD) on July
20th, 2000.
In light of this progress, we
understand that the Peruvian government seeks
to
mitigate the enormous threat that contact with outsiders and the
transmission of germs represents to the lives and cultures
of the
uncontacted peoples. With this
awareness, we ask the Peruvian government
to take
immediate action to prohibit loggers from entering into territories
of the isolated indigenous tribes in the Departments of
Madre de Dios and
Ucayali; to prohibit the South
American Mission and other religious groups
from
contacting the isolated indigenous tribes; and to adopt permanent
measures for the effective protection of the uncontacted
peoples. Their
territory is in every sense,
their life, and must be actively safeguarded
for their
physical and cultural survival.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXX
CARTA MODELO
Washington, DC,
xx de marzo del
2001
Sr. Dr. Valentin Paniagua
Curazao,
Excelentisimo Presidente de la Republica del
Peru
Ing. Carlos Amat y Leon
Ministro de Agricultura
Ing.
Matias Prieto Celi
Jefe del Instituto Nacional de
Recursos Naturales, INRENA
Sr. Javier Perez de Cuellar
Presidente del Consejo de Ministros
Dra. Susana Villaran de La Puente
Ministra de la Mujer
Dr. Walter
Alban Peralta
Defensor del Pueblo
Estimados senores:
Estamos profundamente consternados
al informarnos sobre el conflicto entre
un grupo de
indigenas no contactados y la poblacion indigena amahuaca de la
comunidad de Santa Cruz, en la provincia de Purus, el 12 de
febrero del
2001, el cual tuvo un saldo de heridos y de
muertos entre el grupo de los
indigenas no contactados
denominado Mashco Piro.
Nosotros sabemos que este conflicto ha resultado por la
presencia de
madereros y misioneros en tierras
habitadas por la poblacion indigena no
contactada, que
ha provocado su desplazamiento y el incremento del contacto
entre la poblacion no contactada y las poblaciones
indigenas cercanas.
La
presencia de cualquier persona en las tierras habitadas por los pueblos
no contactados representa un severo riesgo a su
supervivencia. Urgimos
fuertemente al Gobierno peruano
tomar accion inmediata para prohibir todas
las
operaciones madereras en el territorio habitado por los pueblos no
contactados, y avanzar en los esfuerzos para el
establecimiento de la
proteccion legal permanente de su
territorio que prohiba toda explotacion
comercial de
los recursos naturales en la zona.
Conocemos los esfuerzos tomados por las autoridades
peruanas para frenar
las operaciones madereras ilegales
en marzo del 2000. Tambien expresamos
nuestra
satisfaccion al Gobierno peruano por los avances en la defensa de
los derechos territoriales que resultaron del acuerdo
suscrito por las
autoridades regionales de Madre de
Dios y los representantes de las
comunidades nativas
afiliadas en la Federacion de Comunidades Nativas del
Rio Madre de Dios y Afluentes, (FENAMAD) el 20 de julio del
2000.
A la luz de estos
progresos, nosotros reconocemos que el Gobierno peruano
anhela mitigar la enorme amenaza que el contacto con
foraneos y la
transmision de germenes representa para
la vida y la cultura de los pueblos
no contactados.
En ese sentido, pedimos al
Gobierno peruano tomar accion inmediata para
prohibir
el ingreso de madereros hacia los territorios habitados por las
poblaciones indigenas aisladas en el departamento de Madre
de Dios y
Ucayali, prohibir a la Mision de Sud America
(SAM) y a otros grupos
religiosos, el contacto con los
pueblos indigenas aislados, y que se
adopten medidas
permanentes para la efectiva proteccion de estos pueblos.
Su territorio es en todo sentido, su vida, y debe ser
activamente
salvaguardada por su sobrevivencia fisica y
cultural.
Sinceramente,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
----------------------------------
3. Summary in English of the
Declaration from FENAMAD "Regarding the Attack
on a
Group of Isolated Indigenous Peoples from Alto Purus" See below for
Declaration in Spanish.
On February 12th, 2001, a group of isolated indigenous
peoples that had
migrated towards the headwaters of the
Purus River, entered the Native
Amahuaca Community of
Santa Cruz, located on this river in the district of
Purus, Province of Purus, Department of Ucayali. A violent
conflict
resulted with the local population and a
number of isolated indigenous
peoples were wounded from
gunshots and possibly seven were killed,
according to
credible sources that have not yet been confirmed.
Given the gravity of the situation, at this moment members
of our
institution are investigating the case.
Nevertheless, we consider it
important to make public
the following information:
1.-
The headwaters of the Purus River, located in the Department of
Ucayali, constitute part of the migratory circuit in which
indigenous
peoples living in voluntary isolation pass
through. This has been
recognized by the
Peruvian government in a Directoral Resolution issued by
the Regional Agrarian Directorate of Ucayali in 1997 that
created a
territorial reserve for the indigenous
peoples in isolation. This reserve
was included in the
Alto Purus Reserve Zone created by Supreme Decree on
July 7, 2000.
2.- Despite the existence of these reserves established in
protection of
the indigenous peoples in isolation,
logging companies have continued to
enter into the zone
from different points, with the purpose of extracting
high value timber species.
3.- The untimely presence of the isolated indigenous
peoples in the Native
Community of Santa Cruz was
caused by pressure exerted by loggers on their
territories, provoking forced displacement and consequently
generating
conflict with nearby indigenous populations.
4.- At the same time, a group
of missionaries from the evangelical church,
South
American Mission (SAM), called "Pioneers", has created a community
within the area inhabited by the indigenous peoples in
isolation, with the
purpose of evangelizing them,
leading to dangerous contact between the
groups. In
other previous cases in the Amazon, these religous groups have
been responsible for the transmission of sicknesses and the
extermination
of indigenous peoples in isolation.
For this reason, we request that
the Peruvian government urgently:
* Carry out an exhaustive investigation to determine those
responsible for
the criminal acts against the
indigenous peoples in isolation in Altu Purus.
* Evict the loggers that are working inside the territorial
reserves for
the indigenous peoples in isolation in
Altu Purus.
* Prohibit the
evangelical church, South American Mission, from carrying
out missionary actions with the indigenous peoples in
isolation.
* Apply effective
measures for the control of the reserve zone in Alto Purus.
Puerto Maldonado, February 19,
2001
The Steering Council of FENAMAD
(LA JUNTA DIRECTIVA)
Declaration sent to:
Dr. Valentin Paniagua, Presidente de la Republica
Dr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, Presidente del Consejo de
Ministros
Dra. Susana Villaran, Ministra de Promocion
de la Mujer
Ingº Carlos Amat y Leon, Ministro de
Agricultura.
Ingº Matias Prieto Celi, Jefe del
Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales
Dr. Jaime
Urrutia, Secretario Tecnico de Asuntos Indigenas
Sr.
Gil Inoach Shawit, Presidente de AIDESEP
Dr. Walter
Alban Peralta, Defensoria del Pueblo
-------------------------------------------------------
PRONUNCIAMIENTO
SOBRE ATAQUE A GRUPO DE INDIGENAS
AISLADOS DEL ALTO PURUS
La Federacion Nativa del rio Madre de Dios y afluentes -
FENAMAD-, comunica
a las autoridades locales y
nacionales y a la opinion publica lo siguiente :
El dia lunes 12 de febrero del presente ano, un grupo de
indigenas aislados
que se desplazan por las cabeceras
del rio Purus, ingreso sorpresivamente a
la Comunidad
Nativa Amahuaca Santa Cruz, ubicada en dicho rio, distrito de
Purus, provincia de Purus, departamento de Ucayali, a raiz
de lo cual se
produjo un violento enfrentamiento con
los pobladores de la comunidad
dejando como saldo un
numero considerable de indigenas aislados heridos por
el impacto de los cartuchos e inclusive, segun informacion
de fuentes
confiables, pero no confirmada, la muerte de
siete miembros del mismo grupo.
Dada la gravedad de los acontecimientos, en estos momentos
miembros de
nuestra institucion se encuentran en el
lugar de los hechos realizando las
investigaciones del
caso. Sin embargo consideramos de especial importancia
hacer publico lo siguiente:
1.- Las cabeceras del rio Purus, ubicadas en el
departamento de Ucayali
constituye parte del circuito
migratorio a traves del cual se desplazan
poblaciones
indigenas en situacion de aislamiento. Este hecho ha sido
reconocido por el Estado peruano, que a traves de la
Resolucion Directoral
Nº 000190-97-CTARU/IRA de la
Direccion Regional Agraria de Ucayali emitida
en el ano
1997, creo la Reserva territorial a favor de las poblaciones
indigenas en aislamiento mencionadas, la misma que ha sido
incluida en la
Zona Reservada Alto Purus, creada por
Decreto Supremo Nº030-2000-AG del 7
de julio del ano
2000.
2.- A pesar de la
existencia de estas Reservas territoriales establecidas
en proteccion de las poblaciones indigenas en aislamiento,
empresas
madereras han continuado ingresando a la zona
desde diferentes puntos, con
la finalidad de extraer
especies maderables de alto valor.
3.- La intempestiva presencia de indigenas aislados en la
comunidad Nativa
Santa Cruz se debe a la presion que
vienen ejerciendo los madereros sobre
sus territorios,
provocando desplazamientos forzados y generandose en
consecuencia enfrentamientos con las poblaciones indigenas
cercanas.
4.- paralelamente,
un grupo de misioneros la iglesia evangelica South
American Mission (Mision SAM), denominada "Pioneros" ha
creado una
comunidad dentro del area de desplazamiento
de las poblaciones indigenas en
aislamiento afectadas,
con el expreso fin de evangelizarlas, emprendiendo
para
ello peligrosas acciones de contacto. En otros casos anteriores
vividos en la Amazonia, han sido justamente estos grupos
religiosos los
responsables de la propagacion de
enfermedades y la aniquilacion de pueblos
indigenas en
aislamiento.
En tal sentido,
nos dirigimos al Estado peruano y a sus instituciones con
la finalidad de solicitar de manera urgente:
§
INVESTIGACION EXHAUSTIVA DE LOS HECHOS QUE CONDUZCAN A UNA DETERMINACION
DE LAS RESPONSABILIDADES INTELECTUALES Y MATERIALES DE LA
AGRESION CRIMINAL
CONTRA LOS INDIGENAS EN AISLAMIENTO
DEL ALTO PURUS.
§ EXPULSION DE
MADEREROS QUE SE ENCUENTREN TRABAJANDO DENTRO DE LAS
RESERVAS TERRITORIALES A FAVOR DE POBLACIONES INDIGENAS EN
AISLAMIENTO EN
EL ALTO PURUS
§ IMPEDIR QUE LA IGLESIA
EVANGELICA SOUTH AMERICAM MISSION CONTINUE
REALIZANDO
ACCIONES MISIONALES CON POBLACIONES INDIGENAS EN AISLAMIENTO.
§ APLICACION DE MEDIDAS EFECTIVAS
PARA EL CONTROL DE LA ZONA RESERVADA DEL
ALTO PURUS.
Puerto Maldonado, 19 de
febrero del 2001
LA JUNTA
DIRECTIVA
Pronunciamiento
enviado a :
Dr. Valentin
Paniagua, Presidente de la Republica
Dr. Javier Perez
de Cuellar, Presidente del Consejo de Ministros
Dra.
Susana Villaran, Ministra de Promocion de la Mujer
Ingº
Carlos Amat y Leon, Ministro de Agricultura.
Ingº
Matias Prieto Celi, Jefe del Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales
Dr. Jaime Urrutia, Secretario Tecnico de Asuntos Indigenas
Sr. Gil Inoach Shawit, Presidente de AIDESEP
Dr. Walter Alban Peralta, Defensoria del Pueblo
from Environment News Service March 16, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************
EUROPE SPOOKED BY BUSH'S
U-TURN ON CO2 LIMITS
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 16, 2001 (ENS) - U.S. President
George W. Bush
has spread gloom through Europe's
climate change community by abandoning an
election
campaign promise to limit the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from
fossil fueled utilities and reiterating his opposition to
the United Nations
Kyoto Protocol.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-16-01.html
************************************************************
EPA CUTS COST OF GAS BY
ALLOWING HIGHER EMISSIONS
WASHINGTON, DC, March 16, 2001 (ENS) - Gas prices for
Chicago and Milwaukee
drivers will be less likely to
skyrocket this summer because of a rule
change by the
Environmental Protection Agency that will allow a greater
amount of volatic organic compounds (VOCs) to be emitted
from exhaust pipes.
For full
text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-16-03.html
************************************************************
MISSING PELTS LEAD TO
QUESTIONS OVER CANADIAN SEAL HUNT
By Neville Judd
OTTAWA, Canada, March 15, 2001 (ENS) - A new report claims
that Canada
exported only half of the almost two
million pelts from seals killed
between 1982 and 1999.
An animal welfare group wants to know, where did the
other million pelts go?
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-16-11.html
************************************************************
AUSTRALIA DECLARES BIOLOGICAL
WAR ON THE CANE TOAD
CANBERRA,
Australia, March 16, 2001 (ENS) - They are said to attack
anything that moves and will eat anything that can fit in
their mouths.
Since being introduced to Australia from
Venezuela in 1935, the cane toad
has proved to be the
most durable of invasive species, resistant to all
attempts at extermination. This week they spread to a world
heritage site
and moved politicians to act.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-16-10.html
***********************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: MARCH 16, 2001
Foot-and-Mouth Disease Hotline Now Open
Silicon Valley City Hosts Energy
Summit
Kellogg's Recalls Gene
Altered Corn Foods
Texaco
Refinery Fined $4 Million for Waste Violations
One Enviro Rep OK'd for Industry Chemicals Trade Panel
Waterworks, Dams Need Dollars to
Halt Decay
Clean Coal
Technology Catches On
Bay Area
Frog, Snake Get Reprieve from Development
Public Asked to Help Locate HazWaste Truck
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-16-09.html
************************************************************
HEALING OUR WORLD: WEEKLY
COMMENT
By Jackie Alan
Giuliano, Ph.D.
Every hour of
every day, children die all over the world because of short
sighted political choices that keep toxic substances
steadily flowing into
our air, water, and food and keep
the world's water supplies clouded with
human waste.
You don't hear about them on the evening news, all these dead
children. They are just considered the necessary
consequences of progress
and the unequal distribution
of wealth in our world.
For
full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-16g.html
************************************************************
Copyright Environment News
Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
************************************************************
SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
DFW
Airport Hosts Airport Environmental Conference
Will
Announce Two Environmental Firsts and Support for a
Proposed
Airport Environmental Review Process
Measures Pave the Way
for Improving Environmental Performance While
Expediting
Expansion at the Nation's Airports
DFW INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT, TX, Mar. 16 -/E-Wire/-- DFW International Airport, the American
Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)
and the Air
Transport Association of America, Inc. (ATA) will announce
first-of-their-kind, multi-party agreements that may serve
as a model for
improving environmental performance at
the nation's airports as measures are
enacted to speed
the review of airport infrastructure projects.
/CONTACT: media, Tina Sharp of DFW International
Airport, 972-574-8018,
or mobile, 214-213-2419/
/Web site: http:////
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/16Mar0103.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CEC
Consultants' Recommendations for Legionella Prevention
Cleveland Auto Plant Closes
Legionella in Cooling Towers Suspected
CLEVELAND, OH, USA, Mar. 15
-/E-Wire/-- Legionella outbreaks and its incidence are somewhat common.
Legionella bacteria has always been around. Hopefully increasing the public's
awareness will now minimize the chances of this bacteria continuing to plague us
all. Legionella is almost everywhere in water and soils. The good news is that
it's ability to thrive, multiply, be aerosolized (made into droplets), and
disseminated can be controlled.
/CONTACT: CEC Consultants, Inc., John R. Puskar,
P.E., 216/749-2992/
/Web
site: http://www.cec-consultants.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/16Mar0103.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Ford
Motor Company and National Geographic Name Christina Figueres "Hero of the
Planet"
Figueres calls for a National
Town Hall Meeting on Climate Change
WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 16
-/E-Wire/-- Signaling the importance of private and public partnerships to
address global climate change, the Ford Motor Company and the National
Geographic have selected Christiana Figueres, Executive Director of the Center
for Sustainable Development in the Americas (CSDA), as "Hero of the
Planet." In a full page acknowledgment in the March edition of
National Geographic, Ms. Figueres was honored for her dedication to "a global
energy revolution" (available on website: csda@csdanet.org).
/CONTACT: Cristiam Rodriguez, 1700 Connecticut
Ave, NW, Suite 403
,Washington, DC 20009, Tel:
202-588-0155, Fax: 202-588-0756, rodriguez@csdanet.org/
/Web site: http://www.csdanet.org
http://www.cdmonline.org/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/16Mar0101.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jeffords Legislation Wrong
Approach
WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 16
-/E-Wire/-- The Global Climate Coalition said today new
legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of
northeastern Senators
regulating carbon dioxide
emissions power plants is wrongheaded in light of
America's current energy woes.
/CONTACT: Frank Maisano, (202) 628-3622/
/Web site: http://www.globalclimate.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/16Mar0102.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
TO BUSINESS AND ENERGY
EDITORS:
California's Energy Crisis
Affects Entire Country
BROOMFIELD, CO, Mar. 16
-/E-Wire/-- California is the sixth
largest economic
center of the world, producing 13% of America's gross
domestic product. The rolling blackouts that
recently occurred in northern
California affect the
entire country, but there are measures you can take to
protect yourself. Many national consequences
have resulted from the
California energy crisis.
/CONTACT: Lisa Elia for Gaiam, Inc.,
818-986-4524, lisaeliapr@aol.com/
/Web site: http://www.gaiam.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/16Mar0101.html
************************************************************
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE --
1-888-764-NEWS
************************************************************
from the Wildnerness Society March 16, 2001
****************************
*
WILD ALERT
* Friday, March 16, 2001
****************************
If you had any doubts about what
will happen to your public lands under
George Bush and
Gale Norton, you only have to look at what they said in
the last week:
1. GEORGE BUSH: "We'll be looking at all
public lands" for oil and gas
development.
2. GALE NORTON: Said she will consider
rolling back protections for
National Monuments
designated by the Clinton Administration.
Read all about it at http://www.wilderness.org/eyewash/bush0316.htm, where
you can send a message to the Administration that their
policies to undo
protections of our public lands are
just plain wrong.
***************************************************************
1. BUSH SAYS ALL PUBLIC LANDS COULD BE OPENED TO
DEVELOPMENT
In an interview with several reporters this
week, Pres. Bush made clear
that his administration
will consider oil and gas drilling on "all public
lands."
"We're dismayed that Pres. Bush wants to turn the oil and
gas industry
loose on virtually all the lands in our
national forests, national
wildlife refuges, and other
public systems," said Wilderness Society Bill
Meadows. "We're beginning to wonder if James
Watt is whispering in his
ear," he said, referring to
the Reagan-era Interior Secretary who urged
drilling in
Wilderness areas.
A phenomenal
amount of federal land is already available to oil and gas
drilling, including 95% of the lands administered by the
Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) in Colorado, New
Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. And
under the Clinton Administration, oil and gas leases were
granted on over
26 million acres of federal lands. In
fact, there are nearly 50,000
producing oil and gas
wells on public lands, and last year alone the BLM
issued 3,400 new drilling permits for new wells on federal
lands.
Bush's statement comes
on the heels of a White House announcement that
energy
industry lobbyist J. Steven Griles will become the second in
command at the Department of Interior, with broad authority
over national
parks, national monuments, wildlife
refuges, and BLM lands. Griles, a
former Assistant
Secretary of the Interior in the Reagan Administration,
was hailed by the oil, gas and coal industry, which
ironically
characterized the appointment as "a breath
of fresh air." Another
candidate, Conservation Fund
President John Turner, had been widely
expected to gain
the job. But Interior Secretary Gale Norton pushed for
Griles, and a major campaign mounted by property rights
advocates
succeeded in swaying the White House's
decision.
***************************************************************
2. GALE NORTON TAKES AIM AT NATIONAL MONUMENTS
Interior Secretary Gale Norton last week said she intends
to consider
rolling back protections of national
monuments designated by the Clinton
Administration, in
an apparent reversal of what Sec. Norton had led the
American public to believe.
Instead of seeking to undo national monument designations,
which were very
popular across the western U.S. where
most of the monuments were
designated, Sec. Norton
appears to be focusing on eliminating protections
for
the new monuments, such as changing boundaries and allowing new
destructive practices -- in effect, allowing the monuments
to exist in
name only.
In response, the Denver Post editorialized against her on
March 12th,
stating: "Interior Secretary Norton should
not undermine ... new national
monuments. ... Unfortunately, the
Bush team may be hearing only from a
vocal faction
opposed to any effort to update the stewardship of our
public lands. Norton, who promised to administer
her department as a
moderate, should listen to many
voices, not just a few die-hard whiners."
Some of our greatest national parks were first protected as
national
monuments. If Gale Norton had been Interior
Secretary 90 years ago, after
many of those monuments
were designated, national parks like Grand Canyon,
Olympic, and Zion, among others, might be oil fields and
mining pits, not
the treasured places they are today.
TAKE ACTION
George Bush's and Gale Norton's strategy to undermine
(literally!) our
country's public lands is just plain
wrong. Send them a message today
from http://www.wilderness.org/eyewash/bush0316.htm or tell
them directly:
- Rolling back
protections of our national monuments and other public
lands is not what the American people want from those who
are supposed to
be stewards of our natural
heritage. I call on you to protect our public
lands, including our newest national monuments.
- 95% of BLM lands in the Rocky
Mountain states are already open to oil
and gas
development. Opening up what little is left of our public lands
will unnecessarily destroy the few remaining wild
landscapes of our
nation's natural resource heritage.
Send your comments to:
Interior Secretary Gale Norton
U.S. Dept. of Interior, 1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Email: Gale_Norton@ios.doi.gov
and
Pres.
George W. Bush
The White House, Wash,
DC 20500
FAX: (202) 456-2461
Email: president@whitehouse.gov
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Latest from the Bush Administration:
http://www.wilderness.org/eyewash/
National Monuments:
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/national_monuments.htm
***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm
***************************************************************
WildAlert is an email action alert system brought to
you by The Wilderness
Society to keep you apprised of
threats to our wildlands -- in the field
and in
Washington. WildAlert messages include updates along with clear,
concise actions you can take to protect America's last wild
places. You
are welcome to forward
Wildalerts to all those interested in saving
America's wildlands.
FEEDBACK: Please send your comments to <action@tws.org>. If
you simply hit "reply" to
this message, please include
your email address in the body of the
message.
TO SUBSCRIBE: If you have been
forwarded this message and would like to
subscribe to
the list, send the following message to
<lyris@lists.wilderness.org>:
"subscribe wilderness-alert" (inserted in the body of the message,
without quotes).
Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect
America's
wilderness and to develop a nation-wide
network of wild lands through
public education,
scientific analysis and advocacy. Our goal is to ensure
that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water,
wildlife,
beauty and opportunities for recreation and
renewal that pristine forests,
rivers, deserts and
mountains provide. To take action on behalf of
wildlands today, visit our website at http://www.wilderness.org
***************************************************************
from League of Conservation Voters March 16, 2001
WASHINGTON - The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) today
applauded a
bipartisan group of environmental leaders
for introducing legislation to
set emissions limits for
carbon dioxide and other pollutants that
substantially
contribute to global warming and pose a risk to public
health. U.S. Senators James Jeffords (R-Vt.), Joseph
Lieberman (D-Conn.),
Susan Collins (R-Maine), Charles
Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Hillary Rodham
Clinton (D-N.Y.)
joined with U.S. Representatives Sherwood Boehlert
(R-N.Y.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to unveil "The Clean
Power Act of
2001," a cost-effective, commonsense
approach to dramatically cut power
plant emissions of
four major pollutants - nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide,
mercury, and carbon dioxide - by 2007. On Tuesday,
President George W.
Bush broke a campaign pledge when
he declared that his administration
would not regulate
emissions of carbon dioxide.
Read the full release on the web at:
http://lcv.org/news/031501_emissions.html
___Support LCV_____
http://lcv.org/join
from EarthNet News March 16, 2001
EarthNet News
...a project of the
Center for Environmental Citizenship
March 16, 2001
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week, demand action on global warming and plan a
protest at your local
Staples store. Also,
Boston students organize for environmental justice
and
chemical companies are exposed in an upcoming PBS special. We're
accepting applications now for our Environmental Journalism
and
Environmental Justice Summer Training Academies at
http://www.envirocitizen.org.
--Amy Lesser, EarthNet editor
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Shadow Congress: Bush's Back-Pedaling
2. Quote of the Week
3. Corporate Corner: Staples Protests
4. Eco-Campus: Boston Enviros
5. Websites of the Week
6. Eco-Exposure: Trade Secrets
7. Environmental Justice Summer Training Academy
8. Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
9. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info
SHADOW CONGRESS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush shocked everyone last fall when he pledged to
regulate carbon dioxide
emissions, the main
human-related cause of global warming. Enviros
rejoiced, and Gore lost a valuable campaign
issue. This week, however,
Bush bowed to
industry pressure and announced that he changed his
mind. EPA Director Christine Whitman and
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill
were caught off-guard
after they both publicly stated that the U.S. was
ready
to act as a responsible global citizen. Apparently, oil and gas
interests hold more influence in the Bush administration
than Cabinet
members.
TAKE ACTION NOW: Use the EarthNet Action Center
(http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet) to demand that
President Bush take
action on global warming now, or our
generation will be forced to deal with
the consequences
of his irresponsibility. We cannot afford to wait.
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/climate/safety.htm;
http://www.ucsusa.org/environment/0warming.html
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The dissident does not ... seek power. He has no desire
for office and
does not gather votes. He does not
attempt to charm the public, he offers
nothing and
promises nothing. He can offer, if anything, only his own
skinand he offers it solely because he has no other way of
affirming the
truth he stands for. His actions simply
articulate his dignity as a
citizen, regardless of the
cost."
-- Václav Havel, Czech
playwright, president, in "Living in Truth"
CORPORATE CORNER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever had trouble finding recycled or tree-free
paper? Maybe it's because
the major office
supply stores simply won't sell it. Instead, stores like
Staples insist on selling virgin paper from U.S. public and
private
lands. Some stats:
-- less than 4% of U.S. old-growth forests remain,
-- 1/3 of U.S. national forests are being pulped for paper,
and
-- more than half the paper in the U.S. comes from
Southern forests, the
region containing the greatest
biodiversity in the continental U.S.
TAKE ACTION NOW: On March 28, demonstrations at Staples
stores are being
planned across the
country. Join in with creative protests -- hang banners
("Stumples"), plan guerilla theater with chainsaws, or build
a giant
stapler. Find your nearest Staples
store at http://www.staples.com.
FOR MORE INFO: Contact Michelle at
michelle@freetheplanet.org or
202.547.3656 for an
"action pack" and postcards. Sign up for the national
listserv by sending an email to
endangered-forests-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
UPDATE: A new website about the toxic legacy of GE on the
Hudson River (EN
03/01/01) has been launched at http://www.cleanhudson.org. For more info,
call David Higby, Environmental Advocates, 518.462.5526,
ext. 239.
ECO-CAMPUS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Boston Area Student Environmental Coalition (BASEC),
a coalition of
thirteen campus environmental groups,
formed last fall. BASEC's goals are
to
coordinate student environmental efforts in the Boston area, improve
networking between campus groups, and develop the
environmental leadership
skills of Boston-area
students. This spring, BASEC is planning a lobby day
to demand support from Mass. representatives for a bill on
environmental
justice.
FOR MORE INFO: Email kaitlin@envirocitizen.com
for info about joining
BASEC. For guidance on
how to create a similar program in your area,
contact
Amy Fisher, our Northeast Organizer, at amyfisher@envirocitizen.org.
WEBSITES of THE WEEK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Need environmental and activist news
24/7? Here are a few of our favorite
alternatives.
Grist Magazine (www.gristmagazine.com) -- an online magazine
billing itself
as "a beacon in the smog;" get your daily
dose of "gloom and doom with a
sense of humor" with the
Daily Grist delivered to your email box each morning.
WireTap Magazine
(www.wiretapmag.org) -- alternative news zine for and by
"youth in search of the dirty truth."
Common Dreams News Center
(www.commondreams.org)-- all the news a
progressive can
use, plus columns by dozens of talking heads.
ECO-EXPOSURE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Monday, March 26, PBS will air "Trade Secrets," Bill
Moyer's
groundbreaking report on the chemical
industry. A network of groups,
called Coming
Clean, is organizing events around the show that highlight
corporate environmental irresponsibility in the
U.S. Organize a viewing
party on campus or
with your friends (check out http://www.pbs.org for you
local
show time). Order info packets from http://www.comeclean.org.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SUMMER
TRAINING ACADEMY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's time to build political power and make your voice
heard! Learn how at
the 2001 Environmental
Justice Summer Training Academy (EJ STA). Join
other community and student organizers who are leading the
charge to make
environmental justice a priority in the
2001 elections and beyond. The EJ
STA is an intensive
6-day program that trains young people of color in
political skills to protect our communities.
The 2001 Environmental Justice
Summer Training Academy will be held at
Catholic
University in Washington, DC from June 9-14. $50 includes
housing, food, and training. Rolling admissions
-- APPLY NOW at
http://www.ejnow.org. Pass the word along!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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!
The Environmental Leadership Program is seeking a Program
Associate in
Cambridge, MA. Find the job
description at
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2470.
The World Wildlife Fund is
seeking a Junior Research Assistant in
Washington,
DC. Find the job description at
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2450.
The Greenbelt Alliance is
seeking a Solano-Napa Field Representative in
Fairfield,
CA. Find the job description at
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2473.
The Earthwatch Institute is
seeking an Conservation Education Manager in
Maynard,
MA. Find the job description at
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/detail.asp?id=2454.
CONFERENCES AND GATHERINGS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp.
WHAT: 7th Annual Public Interest
Environmental Conference
WHERE: University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL
WHEN: March 22-24, 2001
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/detail.asp?id=714
WHAT: Coalition for
Environmentally Responsible Companies (CERES) Conference
WHERE: Atlanta, GA
WHEN: April 5-6, 2001
FOR
MORE INFO: http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/detail.asp?id=704
WHAT: Equity and Global
Climate Change Conference
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN: April 17-18, 2001
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/detail.asp?id=688
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 Save Our Environment Action Center March 19, 2001
SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT ACTION CENTER UPDATE
By using the Save Our Environment
Action Center
[http://www.saveourenvironment.org], you are working
together with the nation's most influential environmental
advocacy groups in the crucial battles to protect our
air
and water, forests and oceans, climate, wilderness,
and
wildlife.
March 19, 2001
************************************************************
After years of fighting for a clean-up, the EPA has
called
for General Electric to dredge the Hudson of over
100,000
pounds of toxic PCBs it has discharged into the
river. But
GE is fighting back, and the Bush
administration now holds
the key to the future of one of
our most cherished
waterways.
To send a free email to EPA
administrator Whitman on this
issue, just reply to this
email.
************************************************************
For 30 years ending in 1977, two
General Electric plants
dumped an estimated 1.3 million
pounds of highly toxic
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
into the Hudson River, all
but destroying the Hudson's
once-thriving commercial
fishing industry and posing a
significant health threat to
wildlife and subsistence
fishermen who depend on the river
for food. In response,
the Environmental Protection Agency
declared 200 miles
of the river a federal Superfund site
(the largest
Superfund site in the country) and identified
PCB
contamination in river sediments as an ongoing threat to
the entire river ecosystem. Every day, one to three pounds
of PCBs from highly-contaminated "hot spots" wash
downstream
and are ingested by fish, wildlife, and
people who eat fish
from the river.
In December 2000, after more than a
decade of study, the
EPA issued a preliminary
recommendation that GE remove
contaminated sediment
containing over 100,000 pounds of
PCBs from the upper
Hudson River using environmental
dredging techniques.
But GE is waging an aggressive campaign
to oppose the
clean-up. In addition to employing a team of
Washington,
DC lobbyists and filing a lawsuit over the very
constitutionality of the federal Superfund program, GE has
launched an unprecedented public relations campaign to
turn
public opinion against the proposed clean-up. The
company
has inundated Hudson River communities with
nightly
television commercials, full-page newspaper and
magazine
ads, and bus signs and billboards, spending an
estimated
two million dollars per week.
The EPA's final decision on the
Hudson River PCB Superfund
site will be one of the first
major environmental decisions
facing the new Bush
administration, and a significant test
of its commitment
to environmental clean-ups versus the
influence of big
business. The public comment period for
the EPA's
proposed plan ends April 17, 2001.
Please send a message to EPA administrator Christie Whitman
in support of the Hudson River PCB clean-up. We've made
it
easy for you -- just reply to this email and we'll
automatically send the message below to Administrator
Whitman. Or, if you prefer to send your own message, the
email address for comments is
hudsoncomment.region2@epa.gov.
Once again, thanks for being part of the Save Our
Environment activist network and for taking action to help
preserve and protect the Earth's natural treasures and
quality of life. Remember, you can increase the impact
of
your support by encouraging your family and friends
to
visit the Save Our Environment Action Center as well.
We've
made it easy for you with our "Tell a Friend"
feature which
allows you to send an electronic postcard
right from the
site.
Save Our Environment Action Center --
http://www.saveourenvironment.org/
************************************************************
Email message -- just reply to this email (send to:<actioncenter@saveourenvironment.org)
and we'll send this message to EPA administrator Whitman.
Subject: Require GE
to clean up Hudson River PCBs
Dear Administrator Whitman,
I urge the Environmental Protection Agency to proceed as
quickly as possible with requiring General Electric to
clean up the mess it has made in the Hudson River. Last
December, after more than a decade of exhaustive,
peer-reviewed study, the EPA proposed a comprehensive plan
for targeted dredging of PCB-contaminated hot spots in
the
upper Hudson River. This recommendation was based on
a
thorough analysis of the science and a recognition
that the
technology exists to safely and effectively
remove
PCB-contaminated sediments from the bottom of the
Hudson.
Every day, pounds of
these potentially cancer-causing
chemicals wash
downstream from the hot spots and are
ingested by fish,
wildlife, and people who eat fish from
the river. Every
day dredging is delayed is another day more
people and
wildlife will be harmed by these toxic sediments.
The Hudson River PCB decision will be one of the first
Superfund decisions facing the new Bush administration.
People all around the country will be watching closely to
see whether the EPA bows to industry pressure and shifts
course from its preliminary action plan for the Hudson.
Sound science, not politics,
must prevail. I urge you to
keep the EPA on track and
issue a final Hudson River action
plan by August 2001
that requires GE to aggressively
remove, treat, and
properly dispose of PCB-contaminated
sediments from the
Hudson River.
Sincerely,
from Sierra Club March 19, 2001
SC-ACTION Vol. III, #30
DEFENDING
THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
Friday, March 16, 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You can
call this 'second thought week' for the Bush
administration. The more second thoughts they have, the more
second
thoughts I've got." - Senate Minority Leader Tom
Daschle, S.D., regarding
the administration's reversal
on carbon dioxide emissions and potential
increases in
the proposed $1.6 trillion tax-cut package
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents:
1. Featured Action: Protect the
Arctic Refuge from oil drilling
2. Protect and restore
National Forests
3. Hold President Bush to his campaign
promise
4. Speak out against international family
planning restrictions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Urge your Senators to Protect
the Arctic Refuge from Oil Drilling
The debate over the fate of the Arctic Refuge is once again
a hot issue in
the press and before
Congress. Using the country's recent energy problems,
the Oil industry and its allies in Congress are pushing
various bills to
open the coastal plain of the Arctic
Refuge to oil drilling.
A major
threat is a broad energy bill introduced by Senator Murkowski which
contains Arctic drilling as its
centerpiece. There will be a long series
of hearings on his bill but no major action is expected
until at least May.
A more immediate threat to the
Arctic is through the Federal Budget Bill
process. President Bush's budget contains an
assumption of revenue from
potential Arctic
drilling. Though the Budget Bill itself cannot authorize
drilling, it creates the expectation that Congress will pass
legislation to
open the Refuge for development.
We faced this vote last year and
narrowly lost the effort on the Senate
floor to strip
the drilling revenues from the bill by a vote of 49-51.
Though we ultimately won the battle when the provision was
deleted in
conference, we have an excellent shot to win
this vote on the Senate floor.
The Senate is a "greener"
body as a result of the elections, but it will
take
tremendous constituent pressure to overcome the influence of the
powerful Alaska delegation and the oil industry lobby.
Please call your Senators and urge
them to vote to protect the Arctic
Refuge from oil
drilling. We expect a vote on the Senate floor the first
week of April. Arctic drilling is not the answer
to our country's energy
needs. We should not
sacrifice this national treasure for less than
six-month
supply of oil.
2. Protect and
Restore Our National Forests - Commercial logging destroys
wildlife habitat, degrades recreation opportunities, impacts
our clean
water sources and wastes taxpayer
money. It is time to stop the subsidies
of
forest destruction and invest in forest restoration. Please call your
Representative and Senators through the Capitol
switchboard at (202)
224-3121 and ask them to support
full protection of our National Forests
from logging and
road building. Urge your friends and neighbors to do the
same! You can more information on the Sierra Club
website at
www.sierraclub.org/logging
For more information call Mitzi
Emrich at (202) 547-1141.
3. Tell President George W. Bush to follow through on his
Campaign Pledge
to Regulate
Carbon Dioxide Pollution.
President George W. Bush yesterday broke his campaign
promise to curb
carbon dioxide
pollution, the primary gas causing global warming. In a
Sept. 29, 2000 campaign speech in
Saginaw, Michigan, Bush pledged to curb
carbon dioxide pollution. President Bush rejected
the advice of EPA
Administrator
Christie Whitman and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to keep
his campaign pledge and consider the
long-term consequences. Carbon
dioxide accounts for about 70% of the global warming
problem. The U.S. is
the world's biggest global warming polluter, spewing 25% of
the planet's
global warming
pollution; one-third of our emissions come from power
plants. So the
President's refusal to impose mandatory carbon dioxide
cuts
will have severe consequences on our nation and the world.
Take
Action:
Send a message to
President Bush. Tell him to reconsider his decision not
to regulate carbon
dioxide. Go to:
http://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/globalwarming/index.jsp
For
further information, please contact Alex Veitch, Sierra Club Global
Warming & Energy Program, Tel:
202 547-1141, alex.veitch@sierraclub.org
4. Urge Bush to Reinstate Support
for International Family Planning
Only two days after his inaugural
address, President Bush dealt a blow to
international family planning programs by reinstating the
global gag rule.
The global gag
rule restricts international family planning organizations
that receive U.S. funds. When
couples have access to unrestricted,
comprehensive family planning services, they tend to choose
to have
smaller, healthier
families. By having smaller families, we can ease the
demand for water and arable land,
preserve biodiversity and vital habitat,
and limit pollution - improving the prospects for a healthy
environment.
Tell President Bush you disagree and
ask him to fully support these
programs in the future. For more information, go to:
http://www.sierraclub/takeaction/population/index.asp
For
further information, contact Laurie Mignone, Global Population and
Environment Program, 202-547-1141,
laurie.mignone@sierraclub.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Environment News Service March 19, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************
BRAZILIAN OIL GIANT TRIES TO
SAVE SINKING RIG
RIO DE JANEIRO,
Brazil, March 19, 2001 (ENS) - The world's largest oil rig,
located 130 kilometers (80.7 miles) off the northeastern
coast of Brazil,
continued to sink today, despite
salvage attempts by its owner the
Brazilian state oil
company Petrobras.
For full text
and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-12.html
************************************************************
BEYOND EARTH'S DYING CORAL REEFS
WASHINGTON, DC, March 19, 2001
(ENS) - A pioneering project aimed at
reversing the
decline of the world's coral reefs today received the largest
grant ever given by the United Nations Foundation.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-01.html
************************************************************
SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS ATTEMPT
TO OUTLAW HAZE
KUALA LUMPUR,
Malaysia, March 19, 2001 (ENS) - It is partly cloudy in Kuala
Lumpur today with a high temperature of 93 degrees and
humidity of 93
percent. There are scattered hot spots
and a small area of slight haze over
central Sumatra,
Indonesia - nothing to worry about, and Southeast Asian
countries would like to keep it that way.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-02.html
************************************************************
RECYCLING REACHES CANADA'S NORTH
- FINALLY
IQALUIT, Nunavut,
Canada, March 19, 2001 (ENS) - Nunavut's capital Iqaluit
is finally doing what almost every other North American city
does: recycling. Last
week, Iqaluit Mayor
John Matthews launched a paper recycling program
for the
town. The program is a partnership between municipal, territorial
and federal agencies.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-11.html
***********************************************************
AUSTRALIA'S ARMED FORCES PLEDGE
TO CUT EMISSIONS
CANBERRA,
Australia, March 19, 2001 (ENS) - The Commonwealth's largest
department, biggest user of energy, and major emitter of
greenhouse gases,
The Department of Defence, has joined
the Greenhouse Challenge, a voluntary
government program
to limit emissions.
For full
text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-05.html
************************************************************
KENYA'S FOREST PLAN ROUSES
OPPOSITION
NAIROBI, Kenya, March
19, 2001 (ENS) - Opposition is growing to the Kenyan
government's plan to clear more than 67,000 hectares
(165,560 acres) of
forest. The plan is to
resettle landless people, largely at the foot of Mount
Kenya. The Kenyan government says most of the land is
already settled and
now needs to be formally managed.
For full text and graphics,
visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-10.html
************************************************************
TRADING KEEPS HALONS OUT OF THE
OZONE
PARIS, France, March 19,
2001 (ENS) - The United Nations Environment
Programme
(UNEP) has launched a web portal to help implement a key
environmental treaty on protecting the ozone layer, the
Montreal Protcol.
For full text
and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-03.html
************************************************************
ECO-TRAIN TO ROLL THROUGH TOKYO
TOKYO, Japan, March 19, 2001
(ENS) - A special eco-train will be running
through
downtown Tokyo beginning Wednesday to showcase recycling, energy
efficiency and noise reduction.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-04.html
************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: MARCH 19, 2001
Whitman Supports Bush on Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Endangered Hyena Skull Lands Iowa
Man in Jail
Weeds May Provide
Medicinal Treasures
Revamped
Conservation Program Could Aid Grassland Birds
$3 Million Gift Endows Professorships at Duke
Tongass National Forest Gains 155
Acres
ExxonMobil Wins Award for
Tiger Conservation Efforts
Plant
Trees Online to Aid Siberian Tigers
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-09.html
Copyright Environment News Service
(ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
************************************************************
SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
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TO NATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
U.S.Government Sponsored
Religion Killing Eagles
DENVER, CO, Mar. 19
-/E-Wire/-- We have spent the past two decades educating
children and adults about the instrinsic value and beauty of
eagles and other
raptors. We have worked hard with
limited resources, and have been rewarded
with successes
such as the recovery of the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon.
We are not alone in this mission. All of us work within the
guidelines of the
rules, regulations, and laws
established by Congress, which are administered
and
enforced by the Department of the Interior.
/CONTACT: Peter Reshetniak, President, Raptor
Education Foundation 303-680-8500,
raptor2@usaref.org/
/Web site: http://www.usaref.org/
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
EARTH Signs Milestone Contract
with Ultramar
MONTREAL, Canada, Mar. 19
-/E-Wire/-- EARTH (Canada) Corporation (CDNX: EAR)
is
pleased to announce the company has been awarded a contract to supply Ultramar
Canada, a
division of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock (NYSE:
UDS), with a TORRÔ solution for remediation
of oily
water contained in its remote bulk storage tank terminals.
/CONTACT: Investor Relations, 514/522-5550 or
l-877-4RPA-TEC
Email: investor@earthcanada.com/
/Web site: http://www.earthcanada.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/19Mar0107.html
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TO
ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
AndEarth.com Helps Protect
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
MONTEREY, CA, Mar. 19
-/E-Wire/-- AndEarth.com has partnered with Save Our Shores to raise
funds to support the clean-up of the Monterey Bay National
Marine Sanctuary beaches. Save Our Shores is
an environmental group located in Santa Cruz that is
dedicated to the preservation and health of the coastal
environment of Monterey Bay. They were chosen as
an important environmental project by
AndEarth.com, and
featured on the AndEarthToday email newsletter. The newsletter, which
is published
twice a week, uses advertising revenue to
pay for environmental projects all over the world. Subscription is
free, and anyone can join at www.andearth.com.
/CONTACT: Richard Gill richgill@andearth.com
650-473-0443/
/Web
site: http://www.andearth.com
http://www.andearth.com/currentproject.html/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/19Mar0106.html
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TO BUSINESS AND ENERGY EDITORS:
Siemens Solar Supplies Modules
for Largest Roof Installation in the World
19,000 Solar Modules Will Be
Used at Exhibition Site in Amsterdam
CAMARILLO, CA, Mar. 19
-/E-Wire/-- Siemens Solar Industries L.P. announced today that Siemens
Nederland N.V., The Hague, will be supplying the largest
solar roof installation in the world.
Approximately 19,000 solar modules with a cumulative peak
power of 2.3 megawatts will be provided for
the Floriade
2002 international horticultural exhibition in Amsterdam.
/CONTACT: Tina Nickerson of Siemens Solar
Industries L.P., 805-388-6519,
or
Tina.Nickerson@solar.siemens.com, or Jillian Guadagno of Siemens
Corporation, 732-906-3808, or
jillian.guadagno@sc.siemens.com/
/Web site: http://www.siemenssolar.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/19Mar0105.html
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TO NATIONAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND
SCIENCE EDITORS:
Ten of World's Leading Ocean
Champions Named Pew
Marine
Conservation Fellows
$1.5 Million Conferred in
World's Only Award Dedicated
to
Preservation of the Sea
BOSTON, MA, Mar. 19
-/E-Wire/-- An Italian biologist investigating the
cause
of mysterious dolphin deaths in the Mediterranean, an American fisheries
extension specialist determined to protect the environment
from the dangers of
genetically modified marine
organisms, and a Russian lawyer challenging oil
and gas
development threatening biodiversity in the Caspian Sea are among ten
guardians of the oceans selected as 2001 Pew Marine
Conservation Fellows.
/CONTACT: Cynthia Robinson of the Pew Fellows
Program in Marine
Conservation, 617-720-5100, or
crobinson@neaq.org/
/Web
site: http://www.pewmarine.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/19Mar0104.html
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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO BUSINESS AND
ENERGY EDITORS:
Reliant
Energy Announces Clean-Coal Power Plant for Pennsylvania
HOUSTON AND ARMAGH, PA, Mar.
19 -/E-Wire/-- Reliant Energy Seward
LLC, an unregulated
unit of Reliant Energy's Wholesale Group, today announced
it is planning to build a power generation plant in western
Pennsylvania using
the latest clean-coal technology.
/CONTACT: media, Richard Wheatley, Houston,
713-207-5881, or Cindy Abram,
Johnstown, Pa.,
814-533-8450, or investors, Dennis Barber, 713-207-3042, all
of Reliant Energy/
/Web site: http://reliantenergy.com/
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TO NATIONAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND
SCIENCE EDITORS:
Irrigation's Contribution to
Conservation in Focus on World Water Day
FALLS CHURCH, VA, Mar. 19
-/E-Wire/-- Next time you take a bite of
an apple,
consider this: That juicy fruit probably grew on some of the driest
land in the United States.
/CONTACT: Tom Kimmell of the Irrigation
Association, 703-536-7080/
/Web
site: http://www.irrigation.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/19Mar0102.html
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TO FOREIGN, NATIONAL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
'GEMI 2001: An Odyssey to
Environmental Excellence'
Opens With
Presentations by Paul Gilding and John Elkington
BALTIMORE, MD, Mar. 19
-/E-Wire/-- The Global Environmental Management
Initiative (GEMI) today opened its Annual Conference at the
Renaissance
Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.
/CONTACT: Amy Goldman, 202-296-7449, for GEMI/
/Web site: http://www.gemi.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/19Mar0101.html
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from Rural Advancement Foundtion International March 20, 2001
3/20/2001
News Releases
Bracing for 'El Nuna'
Andean Groups Hopping Mad About Popping-Bean Patent
R A F
I
Rural Advancement Foundation International
http://www.rafi.org/ rafi@rafi.org
Bracing for
El Nuna
Andean Groups Hopping Mad About Popping -Bean
Patent
Tales from a Tribunal:
The nuna bean is part of the Andean heritage. It is our treasure. For a company
to patent a nuna cross, claiming the bean-nut popping bean as an invention with
absolute world novelty is immoral and violates the rights of all indigenous
groups, said Elias Carreno, Coordinator of the Stop Biopiracy in the Andes
Campaign of the Associacion Kechua-Aymara for Sustainable Livelihoods, ANDES
(translated from Spanish).
Indigenous elders from six Andean communities that grow nuna
beans met in late February for a traditional Quechua tribunal to deliberate on
US Patent No. 6,040,503 on the bean-nut popping bean awarded to a US food
processor, Appropriate Engineering and Manufacturing. The popping bean trait is
found only in the Andean nuna bean, which the inventors claim in their patent.
After hearing testimony from expert witnesses, the tribunal rendered their
decision. Their verdict was unflinching in its criticism of intellectual
property monopolies that are predatory on the knowledge, rights and resources of
indigenous people.
Ayahuasca,
quinoa, and now nuna, said Carreno, referring to controversial US patent claims
on traditional Andean medicinal plants and food crops. (The ayahuasca and quinoa
patents were subsequently overturned or abandoned due to the protests of
indigenous peoples). These plants represent the collective heritage and
knowledge of our people, and we won t sit back and allow our popping-bean to be
appropriated by a monopoly patent.
The tribunal issued a strongly worded public declaration
promising to fight the popping bean patent, and demanded that CIAT - The
International Center for Tropical Agriculture based in Cali, Colombia uphold its
obligation under a United Nations trust agreement to keep farmer-bred bean
varieties in the public domain and off-limits to intellectual property.
CIAT challenged the patent on Mexico
s yellow bean late last year, and we are asking them to defend our rights by
taking similar action on the nuna patent, said Moises Quispe Quispe of the Nuna
Farmers Federation of Cusco, Peru.
The not-so-novel Nuna: The subject of the patent that has
shocked bean breeders, indigenous peoples, and other civil society groups is an
Andean bean that 'hops when it pops' and 'flies when it fries. The nuna bean
(pronounced noonya ) is nutritious - with a faintly peanuty taste. More
importantly for farming communities in the arid Andes, cooking nuna requires
little fuelwood. The bean is roasted not boiled. A few minutes over the fire and
the beans literally pop out of their shells ready to munch.
Alejandro Argumedo, a Quechua of the
Peruvian Andes and coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Network
(IPBN), was astonished to learn that a US company had patented the bean he has
enjoyed since childhood. The bean has everything -- except novelty, says
Argumedo. My mother used to roast them for us, Argumedo recalls, They were a
favourite. I can't believe that anyone could pretend they invented a popping
bean! While virtually unknown to the snack addicted US market, the bean is an
important part of Andean culture and a widely cultivated staple food in many
regions.
Patently Ridiculous:
The US patent was granted one year ago this week on March 21st, 2000 to
Appropriate Engineering and Manufacturing through 'inventors' Mark Sterner and
Jeffrey Ehlers of California. The inventors have also received what is known as
a WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) patent (WO99/11115) under the
Patent Cooperation Treaty and have indicated that they will apply for patents in
as many as 121 countries. The patent gives Ehlers and Sterner exclusive monopoly
ownership over nuna crosses with characteristics allowing it to grow outside the
Andes. The patent encompasses crosses involving at least 33 Andean nuna
varieties traditionally bred and developed for centuries in Peru, Bolivia,
Ecuador, and Colombia. Continued development of the nuna bean in the Andes and
elsewhere is threatened by this patent observes Luc a Gallardo of Accion
Ecologia in Quito, Ecuador, Giving a US company this much control over an Andean
resource is absurd!
Breeding
concern: The patent is not only outraging the Andean indigenous and farming
community. Bean breeders are also concerned about the patent. Carl Jones, a
graduate student in Plant Breeding and Genetics at Oregon State University who
has worked extensively with Andean crops, believes that the patent is a serious
threat to bean breeding. The patented claim is really just an attempt to patent
the nuna characteristic which has been developed and preserved by the Andean
peoples for centuries. The claim severely limits improvements in this crop; many
of these changes could be useful to the Andean peoples from which it comes.
Jim Myers, a bean breeder at Oregon
State University, has been working on adapting nunas for many years.
Technically, the patent prevents any research [in countries where the patent has
been accepted] on the nunas without permission from the 'inventors.' If I make
available any of the varieties I have been working on, and someone else develops
a commercial use for them, there would have to be concern about possible patent
infringement, he notes. Of course, it is unlikely that the inventors would
actively prevent research, since any research that helps to develop new uses for
the bean could be of great economic benefit to them. Myers told RAFI that he is
hoping to work something out with the 'inventors' so that he can get his
varieties to the public without infringing the patent, but he observed that the
patent will certainly have a dampening effect on any research related to this
bean.
If the patent dampens
research on nuna, it could have negative consequences for developing countries
in particular. Toasting nunas uses less fuel than boiling beans, a feature
important to economic and environmental conditions in areas of the world where
fuel is scarce. Bean breeders at Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical
(CIAT), one of the 16 international research centres under the auspices of the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) - believe that
the nuna bean could contribute to economic development in the region. Last year,
USDA officials forwarded to RAFI email correspondence from a senior CIAT
scientist expressing his concerns about the patent. We hoped that popping beans
grown in the Andes could be a good substitute for illicit crops, and indeed that
was part of the rationale on which USDA supported [work on the bean]. With large
acreages planted in the USA with that variety, how will Peruvian farmers produce
nunas for export? He !
also worried that the patent
could restrict bean breeding in developing countries. The business of bean
breeding, considering the United States first, would be at risk in my view if
other bean breeders cannot produce other popping beans using other original
Peruvian or Bolivian landraces and US varieties already adapted to northern
latitudes. My concern is about the limitations to bean breeding and the benefits
to society at large, for instance, farmers and rural inhabitants of Africa.
An Obvious Claim?: Some bean
breeders have also argued that the patent should be rejected because the method
used by the breeders was 'obvious' -- which should have excluded it from
patentability. Improving a variety involves crossing the parents to bring
together different traits and then selecting the progeny having the combination
of desirable traits. In the case of the nuna bean, the crosses were obvious to
any one skilled in the art of bean breeding. While the inventors may have done
painstaking breeding work, the results are not necessarily inventive. Bean
breeders had, in fact, already written about the nuna bean suggesting how to
adapt the breed. The patent does exactly what we recommended in some of our
publications, wrote Dr Dan Debouck, Head of the Genetic Resources Unit at CIAT.
Experts acknowledge that Ehlers and Sterner did serious breeding work on this
bean, however, many people question whether or not the bean meets the criteria
of a patentable invention.
Breach of Trust : The patent is particularly offensive to
Andean farmers and indigenous people because it extends to crosses involving at
least 33 Andean nuna varieties traditionally bred and developed over centuries
in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. US Patent 6,040,503 lists all 33
accessions of nuna bean held in the USDA s national germplasm collection. All of
the nuna bean varieties listed in the patent were freely provided by Andean
farming communities, who allowed their bean varieties to be put into the public
realm in order to ensure the continued maintenance of the world's seed
biodiversity. In 1994, mounting concern over public collections being privatized
led the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to declare
designated germplasm in CGIAR gene banks to be in trust, meaning that the
germplasm cannot be restricted by monopoly patents. Of the 33 nuna bean
varieties listed in the patent, nine are also held in CIAT s international bean
collection.!
All are designated in-trust accessions and
all are farmers varieties collected in Peru.
Although CGIAR has not taken a public position on the
popping bean patent, CGIAR officials expressed concern about the popping bean
patent at the Global Forum on Agricultural Research in Dresden in May 2000.
Repeat Offender: One of the nuna's two 'inventors' is not
new to RAFI. In 1996 Jeffery Ehlers won a US plant variety protection
certificate (plant breeders rights) on Kunde Zulu, a cowpea variety he said he
developed from breeding research he initially undertook as an employee of the
International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA - CIAT's sister institute
in Nigeria) using African cowpea germplasm. Although this claim conflicted with
the institute's trust agreement with FAO, to RAFI s knowledge, IITA has not
challenged the claim. IITA s failure to challenge the claim constitutes a breach
of the trust agreement. This time Ehlers has a broad utility patent, and he has
teamed up with Mark Sterner who owns a company that can really bring the bean to
market, says Julie Delahanty of RAFI, who has been tracking the case, Inland
Empire Foods, owned by Sterner, is a food processor concentrating on dehydrated
legumes for the natural foods market in the US. Clearly, they hope to !
turn the popping bean patent into a commercial product with
a novel taste and an interesting history.
High Nuna: Not if Alejandro Argumedo of IPBN, Lucia Gallardo
of Acci n Ecol gia, and the other Andean organizations who have vowed to
challenge the patent have their way.(1) Groups in Latin America are also anxious
to challenge the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for their part
in this case. WIPO is allowing this patent to go for adoption in other patent
offices around the world. Yet WIPO says it wants to support the conservation and
development of indigenous knowledge. Its time to put up or shut up, Gallardo
states.
Ehlers and Sterner
believe they have done everything legal in the eyes of the US PTO and WIPO and
that they have not violated any international agreements. Even if that were
true, this patent would remain morally unacceptable, says Pat Mooney, Executive
Director of RAFI. The patent usurps the genius of Andean farmers for the
commercial gain of a US company. Taking the genius of Andean farmers without
compensation is bad enough, but the patent also makes it difficult or impossible
for Andean farmers to develop a potentially lucrative export crop for the world
market -- a crop which belongs to the people of the Andes. Indigenous groups in
the region agree. This is a fight the people of the Andes are going to win,
Argumedo concludes.
The
following table gives further information on nine of the accessions listed in
the patent that are held in CIAT s international bean collection. All are
designated in-trust accessions. All are farmers varieties collected in Peru.
Source: CGIAR Systemwide Information System for Genetic Resources (SINGER)
database (http://singer.cgiar.org) and personal correspondence
with CIAT staff.
Name/ USDA#/
CGIAR#/ Origin/ FAO Trust?
1. Nuna 2/ PI 298 820/ G18
897/ Peru/ Yes
2. Nuna Ploma/ PI 577 677/ G12 575/ Peru/
Yes
3. Nuna Aroma/ PI 577 678/ G12 578/ Peru/ Yes
4. Nuna Mani Roja/ PI 577 679/ G12 582/ Per/ Yes
5. Nuna Frontina Negra/ PI 577 680/ G12 585/ Peru/ Yes
6. Nuna Condorcita/ PI 577 682/ G19645/ Peru/ Yes
7. Nuna Pava/ W6 4296/ G19646/ Peru/ Yes
8. Nuna Limona/ W6 4297/ G19673/ Peru/ Yes
9. Nuna Blanca Pequena/ W6 4298/ G19716/ Peru/ Yes
For further comment and viewpoint,
contact:
Alejandro Argumedo,
IPBN, Peru, ibpn@web.net, 51 84 246020
Luc a Gallardo,
Accion Ecologia, Ecuador, diverso@hoy.net, (593-2) 230-676
Julie Delahanty, RAFI, Canada, julie@rafi.org, (819) 827-
9949
1) Organizations opposing
the patent include among others: Asociacion Regional de Productores Ecologicos
del Cusco (ARPEC); Asociacion Nacional de Productores Ecologicos (ANPE);
Municipalidad Distrital de Maras; Municipalidad Provincial de Chumbivilcas;
Instituto Nacional de Investigaci n Agraria (INIA); Programa Nacional de
Cultivos Andinos; the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA); and the
Asociacion Qechua Aymara para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza y el Desarrollo
Sostenible (ANDES).
from World Wildlife March 20, 2001
|
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from Union of Concerned Scientists March 20, 2001
March 20, 2001
***********************Action Alert*************************
To UCS supporters:
We've appreciated your support in
the past and want to bring
to your attention a stunning
turn-around by President Bush
on global warming and
energy policy. Last week the
Administration
announced that it would not regulate carbon
dioxide
emissions from power plants. Just days ago EPA
Administrator Christine Whitman re-affirmed the President's
commitment to regulate carbon dioxide, along with sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury as part of a multi-
pollutant strategy to clean up the nation's power
plants.
The President has broken a campaign pledge made
only six
months ago to curtail emissions of carbon
dioxide, the
primary greenhouse gas causing global
warming.
The President cited two
reasons for his decision, both of
which are ill founded,
and without merit.
The first is
that he does not believe the evidence of global
warming
is clear. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A panel of the world's leading scientists recently released
the most comprehensive study ever on global warming, and
found that it is well underway, will have devastating
impacts if emissions go unchecked, and can be limited at
little or no net economic cost.
The second is that including caps on
carbon dioxide
emissions will significantly increase
electricity costs for
the nation's
consumers. His claim is based on a fatally
flawed study commissioned by former Representative David
McIntosh, a hard-line opponent of action on global warming.
Other recent analyses by the Department of Energy,
Environmental Protection Agency and private groups
demonstrate that major reductions in power plant pollutants
including carbon dioxide can be achieved at modest cost.
We ask that you contact the
President as soon as possible
to let him know you are
dismayed by his about-face, and want
him to reverse this
shortsighted decision.
You can
click on the UCS link
http://www.ucsusa.org/act/act_co2_action.html
to send an email or faxed letter to the President to voice
your strong opposition to his decision. You
can also call
the White House comment line directly at
202-456-1414 and
leave a message for the President (you
may have to wait a
few moments to speak to a comment
line representative).
Below are
a few additional talking points to consider when
contacting the President:
* There are solutions at-hand to deflate soaring electricity
prices for the nation's consumers. The
President could help
wean the country off dirty fossil
fuels like coal by
committing to clean energy sources,
like renewables (wind,
solar, biomass and other power
sources - wind energy is the
fastest growing energy
supply in the world) and energy
efficiency measures.
* The most cost-effective emission reduction strategy is to
reduce demand - by using electricity and natural gas
more
efficiently. Efficiency measures also
benefit consumers
directly by lowering their monthly
electricity bills.
* The United Nation's
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC)
recently concluded that the world is already
seeing the
first impacts of a changing climate, and predicts
global
temperature will rise from 2.5 - 10.4 degrees F over
this century unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Other potentially devastating impacts include coastal
flooding, drought, melting of polar ice caps, wildfires
and
species loss or extinction.
* President Bush's reversal greatly concerns the world's
leaders, many of whom have already taken steps to reduce
their own greenhouse gas emissions. Our European
allies
issued a statement last week expressing deep
concern over
the Administration's decision.
* Congressmembers just introduced the Clean Power
Act of 2001, which seeks to regulate the four pollutants
mentioned above, including carbon dioxide. Please
express
your support for this legislation to the
President and your
members of Congress.
For additional information on this
issue, please visit the
UCS website at www.ucsusa.org.
from Environment News Service March 20, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************
GIANT OIL RIG SINKS OFF
BRAZILIAN COAST
RIO DE JANEIRO,
Brazil, March 20, 2001 (ENS) - The world's largest oil rig,
located 130 kilometers (80.7 miles) off the northeastern
coast of Brazil,
hit bottom today, despite salvage
attempts by its owner, the Brazilian
state oil company
Petrobras.
For full text and
graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-20-01.html
************************************************************
BUSH ADMINISTRATION THROWS OUT
NEW ARSENIC STANDARD
WASHINGTON,
DC, March 20, 2001 (ENS) - The Bush administration has opted to
defer - perhaps permanently - new arsenic standards that
would slash the
acceptable limits for this toxic
chemical in drinking water by 80 percent.
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman
announced today that EPA will propose to withdraw the
pending arsenic
standard for drinking water that was
issued on January 22.
For full
text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-20-06.html
************************************************************
PARTNERSHIPS CRUCIAL TO SAVING
SPECIES, NORTON SAYS
WASHINGTON,
DC, March 20, 2001 (ENS) - Interior Secretary Gale Norton said
Monday she plans to shift her department's conservation
efforts from
listing at risk species to "incentive based
programs" aimed at reducing
threats to dwindling
species. Norton pointed to the Aleutian Canada goose,
proposed for removal from the endangered species list, as an
example of the
rare successes of current efforts to
protect vanishing species.
For
full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-20-07.html
************************************************************
STAMP OF APPROVAL FOR NZ FISHERY
ANGERS SEAL PROTECTIONISTS
By
Bob Burton
WELLINGTON, New
Zealand, March 20, 2001 (ENS) - The accreditation of a New
Zealand fishery as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship
Council has prompted on
outcry from New Zealand's major
environment groups. The fishery has led to the
drowning
of 5,600 seals in 10 years.
For
full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-20-02.html
************************************************************
EUROPEAN CITIES' SEWAGE
STANDARDS STINK, SAYS EU
BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 20, 2001 (ENS) - Ten years after
the adoption of
European Union's urban wastewater
directive, 37 European cities continue to
discharge
untreated wastewater into the environment, and many others are
discharging large quantities of effluent without adequate
treatment.
For full text and
graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-20-11.html
***********************************************************
UK PUTS ITS FAITH IN CARBON
TRUST
LONDON, United Kingdom,
March 20, 2001 (ENS) - Convincing business to play
its
part in fighting climate change is the key role of the United Kingdom's
Carbon Trust, launched today by deputy prime minister John
Prescott.
For full text and
graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-20-10.html
************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: MARCH 20, 2001
Roadless Rule Faces New Roadblock
Fluoridated Water Called
Environmental Poison
Controversial Navy Sonar Could Deploy Oceanwide
Energy Crisis Prompts Push for New
Options
Uranium Enrichment for
Power Plants Moving to Paducah
Clean Cities Welcomes 80th Coalition
Environmentalists Intervene in Big
Cypress Lawsuit
3M Gives $5.1
Million to Protect Vanishing Habitat
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-20-09.html
Copyright Environment News Service
(ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
************************************************************
SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
TO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Energy Show Held During
National Energy Crisis...Positive Solutions for
Business
and Industry Explored
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Mar. 20
-/E-Wire/-- As the Nation battles with a
growing energy
crisis including higher prices and rolling blackouts, the
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) along with host PSEG
Energy Technologies
will hold one of the largest energy
shows in the Northeast next week,
March 29-30, 2001 at
the Atlantic City Convention Center, Hall B, Atlantic
City, NJ.
/CONTACT: AEE, Atlanta, Joyce Wells,
770/447-5083: Fax 770/446-3969,
info@aeecenter.org/
/Web site: http://www.aeecenter.org/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/20Mar0108.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
Environmental
Group Beyond Pesticides and Pest
Management
Companies Join Forces
Launch
Effort to Offer Least Toxic Choices that
Protect
Children and Consumers
WASHINGTON, D.C., Mar. 20
-/E-Wire/-- With the arrival of Spring and
warmer
weather, the public inevitably turns its attention to insect
problems, from termites and ants to lawn grubs, from
household to garden
pests.
/CONTACT: Jay Feldman and Kagan Owens
202/543-5450/
/Web sites: http://safetysource.tv
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/20Mar0106.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
Theragenics Expands TheraSeed
Distribution Worldwide
BUFORD,
GA., Mar. 20 -/E-Wire/-- Theragenics Corporation (NYSE: TGX -
news), today announced that it has signed a five-year
non-exclusive
international agreement with Nycomed
Amersham (NYSE: NYE - news) for the
distribution of
TheraSeed®.
/CONTACT: Ron Warren, 800/998-8479 or
770/271-0233 or Nycomed Amersham
Carol J. Perlman,
609/514-6600 carol.perlman@us.nycomed-amerahsm.com or
Alexandra Morris, 44 1494 54 2051
alexandra.morris@uk.nycomed-amersham.com/
/Web site: http://www.theragenics.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/20Mar0105.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
ALLENBY NAMED FIRST BATTEN
INSTITUTE FELLOW
NEW YORK, N.Y., Mar. 20
-/E-Wire/-- Dr. Braden R. Allenby, AT&T Environment,
Health and Safety Vice President, has been appointed by the
Batten Institute
at the University of
Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business
Administration as its first fellow.
/CONTACT: Cynthia Neale, (908) 221-7249,
cneale@att.com/
/Web
site: http://www.att.com/ehs/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/20Mar0104.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Startech Environmental
Receives $1,000,000 Progress
Payment
For First Plasma Converter Installation in Japan
WILTON, CT, Mar. 20
-/E-Wire/-- Startech Environmental Corp. (Nasdaq: STHK),
the world leader in plasma waste destruction and recycling
technology, announced
today that it has received a
second progress payment of $1,000,000 from Eiko
Systems
Company for a 10,000 pound per day Plasma Converter to process hazardous
waste in Japan. The first progress payment received was
$200,000.
/CONTACT: Robert L. DeRochie, VP of Investor
Relations, 203-762-2499, or
fax, 203-761-0839/
/Web site: http://www.startech.net/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/20Mar0103.html
************************************************************
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE --
1-888-764-NEWS
************************************************************
from World Wildlife March 20, 2001
Save Our National Monuments
Dear WWF Conservation Action Network Activist:
Please help protect some of
America's most important public lands,
our national
monuments. While in office, President Clinton created or
expanded 21 national monuments to conserve outstanding lands
with
significant historical, scenic, and/or scientific
values. The new
monuments include such gems as the
Cascade-Siskiyou in southern
Oregon, with its ancient
stands of fir and pine, world-class trout
streams,
flower-strewn meadows, and towering volcanic cliffs. All of
the monuments are on public lands and many are threatened by
destructive logging, grazing, and mining.
Unfortunately, some in Congress are
now working to undo the new
monuments. Recently, Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Utah) and
Rep. Joel
Hefley (R-Colo.), leaders on the congressional
committee with
jurisdiction over national monuments,
wrote to 16 members of
Congress in whose
districts monuments were recently declared. They
asked the lawmakers to gather input from citizens and
officials about
their local monument and, if there is
opposition, offered to push for
legislation making
changes to the monument. As a result, Rep.
Hansen has already held a hearing on the first of what may
be many
bills to weaken protection of the new national
monuments.
In addition, Rep.
Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) is planning to introduce
legislation that would restrict the president's authority to
create
national monuments. His bill would
require that monuments greater
than 50,000 acres must be
approved by Congress within two years of
their
designation by the president or they would automatically lose
their protected status.
Please go to http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/monuments/ to urge
your member of Congress to contact representatives
Hansen and
Hefley to express support for the new
national monuments and oppose
the Simpson
bill. You can be sure that the opponents of the new
monuments will be commenting in force. Please
make your voice
heard as well.
from Sierra Club March 20, 2001
SC-ACTION Vol. III, #31
DEFENDING
THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
March 19, 2001
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote of
the Day: "After eight long years, I wake up every morning with a
smile on my face because of all the opportunities before
us."
House Republican Whip Tom
DeLay on how successful the GOP has been in
pushing the
corporate agenda (Wall Street Journal, 3/15)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of
Contents:
1. Special Alert --
Campaign Finance Reform Debate began today
2. Special Alert II -- Rescuing the Great Bear Rainforest
3. From the Field -- Miami-Dade
County Sues US Government over Homestead
Airport
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Call
your Senator about Campaign Finance Reform
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001 (better known as
the McCain
Feingold bill) was introduced in the U.S.
Senate for debate today. S.27
includes a ban
on "soft money", the unregulated and unlimited contributions
to political parties,from special interests that are often
used to pressure
politicians into weakening
environmental laws such as the Clean Air and
Water Acts.
You can help by calling your
Senator and urging him or her to support bill
S-27 for
Campaign Finance Reform, and oppose amendments that weaken the
bill, such as increases in individual contributions and
paycheck
protection.
For further information, please contact: Deanna
White, Deputy Political
Director, (202)547-1141,
deanna.white@sierraclub.org or check the Sierra
Club
website.
-------------------------------------------
2. Rescuing the Great
Bear Rainforest - From a Distance
WE NEED YOU to help save the Great Bear Rainforest, a global
treasure.
Just south of the Alaskan panhandle lies
British Columbia's Great Bear
Rainforest. It
is a rare and irreplaceable jewel, featuring breathtaking
fjords, inlets, islands, glacial mountains and untouched
ancient rainforest
watersheds rich with salmon, grizzly
bears and the rare white Spirit Bear.
It is also home to
eleven Coastal First Nations. We need your help to
protect it before March 30th, 2001, when important land use
decisions will
be made by the government.
This is a global treasure, a legacy
for all of us. Save the Great Bear
Rainforest
now and know its safe for you, your children and your
grandchildren.
The Sierra Club of BC and other environmental organizations,
First Nations,
logging companies, and communities are
currently working on conservation
solutions that
desperately need the support of British Columbia's
Government.
Please flood British Columbia's Premier, Ujjal Dosanjh,with
letters and
phone calls showing your support for
conservation solutions for the Great
Bear
Rainforest. Let the Premier know that you support key conservation
measures put forth by the Sierra Club of
BC. The Premier must recognize
that the eyes
of the world and international markets are watching how
British Columbians will manage this endangered trust.
We know that there is overwhelming
public support for a solutions-oriented
approach. Now is
the time to get British Columbia's government on side.
Play a key role, make this happen, take action and make your
voice heard.
Call or fax the
Premier! Outside British Columbia call 1-250-387-1715. Or
check out our faxable website at http://www.savethegreatbear.org.
Or send a letter to:
Honorable Premier Ujjal Dosanjh
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, B.C.
Canada
V8V-1X4
-------------------------------------------
3. From the Field
Miami-Dade County Sues US Government
over Homestead Airport
According
to newspaper reports, Miami-Dade County filed suit against the
federal government on Friday. The suit is over an
decision by the U.S. Air
Force that prevents the
conversion of Homestead Air Force Base into a new
commercial airport.
The County charges that the decision of the Air Force to
reverse an earlier
decision that would have allowed the
development of the new airport
violated the Base Closure
and Administrative Procedure. The County's suit
also maintains that the Air Force misinterpreted
environmental impact
statements that claim that the
proposed airport would not harm the nearby
national
parks.
The Sierra Club and other
environmental groups have opposed the airport
over
concerns about it's impact on National Parks and urban sprawl.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Rainforest Action Network March 21, 2001
Rainforest Action Network - Monthly Email Newsletter
March 2001
Welcome! Thank you for
being a partner in Rainforest Action Network's
campaigns. Read on to get the latest news and
learn how you can help
save the world's rainforests.
In this issue:
1.) Citi is Feeling the
Heat! **Citi Day of Action April 11th**
2.)
Tree Free Campuses!
3.) YOUR letters made a
difference!
4.) T-shirt Winner announced! You
could be next!
______The World's
Most Destructive Bank is Feeling the Heat_____
Written by Patrick, Organizing Director
All across the country people have
been standing up to the world's most
destructive bank -
Citigroup. People are sick of Citi using their money
from credit cards, mortgages, student loans and other
accounts to fund
worldwide destruction of the
environment. Citigroup has absolutely no
social or environmental standards and is one of the major
funders of
logging, mining and oil projects in fragile
ecosystems around the world.
From mining in the Amazon
to clearcutting in Indonesia; from funding
Exxon-Mobil's
Chad-Cameroon pipeline to China's mega 3 Gorges Dam - Citi
makes a profit at the expense of human rights and the
environment.
Citigroup is
definitely feeling the pressure these days. Since last
fall, when demonstrations against Citigroup were held in 50
US cities,
thousands of concerned citizens have cut up
their Citi credit cards and
cancelled their accounts. On
Valentine's Day Citi received hundreds of
cards and
phone calls urging the company to have a heart and show the
planet some love by no longer funding destructive
activities.
As one of the
largest corporations in the world (with assets over $700
billion), Citigroup is setting the rules of the global
economy.
Currently, this means maximizing
profits regardless of the cost to the
world's forests,
human rights, the climate, or local communities. Join
us in building a broad-based, diverse citizen's movement to
force Wall
Street to go "Beyond the Bottom line" and
stop investing in destruction.
The planet is running out
of time. We need a democratic, just and
ecologically sane global economy and we need it
now! So vote against
corporate destruction by
cutting up your Citi credit card and sending it
to Citi
CEO Sandy Weill. If you aren't a Citi customer, send them a
letter and let them know you won't be a Citi customer until
they clean
up their act.
Contact Citi and tell them you won't do business with them!
Call Citigroup at 1-800-456-4277
or Director of Public Affairs Mark
Rogers at
718-248-1092 (direct line).
Mail
in your cut up Citi cards or letters of protest to:
Mr.
Sandy Weill, Chairman and CEO, Citigroup 153 East 53rd St. NY, NY
10043. Or drop Sandy an e-mail at
investorrelations@citi.com
April
11th is an international day of action against Citigroup. This is
your chance to organize a demonstration, vigil,
informational picket,
guerilla theater or non-violent
direct action at the Citi office near
you. Contact RAN for an organizer's action packet
and ideas for
creative action!
Beka at beka@ran.org, 1-888-840-6416
or Patrick at organize@ran.org,
1-800-989-RAIN and check
out
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/grassroots/index.html
__________________Tree Free
Campus Campaign_____________________
Written by
Jennifer, Old Growth Organizing Director
FEBRUARY 27th, students nationwide launched the TREE FREE
CAMPUS
CAMPAIGN to end the destruction of ancient
forests by logging companies
such as Boise Cascade
Corporation, the largest logger of old growth
forest on
public lands, and the largest supplier of paper to college
campuses.
Every day, companies like Boise Cascade are converting
thousands of
acres of endangered ancient forest into
paper, pulp, and plywood.
By continuing to use paper from these destructive
corporations, we are
allowing the devastation to
continue. But students at colleges and
universities are the powerhouse of change. Take
action on your campus
and switch to tree-free paper
products (or AT LEAST 100% recycled paper!
There are no
excuses for using virgin paper!).
This is a nationwide action: Rainforest Action Network,
American Lands
Alliance, Free the Planet, Student
environment action Coalition,
National Forest
Protection Alliance, and Coastal Rainforest Campaign
have joined forces to aid students across America to help
end the
destruction of our ancient forests by demanding
that their universities
and colleges phase out of wood
products from old growth forests!
Please consider joining the Tree Free Campus Campaign,
Contact Jennifer
Krill, Rainforest Action Network,
jkrill@ran.org, (415) 398-4404 x. 307.
To sign up for the Tree Free Campus list serve to
communicate with other
students involved in this
campaign send a message to:
treefreecampus-subscribe@topica.com. For a downloadable Tree
Free Campus
Campaign action packet go to RAN's web site
at http://www.ran.org.
__________________Your Letters Made
a Difference_________________
"Neither jail, nor any other obstacle, will keep me from
defending the
forests. I'll keeping fighting from inside
prison, or outside of it."
-Rodolfo
Montiel Flores
On May 2, 1999,
Montiel and Cabrera were arrested by members of the 40th
Infantry Battalion of the Mexican Army, who beat them,
threatened them
at gunpoint and allegedly tortured the
two men, forcing them to confess
to trumped-up charges
of drug trafficking and illegal possession of
weapons.
Many believe that these charges were created to imprison
Montiel and Cabrera for their environmental activism. Last
year, Amnesty
International declared Montiel and Cabrera
Prisoners of Conscience.
In
mid-July, the Mexico Commission on Human Rights released the findings
of their investigation in the case. The Commission declared
that Montiel
and Cabrera had, in fact, been tortured,
that they have been improperly
detained and that they
were not in possession of firearms when arrested,
as the
Military had claimed.
Due to
huge public support (and YOUR letters) President Fox is
reportedly taking a closer look at the situation for
Montiel. They
still need your help, if you
haven't written to President Fox, see the
link below and
make your voice heard.
http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/aa/aa151_montiel.html
________________T-shirt
Winner Announced_____________________
RAN is working to reduce the amount of paper we
use. You are helping us
by reading these
Action alerts via email instead of the print version.
If you have a friend or friends you'd like to help get more
involved in
the fight to save the rainforest, send us
their email(s) and we'll sign
them up for our email
updates. You could win a free RAN T-shirt in the
exchange!
This month's T-shirt winner is Cameron
Bailey. Cameron responded to our
recent
action alert and won a RAN T-shirt in a random drawing. We'll
continue giving away one T-shirt a month while supplies
last. Please
only one contest entry per
member.
Email ranmembers@ran.org
with the names and electronic addresses of
those who you
know would like to get more involved. Include T-shirt
contest in the subject line.
If you'd like to give an additional
donation you may do so online at:
http://www.ran.org/scripts/ran/join_start.pl/
As always, we welcome your comments
regarding this newsletter. Email
ranmembers@ran.org or call Megan at 415-398-4404.
*******
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine
Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94104
tel: 415-398-4404
fax: 415-398-2732
URL: http://www.ran.org/
from EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund March 21, 2001
------------------------------------------------
EARTHJUSTICE E-BRIEF
Monthly news
and views from Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund
------------------------------------------------
In this issue:
> SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HILLS
GET REPRIEVE
> POLLUTION REDUCTIONS FOR FLORIDA. S
LAKE OKEECHOBEE
> ENVIRONMENTALISTS ON CHEMICAL
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
> U.S. TRADE REP SUED FOR HIDING
DOCUMENTS
> OPPORTUNITIES AT EARTHJUSTICE
> ABOUT EARTHJUSTICE
------------------------------------------------
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HILLS GET REPRIEVE
An Earthjustice lawsuit has forced two federal agencies to
re-think their
approval of a sprawling luxury home and
golf course development on 1,642
acres of oak woodland,
grassland, and coastal scrub in the Walpert Ridge
hills
east of San Francisco.
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/pr031601a.htm
------------------------------------------------
POLLUTION REDUCTIONS FOR FLORIDA'S LAKE OKEECHOBEE
A four-year effort by Earthjustice on behalf of the Florida
Wildlife
Federation and the National Wildlife Federation
has paid off. The Florida
Department of Environmental
Protection has agreed to reduce phosphorus
pollution in
Lake Okeechobee by 70 percent!
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/pr030701b.htm
------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTALISTS ON CHEMICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
You can bet the chemical industry isn't happy that an
environmental
representative has been appointed to the
committee that advises the
government on chemical trade
related matters. The appointment came as a
result of a
lawsuit filed by Earthjustice and other environmental advocacy
organizations a year ago.
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/pr031601b.htm
------------------------------------------------
U.S. TRADE REP SUED FOR HIDING DOCUMENTS
Earthjustice has filed a lawsuit against new U.S. Trade Rep
Robert
Zoellick. The suit challenges Zoellick's decision
to keep the public in
the dark about the
administration's latest trade negotiations for the
proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, the agreement that
would expand
NAFTA to the entire Western hemisphere
(except Cuba).
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/pr030701.htm
------------------------------------------------
OPPORTUNITIES AT EARTHJUSTICE
Put
your expertise and passion to work for an organization that is
successfully using the law to protect the environment. Legal
and policy
positions, internships, and administrative
roles are all available at
Earthjustice.
http://www.earthjustice.org/about/opps.html
------------------------------------------------
ABOUT EARTHJUSTICE
Founded as the
Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund in 1971, Earthjustice Legal
Defense Fund is the non-profit law firm for the environment.
Earthjustice
represents hundreds of environmental
organizations, large and small, from
nine offices across
the country. We do not charge our clients for our
services.
SUPPORT US
Your support of
Earthjustice will help defend and protect our forests and
other public lands; our air, water, and wildlife; our
children, and our
communities. Please, join us.
http://www.earthjustice.org/join/index.html
QUESTIONS? FEEDBACK?
Drop us a line: mailto:enews@earthjustice.org
------------------------------------------------
All contents copyright 2001 by Earthjustice Legal Defense
Fund, 180
Montgomery Street, Suite1400, San Francisco,
CA 94104
from Environment News Service March 22, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************
MAD SHEEP SEIZED IN VERMONT
MONTPELIER, Vermont, March 21, 2001
(ENS) - A flock of sheep infected with
a condition
closely related to mad cow disease has been confiscated from a
Vermont farm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
For full text and graphics
visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-21-01.html
************************************************************
WATER, POWER SHORTAGES THREATEN
NORTHWEST SALMON
By Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, March 21, 2001
(ENS) - An ongoing drought in the Pacific
Northwest,
coupled with severe energy shortages in California, is forcing
federal regulators to make tough decisions about whether to
use scarce
water to generate power or aid endangered
fish. But a coalition of fishing
and conservation groups
say that is an artificial choice, and offer a plan
they
say would provide enough water for all users.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-21-06.html
************************************************************
SCIENTISTS DRILL PRESIDENT BUSH
ON ARCTIC REFUGE
WASHINGTON, DC,
March 21, 2001 (ENS) - Nearly 500 distinguished U.S. and
Canadian scientists have sent President George W. Bush a
lesson in the
environmental consequences of drilling for
oil in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-21-02.html
************************************************************
WORLD URGED TO REMEMBER MOST
PRECIOUS LIQUID ASSET
GENEVA,
Switzerland, March 21, 2001 (ENS) - Under international human
rights law, water is implicitly and explicitly protected as
a human right,
yet one sixth of the world's 6.1 billion
people lack access to improved
sources of water. That
fact forms the backdrop to "Water and Health," the
broad
but apt theme for World Water Day, organized by the Geneva based
World Health Organization (WHO) and marked tomorrow by
events across the
globe.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-21-11.html
***********************************************************
SCIENTISTS OPEN NEW WINDOW ON
SOUTHERN FISHERIES
SOUTH
GEORGIA, South Atlantic, March 21, 2001 (ENS) - The exploitation of
South Atlantic fish species will be better understood thanks
to a British
Antarctic Survey research station opening
tomorrow on South Georgia Island.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-21-10.html
************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: MARCH 21, 2001
Petroleum Refiners Agree to Slash Pollution Emissions
New Hard Rock Mining Rules May Be
Discarded
Congress Gets First
Look at Cleaner Snowmobile
Asian
Air Particles Subject of New Study
Forever Wild Campaign Opens in North Carolina
Right Whale Found Dead - Second This
Year
New York Awards $84.5
Million for Clean Water
Easter
Egg Hunts Start Early in Michigan
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-21-09.html
Copyright Environment News Service
(ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
************************************************************
SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
Cyanotech Begins Second
Clinical Trial for BioAstin: Sports Nutrition Supplement for Delayed Onset
Muscle Soreness
KAILUA-KONA, HI, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- Cyanotech Corporation(Nasdaq:CYAN), the world leader in producing
high-value, natural products from microalgae, announced the start of
a second clinical trial
for BioAstin(TM) to measure its
effectiveness in reducing delayed onset muscle soreness. This study is being
conducted with 20 patients by Lead Investigator Andrew C. Fry, Ph.D., at the
Human Performance Laboratories, The University of Memphis, in Memphis,
Tennessee.
/CONTACT: Cyanotech Corporation, Kailua-Kona
Ronald P. Scott, 808/326-1353 rscott@cyanotech.com or Russell Communications,
Culver City, Calif. Bruce Russell, 310/216-1414 brucerussell@ruscom.com/
/Web site: http://www.cyanotech.com//
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0109.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Texas'
Renewable Energy Policy Is Nation's Most Effective, Survey Shows
WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- The minimum renewable energy requirement adopted by Texas under
Governor Bush is the most effective policy any state has recently adopted to
promote renewable energy, a new survey finds.
/CONTACT: Christine Real de Azua Communications
Coordinator American Wind Energy Association 122 C Street NW Washington D.C.
20001 main (202) 383-2500 direct (202) 383-2508fax (202) 383-2505 email:
christine@awea.org
/Web
site: http://www.awea.org
http://www.awea.org/pubs/inventory.html/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0108.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The
Arboretum of Los Angeles County Presents an Exciting New Ethnobotanical Lecture
Series Beginning Thursday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m.
MARINA DEL REY, CA, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- The Arboretum of Los Angeles County Presents an Exciting New
Ethnobotanical Lecture Series Beginning Thursday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m.
/CONTACT: CMS, Marina del Rey, Calif. Susan
Dawson, 310/827-4650/
/Web
site: http://www.arboretum.org//
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0107.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National wetlands conferences
to be held in May
WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- The Izaak Walton League of America, organizer of American Wetlands
Month in May, will be teaming up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to bring two national conferences about wetlands conservation to Orlando,
Fla., May 14-18, 2001.
/CONTACT: For more information on either
conference or for information on how local groups can participate in American
Wetlands Month, contact:
Leah Miller Save Our Streams
Project Coordinator Izaak Walton League of America Phone: (800) BUG IWLA E-mail:
awm@iwla.org www.iwla.org
For more information on the
Assessing the Health of Wetland Life conference, contact: Douglas Hoskins U.S.
EPA - Wetlands Division 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (4502F)
Washington, DC 20460 (202) 260-7717
hoskins.doug@epamail.epa.gov/
/Web site: http://www.iwla.org/sos/awm/
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/bawwg/announ2001.html/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0105.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Airgas
Signs Two-Year National Agreement For Refrigerants with Greyhound Lines
RADNOR, PA, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG) announced today that it signed a two-year
national refrigerant agreement with Greyhound Lines. The
refrigerant gases will be used to service the air conditioning units of
Greyhound Lines' 2,400-coach fleet at their 14 major garages and 28 service
islands.
/CONTACT: Investor Contact: Melissa
Nigro (610) 902-6206 melissa.nigro@airgas.com
Media Contact: James Ely (610)
902-6010 jim.ely@airgas.com/
/Web site: http://www.airgas.com//
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0104.html
****************************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
****************************************************************************
TO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Ontario Power Generation Joins
ADA-ES Mercury Project Team
LITTLETON, CO, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- Environmental technology and
specialty
chemical company ADA-ES, a subsidiary of Earth Sciences
(OTC Bulletin Board: ESCI), announced today that Ontario
Power Generation
(OPG) has joined its mercury control
project team and will provide significant
funding to
cover project costs.
/CONTACT: Michael Durham of ADA-ES, 303-734-1727,
303-734-1728,
miked@adaes.com; or Ted Gruetzner, Media
Relations of Ontario Power
Generation, 416-592-4008, or
877-592-4008; Natalie Wilkins of Clarus Public
Relations, 303-296-0343, ext. 239, nwilkins@claruspr.com,
for ADA-ES/
/Web
site: http://www.adeas.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0101.html
****************************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
****************************************************************************
Energy Crisis Relief - 500 -
Megawatts to be Gained in California from Unexpected Source
LightPanel Technologies, LLC
Introduces the Next Generation in Energy Efficient Emergency EXIT Sign
Technology
WEST LEBANON, NH, USA, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- LightPanel Technologies, LLC has introduced the next generation in
energy efficient emergency EXIT sign technology utilizing the LightPanel"!
lamp. If all exit signs in California were to be upgraded with the
LightPanel"!, then nearly 500-megawatts of electrical energy would be made
available - starting immediately without adding any pollutants into the
environment.
/CONTACT: Ken Ungard, President 603-298-8000 Fax:
603-298-8188 Email ungardk@lightpanel.com/
/Web site: http://www.lightpanel.com//
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0103.html
****************************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
****************************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ford
Motor Company Introduces its New Earth-Responsible Brand to the U.S.
Reinvents transportation with
innovative approach to electric vehicles
NEW YORK, NY, US, Mar. 21
-/E-Wire/-- Nearly a century after making history with the Model T automobile,
Ford Motor Company is revolutionizing the industry once again with the
introduction of TH!NK, a line of fully zero-emission electric bikes and vehicles
that redefines how people get around. Ford is the only automaker to
dedicate an independent brand to a full line of environmentally responsible
products.
/CONTACT: Susan Yecies, Yecies
Associates: 212.727.1239/
/Web site: http://www.ThinkMobility.com//
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/21Mar0102.html
************************************************************
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE --
1-888-764-NEWS
************************************************************
from Natural Resources Defense Council March 22, 2001
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
March 22, 2001
Contents:
1) Legislative Watch
2) About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
3) About NRDC/How to Contact Us
The information in this bulletin is
also available on our
website at http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp. The
web version links to the text of bills and congressional web
pages. To take action on these and other environmental
issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action, where you can use our online
activism tools or subscribe to Earth Action, our
biweekly
activist bulletin.
1) LEGISLATIVE WATCH
This is a status report on congressional action on the
environment. To make new or updated sections easy to find,
we've highlighted them with:
= N
O T E ! =
3/22/01
Congress continues to focus on
energy policy legislation,
with the Democratic
leadership planning to release a
comprehensive energy
policy bill. The Senate will also spend
the next two
weeks considering campaign finance reform.
...
Budget
= N O T E ! =
On 3/21, the House Budget Committee approved a budget
resolution on a party line vote. Because of strong
opposition by Democrats and moderate Republicans, led by
Rep. Johnson (R-CT), Rep. Markey (D-MA), and Rep. Hoeffel
(D-PA), the resolution did not include revenues from oil
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Proponents
of drilling in the refuge will try to include
such a
provision in the Senate budget resolution at a
point in the
process where little opportunity exists to
remove it.
The Bush
administration's initial budget proposal cuts the
Environmental Protection Agency budget by more than 6
percent, and the Interior department budget by 3.9 percent,
from last year's funding levels. Global warming,
potentially
the most significant worldwide environmental
challenge, is
not addressed at all in the president's
proposed budget.
While oil and coal programs are slated
for huge increases,
energy efficiency programs have been
cut drastically, while
solar and other renewable energy
funding is tied to expected
revenues from drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. Funding cuts may
also severely jeopardize the
clean-up of contaminated
nuclear waste sites.
...
Campaign Finance Reform
= N O T E ! =
The Senate will be debating S. 27, Sens. McCain (R-AZ) and
Feingold's (D-WI) campaign finance reform bill, for the
next
week or so. This bill would ban "soft money"
donations from
corporations to political parties.
Environmental groups
generally support efforts to reduce
the influence of
corporate special interests on
environmental policymaking.
Huge contributions from
wealthy corporations have made it
easier for these
corporations to persuade members of
Congress to attach
anti-environment riders to funding bills,
and to gain
special exemptions from environmental laws and
regulations.
...
Clean
Air and Energy
= N O T E ! =
In response to President Bush's 3/13 reversal of his
campaign pledge to require cuts in carbon dioxide emissions
from power plants, several members of Congress
immediately
introduced bills in both the House and the
Senate to impose
mandatory cuts on carbon pollution.
With 14 cosponsors, Sen.
Jeffords (R-VT) and Sen.
Lieberman (D-CT) introduced S. 556
on 3/15. Rep.
Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. Waxman (D-CA) intend
to
introduce their bipartisan House bill shortly.
= N O T E ! =
The House Energy and
Air Quality Subcommittee plans to hold
hearings on
California energy issues on 3/20 and 3/22. Sen.
Murkowski (R-AK), chairman of the Senate Energy and National
Resources Committee, has scheduled a hearing on U.S.
energy
trends for his committee on 3/21. On that same
day, the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
plans to
consider air pollution and energy policy.
= N O T E ! =
On 3/15, the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
considered access to energy reserves on federal lands,
addressing restrictions to access to public lands that
would
protect natural resources. The subcommittee also
discussed
offshore drilling for natural gas.
On 2/28, the House Science
Committee, chaired by Rep.
Boehlert (R-NY), held a
hearing on improving renewable
energy sources and energy
efficiency programs. Rep. Boehlert
has stated his goal
this year is to ensure that renewable
energy and energy
efficiency become cornerstones of national
energy
policy.
On 2/26, Sen. Murkowski
(R-AK) introduced the Republican
leadership's energy
bill (S. 389), which emphasizes
increasing the fossil
fuel supply and opening the Arctic
National Wildlife
Refuge to oil and gas drilling. The bill
contains only a
few provisions to increase energy-efficient
buildings
and equipment, and fails to adequately address the
need
to decrease demand for fossil fuels. The bill also
would
effectively exempt coal power plants from clean air
requirements and turn over federal oil and gas leasing to
the states. Environmentalists continue to mount strong
opposition to this bill and any efforts to open the
Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling,
and Sen.
Kerry (D-MA) promises to filibuster the bill if
it includes
plans to drill in the refuge. The Senate has
delayed
consideration of this bill for several weeks.
On 2/8, the Senate approved Sen.
McCain's (R-AZ) pipeline
safety bill (S. 235) by a vote
of 98-0 despite the fact that
it fails to provide
adequate environmental protections.
Although a few
changes were made to strengthen the bill,
including a
requirement sponsored by Sens. Corzine (D-NJ),
Torricelli (D-NJ), Cantwell (D-WA) and Murray (D-WA) that
requires pipeline inspections at five-year intervals,
the
Senate bill fails to include any of the key
protections
environmentalists believe are needed to
improve pipeline
safety. These provisions include
holding polluters liable
for releases, requiring
meaningful community right-to-know
data, and allowing
states to require stronger protections
for interstate
pipelines in their state than the federal
government
requires.
On 1/30, Sen. Smith
(R-NH) and Sen. Feinstein (D-CA)
introduced S. 207,
which provides federal tax incentives for
energy
efficiency improvements in new and existing
buildings.
Implementing these tax incentives would reduce
pollution, promote economic growth and competitiveness, and
save consumers and businesses tens of billions of
dollars.
The bill would also help ensure electricity
supply at peak
hours, preventing blackouts and
brownouts, and mitigate
increases in electricity prices
when supplies are tight.
Rep. Cunningham (R-CA) and Rep.
Markey (D-MA) introduced the
House companion bill, H.R.
778, on 2/28.
On 1/22, Sen.
McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Byrd (D-WV), from
two of the
biggest coal-producing states, introduced the
National
Electricity and Environmental Technology Act (S.
60),
designed to encourage utilities to use more coal by
waiving environmental standards that protect air quality. S.
60 effectively repeals Clean Air Act provisions that
require
new and modified coal-fired plants to meet
tougher pollution
control requirements and prohibit
increased levels of
pollution in or near national parks
or areas that fail to
meet air quality standards. By
granting coal-fired power
plants relief from Clean Air
Act requirements, the bill
could also undercut recent
government enforcement actions --
a dozen of which are
still pending -- that mandate new
pollution controls on
dirty power plants and assess
penalties worth over $3.5
billion on polluters.
NRDC's
report, A Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st
Century
(http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp),
outlines the components of an alternative energy policy --
one that can meet the nation's energy needs without
destroying wilderness or rolling back environmental
safeguards.
...
Clean
Water
On 2/28, the House Water
Resources and Environment
Subcommittee held a hearing
where state representatives
discussed two proposed new
Clean Water Act regulations. The
first rule would
improve the water quality of polluted
rivers, streams
and lakes by strengthening the requirements
on the
amount of pollution that can flow into degraded water
under the total maximum daily loads program. The second set
of regulations seeks to address pollution from
large-scale
animal farms, called concentrated animal
feeding operations.
Environmental groups support the
goals of these regulations,
but would like to see them
strengthened.
...
Coasts and Oceans
On 2/14, Sens. Snowe (R-ME), McCain
(R-AZ), Kerry (D-MA),
Hollings (D-SC), and Breaux (D-LA)
introduced S. 328, which
provides funds to states for
the management of coastal
areas. The most significant
part of this bill designates
funding to stem polluted
coastal runoff, the biggest water
quality problem facing
shorelines and coastal ecosystems.
However, the chairman
of the House Transportation Committee,
Rep. Young
(R-AK), objects to this coastal pollution program
and
may try to eliminate it when the House considers the
bill.
...
Public Health
= N O T E ! =
On 3/15, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
overwhelmingly approved S. 350, the Brownfields
Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act, by a vote
of 15-3. Sens. Smith (R-NH), Chafee (R-RI), Reid (D-NV),
and
Boxer (D-CA) developed the bipartisan bill, which
provides
increased funding and authority to states to
clean up former
industrial sites known as brownfields.
The bill's sponsors
defeated efforts by Sen. Inhofe
(R-OK) to weaken the bill by
restricting the federal
government's enforcement authority
over polluters. On
3/7, the House Energy and Commerce
Committee also held a
hearing on brownfields.
On 1/31,
Rep. Boehlert (R-NY) introduced H.R. 324, the same
Superfund and brownfields bill that passed the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the last
Congress. Superfund is the federal law that governs
seriously contaminated hazardous waste sites, while
brownfields are lesser contaminated sites. The environmental
community objects to the bill because it would result in
lower clean-up standards at severely contaminated sites,
slowing clean-up and increasing litigation.
Environmentalists consider these modifications unnecessary
because the Superfund program has improved
implementation
dramatically and is cleaning up sites at
a record pace.
...
Public Lands
On 3/7, the House Resources
Committee held a hearing on
energy supplies and federal
lands, but questioned only
witnesses who support
increased drilling and mining on
federal lands.
Environmental groups object to easing
restrictions on
resource extraction in sensitive public
lands as 95
percent of Bureau of Land Management lands, and
91
percent of federal Rocky Mountain lands, are already open
to oil and gas drilling.
On 2/28, key members of both the House and Senate introduced
bipartisan legislation to protect the coastal plain of
the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas
drilling by
designating it a wilderness area. In the
House, Rep. Johnson
(R-CT) and Rep. Markey (D-MA)
introduced H.R. 770, which now
has the support of 177
cosponsors. In the Senate, Sen.
Lieberman (D-CT)
introduced S. 411 with the support of 24
senators,
including Sen. Jeffords (R-VT) and Sen. Chafee
(R-RI).
...
Regulatory Reform
= N O T E ! =
On 3/15, the House
unanimously approved Rep. Burton's (R-IN)
Small Business
Relief Act (H.R. 327). This bill contains
overly broad
and burdensome obligations on federal agencies
to
annually compile a list of each piece of information they
have requested from businesses. Because this requirement
would be incredibly expensive and time-consuming, it could
be virtually impossible for federal agencies to comply
without severely disrupting their operations.
On 3/6, President Bush nominated
economist Dr. John Graham,
a long-time critic of
protective health, safety and
environmental standards,
to direct the Office of Information
and Regulatory
Affairs in the Office of Management and
Budget. Graham
is the director of the Harvard Center for
Risk Analysis
-- an industry-funded research group that
advocates
pro-industry positions on the regulatory process.
Health
and environmental experts warn that, as the
gatekeeper
for all federal regulations, Graham would use his
industry connections, controversial economic analyses, and
ideological bias against strong regulatory standards to
prevent new regulations that are protective of public
health
and the environment from being adopted. Graham's
nomination
must be ratified by the Senate, but hearings
have not yet
been scheduled.
On 1/3, Rep. Condit (D-CA) introduced H.R. 54, which would
provide a new tactic to block critical health and
environmental protections. By doing little more than voicing
an objection, opponents of environmental legislation
would
be able to stop provisions of bills that would
impose costs
exceeding $100 million on the private
sector, without a
direct vote on the substance of the
bill. Worse yet, H.R. 54
focuses on the cost of
legislation without any consideration
of its potential
benefits.
...
For information on the environmental
voting records of
members of Congress, see the League of
Conservation Voter's
National Environmental Scorecards
at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecards/index.htm
...........
2) About Our Bulletins/How to
Subscribe & Unsubscribe
NRDC
distributes three bulletins by email. To subscribe to
any or all of them or to join our activist networks, go to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp. If you
already
subscribe and want to change your subscriptions
or update
your email address or other information, go to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor (or see the
unsubscribe information below).
EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and
calls out urgent
environmental issues requiring
immediate action. To
unsubscribe from Earth Action, send
an email message to
earthaction@nrdcaction.org with
REMOVE in the 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.
...........
3) About NRDC/How to Contact Us
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
NY,
NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General information: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Email subscription questions: 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 Environment News Service March 22, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************
DUMPING ENDS TODAY AT WORLD'S
LARGEST LANDFILL
NEW YORK, New
York, March 22, 2001 (ENS) - The most infamous landfill in
the United States is closing today after 50 years of
accepting a growing
amount of New York City's garbage.
Fresh Kills on Staten Island, one of New
York's five
boroughs, accepted its last barge load of trash this morning.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-22-01.html
************************************************************
STUDY TALLIES AMERICANS'
EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS
WASHINGTON, DC, March 22, 2001 (ENS) - Common products such
as soap,
shampoo and perfume are leaching dangerous
chemicals into the bloodstreams
of U.S. consumers,
reveals a comprehensive new study by the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. The study, released
Wednesday, also
carried some good news: national blood
levels of lead, and cotinine from
second hand smoke,
appear to be declining.
For full
text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-22-06.html
************************************************************
CHINESE, AUSTRALIAN EYES ON
TIBET MINERAL PROSPECTS
SYDNEY,
Australia, March 22, 2001 (ENS) - China is increasing mining in
Tibet. Australian mining companies and the University of
Tasmania are set
to play an integral role in the mineral
future of Chinese occupied Tibet.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-22-03.html
************************************************************
RUNNING ON EMPTY, A REPORT ON
WORLD'S WATER WOES
TEDDINGTON,
United Kingdom, March 22, 2001 (ENS) - A report published today
to coincide with World Water Day warns that two out of every
three people
will face water shortages by 2025.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-22-11.html
************************************************************
TURKISH DAM CRITIC PLOTS
SHAREHOLDER REVOLT
LONDON,
United Kingdom, March 22, 2001 (ENS) - In its fight to stop the
construction of a controversial Turkish dam, Friends of the
Earth has taken
the unorthodox step of investing in the
company building it.
For full
text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-22-10.html
***********************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: MARCH 22, 2001
EPA
Signs Agreement to Review Toxic Pesticides
Antarctic Crack Heralds Massive New Iceberg
Judge Blocks Bush Efforts to Block
Roadless Rule
Comments Sought on
Carcinogens Report
Nature
Photographer John Netherton Dies
Vineyards Contribute to Open Space Protection
Field Guide Highlights Southern
California Reptiles, Amphibians
Foresight Protects Children from Earthquake
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-22-09.html
Copyright Environment News Service
(ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
************************************************************
SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
***********************************************************************
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TO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
EDITORS:
Stage is Set for Wind
Incentive Effort as Extension Bills are Offered in Both Houses
Proposals
Would Extend Clean Energy Tax Credit for Five Years;
Wind
Industry Mapping Capitol Hill Blitz
WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jim Jeffords (R-Vt.), and Kent
Conrad (D-N.D.) helped set the stage for what is expected to be a strong effort
to extend the federal wind energy production tax credit (PTC), introducing
legislation (S. 530) March 14 to extend the credit for five years. S.
530 joins a companion bill (H.R. 876) introduced in the House of Representatives
a week earlier.
/CONTACT: Tom Gray (802) 649-2112, Christine Real
de Azua (202) 383-2508/
/Web
site: http://www.awea.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0108.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feds
Honor PG&E'S Energy Efficiency Efforts
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- Two federal agencies said today that Pacific Gas and Electric
Company was a star in the promotion of energy efficiency and awarded the utility
the 2001 ENERGY STAR Award for its efforts.
/CONTACT: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, News
Department, 415/973-5930/
/Web
site: http://www.pge.com/energycrisis/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0107.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The California Endowment
Commits $50 Million to Improve the Health of
California's
Agricultural Workers
Mexico President Vicente Fox,
Governor Gray Davis Hail Foundation's Support
LOS ANGELES, CA, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- The California Endowment, the
state's
largest health foundation, announced today that $50 million has been
pledged over the next five years to develop programs that
will significantly
improve the health status of
California's agricultural workers.
/CONTACT: Elinor Gilbert, 800/449-4149, Ext.
3240/
/Web site: http://www.calendow.org./
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0106.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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TO MEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Health Care Without
Harm: European Parliament and California Medical
Association Express Concerns About Chemicals Used in Vinyl
Medical Products
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- As Americans learned for the first
time
about the presence of phthalates and other toxic chemicals in their
bodies, Health Care Without Harm announced two important
developments aimed at
reducing exposure to phthalates in
medical products.
/CONTACT: Charlotte Brody, RN, of Health Care
Without Harm, 703-237-2249,
or Julie Silas, of SF Bay
Area Physicians for Social Responsibility,
510-594-8270/
/Web site: http://www.noharm.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0105.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Napier
Appoints New Director
VANCOUVER, BC, Canada, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- Napier Environmental Technologies Inc. (TSE:NIR. - news) is pleased
to announce the appointment of Lionel Dodd to the Board of
Directors. As part of the Board's mandate arising from its recent
meeting of shareholders, it has moved to add independent, non-related directors
so as to broaden its depth of experience. Mr. Dodd will bring additional
independent representation to the Board replacing Peter Palkovsky, the
co-founder of Biowash.
/CONTACT: Napier Environmental Technologies
Inc. Clifford T. Davis, 604/801-6664
nir@direct.ca
/Web site: http://www.napierenvironmental.com//
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0104.html
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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
InspecTech Aero Service
Acquires License From Research Frontiers to Produce SPD Aircraft Windows Which
Save Energy, Reduce Costs of Operation, and Promote Passenger Comfort
WOODBURY, NY, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- A technology now exists to improve passenger satisfaction and
comfort in aircraft while reducing fuel consumption, maintenance, downtime and
cost of operation. These benefits are accomplished by removing the existing
window shades from aircraft and replacing them with a thin plastic film which
can electrically control light and which is affixed to the existing inner
(non-structural) cabin windows of the aircraft. InspecTech Aero Service, Inc.
based at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, has become the first company
specifically licensed by Research Frontiers Incorporated (Nasdaq: REFR - news),
to use its fast-responding Suspended Particle Device (SPD) light-control
technology for aircraft applications. InspecTech's non-exclusive license permits
them to buy SPD film from a variety of companies that Research Frontiers has
licensed to produce such film (currently General Electric, Hankuk Glass
Industries, Hitachi Chemicals, Material Sciences Corp. and Polaroid),
and
/CONTACT: Research Frontiers Incorporated
Michael R. LaPointe,
516/364-1902 ext. 15
LaPointe@refr-spd.com
or
InspecTech Aero Service,
Inc.
Alex Martinez,
954/359-6766
info@inspectech.net
or
Media Relations:
Mindstorm Communications
Stacy Calder, 212/320-2125
scalder@mindstormcomm.com/
/Web site: http://www.refr-spd.com
http://www.inspectech.net/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0103.html
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
American Expert Wins
Prestigious Stockholm Water Prize
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- The Stockholm Water Foundation announced
today that Professor Takashi Asano of the University of
California at Davis (UCD) is the 11th
recipient of the
prestigious international Stockholm Water Prize.
/CONTACT: David Trouba, Manager, Press and
Information of Stockholm
International Water Institute,
+46-8-522-139-89, or mobile, +46-73-914-3989,
or fax,
+46-8-522-139-61, or dave.trouba@siwi.org/
/Web site: http://www.siwi.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0102.html
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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO BUSINESS,
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY EDITORS:
Dominion 'FalconTrak(SM)'
Research Partnership Ready to Soar
RICHMOND, VA, Mar. 22
-/E-Wire/-- Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the
nation's
leading producers of energy, announced Thursday the formation of a
public/private partnership for the largest peregrine
falcon-tracking research
project ever attempted on the
wild birds in the United States.
The research project, called
Dominion FalconTrak(SM), is the next step in
an effort
the company began last year when it raised and released five falcons
in downtown Richmond. The project will last three
years and involve satellite
tracking of 19 wild,
juvenile falcons by Dominion and its partners at six
sites in Virginia and Maryland.
/CONTACT: Dan Genest of Dominion, 804-771-6115,
or dan_genest@dom.com/
/Web
site: http://www.dom.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/22Mar0101.html
************************************************************
SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE --
1-888-764-NEWS
************************************************************
from American Oceans March 22, 2001
You can take action on this alert either by email or
preferably on the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18568B0322032603C182
Alert expires on April 5, 2001
Here's what this alert is about:
Take Action to Protect Fragile
Marine Habitats
----------------------
With a simple click of the mouse you can take action
to save critical marine habitats along the east coast
of the United States. Ocean floor marine habitats
are being damaged and destroyed by harmful fishing
practices. These habitats support a wide
diversity
of species from marine mammals and fishes to
small
invertebrates. By responding to this
action alert
you will help change the future of fishery
practices
and ensure that environmental safeguards are
put in
place to protect marine habitats.
Let the New England Fishery
Management Council and
the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) know that
you are concerned about the use
of destructive fishing
gear, such as dredges and trawls,
in sensitive marine
habitats. Urge NMFS to
conduct a comprehensive analysis
of the effects of
fishing gears on fragile areas of
the sea floor.
Background:
Groundfish, such as cod and haddock,
and sea scallops
are prized commercial fish in New
England. To catch
these fish and shellfish, commercial
boats rely mainly
on destructive fishing gear, such as
trawls and dredges,
to scrape the bottom of the
ocean. These "bottom-tending
mobile gears"
cause damage along the sea floor by dragging
rocks and
boulders, burying gravel and cobble patches,
and
removing virtually all seafloor plant and invertebrate
life. Scraping the ocean floor with trawls and
dredges
reduces the value of these habitats to
commercial groundfish
and other marine life that depend
on them for food
and shelter from predation.
In the scallop fishery, hundreds of
industrial offshore
fishing vessels commonly drag two
15-foot wide steel
dredges -- each weighing over a ton
-- over and through
the seafloor to catch
scallops. In 1999, the scallop
fishery
covered 12,000 square nautical miles in New
England and
the Mid-Atlantic - an area the size of
Connecticut,
Rhode Island and Massachusetts combined.
Similarly, in
the groundfish fishery, over 90% of most
groundfish
brought to shore are caught with bottom
trawls, which
are commonly equipped with large rubber
discs, or
"rockhopper gear." This allows the trawl
into
sensitive rocky habitats, creating more damage
to these
extremely sensitive habitats.
Overall, much of the seafloor off the New England and
Mid-Atlantic coast is dredged or trawled repeatedly
each year. To make matters worse, NMFS and the
New
England Council have repeatedly failed to take
action
in the past to protect marine habitats from
bottom
tending mobile gears. In addition,
past environmental
analyses prepared for these fisheries
have been woefully
inadequate and failed to properly
analyze the environmental
effects of these fishing gears
on seafloor habitats
or meaningfully evaluate
alternatives to minimize the
environmental effects of
these fishing practices.
As a result of a successful legal challenge by American
Oceans Campaign and other environmental and fishing
organizations, the NMFS and the New England Fishery
Management Council ("New England Council") are preparing
environmental analyses of the Northeast Multispecies
("Groundfish") and Atlantic Sea Scallop fisheries.
These studies, called Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statements (SEIS), should analyze the environmental
effects of fishing activities on essential fish habitat
and the marine environment. These SEISs will be
prepared
along with Amendment 13 to the Groundfish
Fishery Management
Plan and Amendment 10 to the Scallop
Fishery Management
Plan. Comments on these
SEISs must be submitted to
NMFS no later than Wednesday,
April 4, 2001.
For more information, contact Chris Zeman, American
Oceans Campaign, at
czeman@americanoceans.org.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18568B0322032603C182
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you
wish. You
must include the whole letter in
your response including
"-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW-" and "-END OF LETTER-".
Please do not add your
name and address to your letter.
Action Network
automatically does this for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Dr. William Hogarth
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW---------
I am writing to
urge the National Marine Fisheries
Service and the New
England Fishery Management Council
to prepare a
comprehensive analysis of the known and
potential
environmental effects of the Northeast Multispecies
and
Atlantic Sea Scallop fisheries on essential fish
habitat
and to take action to protect fish habitat
under
Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan and Amendment 13 to the Northeast
Multispecies
Fishery Management Plan. I am
very concerned about
the reliance of these two fisheries
on bottom-tending
mobile gears -- known to adversely
affect essential
fish habitat -- and the existing policy
to allow bottom-tending
mobile gears to be used
throughout federal and state
waters with few
environmental protections.
America's ocean waters are a national public resource
and must be managed accordingly, consistent with all
federal environmental laws. The present
management
of New England's fisheries is a clear threat
to the
health and vitality of undersea habitats found in
New
England and Mid-Atlantic waters.
As part of this comprehensive
analysis, I urge NMFS
and the New England Council to
identify and fully analyze
a wide range of alternatives
to minimize the effects
of these fisheries on essential
fish habitat, including
area-based gear restrictions,
temporary and permanent
closed areas to trawling and
dredging, harvest incentives
for fixed gear, and gear
modifications. All practicable
actions should
be implemented immediately to minimize
identified and
potential threats to essential fish
habitat caused by
fishing, and in no case should lack
of complete
information be an excuse for delaying action.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
from World Wildlife March 22, 2001
Save Endangered Ferrets
Dear WWF Conservation Action Network Activist:
The black-footed ferret, one of the
most endangered animals in North
America, is threatened
because the U.S. Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) is
allowing people to shoot prairie dogs, the ferrets' primary
food source. Please go to http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ to send
free messages urging BLM officials to prohibit prairie dog
shooting in
the ferrets' recovery area in Montana.
Black-footed ferrets were considered
extinct until a few survivors were
found in Wyoming in
1982. Since then a successful captive breeding
and reintroduction effort has raised hopes that the ferret
will recover.
But recovery is impossible
unless prairie dogs remain available as a
food source
for the ferrets. And the number of prairie dogs is
dwindling due to disease, poisoning, and recreational
shooting. Some
people shoot several dozen prairie dogs
each day. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service has urged
the BLM, which manages the public land
within the
black-footed ferret recovery area, to put an end to the
shooting. Last year, the BLM closed 15 prairie dogs towns to
shooting. But that amount is insufficient. It
is essential that the BLM
also close an area known as
the "7-kilometer ferret recovery area" in
Montana and
reintroduce prairie dogs there in order to rebuild their
populations. Please act today and help save the black-footed
ferret
from extinction.
from Sierra Club March 22, 2001
from League of Conservation Voters March 23, 2001
from Environmental Defense Fund March 23, 2001
You can take action on this alert either by email
or
preferably on the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18671B0323011533C206
Alert expires on June 26, 2001
Here's what this alert is about:
HELP STOP EUROPE'S LARGEST LOGGING OPERATION EVER!
----------------------
Europe's largest logging operation is
underway in a
semi-arid region of southern Portugal. A million cork
oaks
and olive trees, many of which are ancient old
growth trees, are being cut
down to make way for Europe's
largest dam reservoir. You can help limit the
damage
by sending an e-mail to the Prime-Minister of Portugal
and the
Environment Commissioner of the European Union.
The Alqueva dam on the
River Guadiana in southern Portugal
will create the largest dam reservoir in
Europe. In
order to make room for the reservoir, the company
responsible
for building the dam has ordered Europe's most extensive
logging operation ever. In addition to the massive
loss of old growth
trees, the region is the habitat
of highly endangered species, including the
Iberian
Lynx, golden eagles and river otters.
Portuguese
environmentalists and citizens are calling
for international support because
it is still possible
to limit the damage. Much less land would be lost and
400,000 trees could be saved if the initial dam height
is lowered to not
higher than 139 meters above sea
level. Take action and join
their urgent appeal for
help.
Tell a friend about this alert by
visiting:http://www.actionnetwork.org/campaign/log/forward
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert
by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18671B0323011533C206
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender"
option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you
wish. You
must include the whole letter in your response
including
"-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END OF LETTER-".
Please do not add your name and address to your letter.
Action Network
automatically does this for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you
to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten
computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will
still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent
to:
Commissioner for Environment Directorate General Margot Wallstrom
Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Guterres
-------YOU MAY EDIT
THE LETTER BELOW---------
The Alqueva dam will create Europe's largest
reservoir.
The environmental and social impacts are enormous.
More than
one million oak and olive trees will be cut
down leading to the irreversible
loss of habitat for
several highly endangered species, including the Iberian
Lynx and the Golden Eagle.
There will be severe social disruption as
local people
are displaced and an entire village submerged. The
economic
benefits of the project are highly questionable
because the European Union's
new full cost recovery
principle will render the irrigation projects of the
Alqueva dam unprofitable.
Please order an immediate stop to all
clearing of land
and trees above 139 meters. This will reduce the
surface
area of the dam by one half and save 400,000 trees,
while still
ensuring adequate water supply to the region.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
from Working Assets 'Act for Change' March 23, 2001
When Americans turn on their faucets, they expect
the water coming out to be
safe to drink. Yet, in President Bush's latest
clumsy and craven payback to
his powerful industrialist backers, the
Environmental Protection Agency
announced Tuesday it will withdraw a new
requirement to reduce levels of
poisonous arsenic allowed in our tap water.
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=11004
In response, Working Assets is sponsoring an urgent action on this
issue.
Please tell the EPA to rethink this terrible decision. Simply click
on the
link above, or cut and paste it into your browser.
A proven
carcinogen, arsenic occurs naturally, but is also a common
byproduct of
mining operations. Not coincidentally, Bush received more money
from the
mining industry during last year's campaign than any other
candidate for
federal office, and his party sucked in another $5.6 million
from the same
special interest lobby. Bush's loyalty to these supporters
comes at the
expense of some 13 million Americans the EPA itself estimates
are at risk
from deadly diseases linked to arsenic exposure: Cardiovascular
disease,
diabetes, birth defects, reproductive problems, neurological damage
and
cancers of the bladder, lung, skin, kidney, nasal passage, liver and
prostate.
(Such a stark example of the power of special interest
money and the real
harm it can do comes right in the middle of a crucial
Senate debate on
campaign finance reform. Votes on controversial amendments
to the
McCain-Feingold reform legislation are happening nearly every day. If
you
have not told your Senators how you feel on the legalized bribery that
passes for elections these days, please use the link below to do so today.
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=10601)
"This decision will force millions of Americans to continue to drink
arsenic-laced water," said Erik D. Olson of the National Resources Defense
Council said of the EPA backslide. "Many will die from arsenic-related
cancers and other diseases, but George Bush apparently doesn't care. This
outrageous act is just another example of how the polluters have taken over
the government."
The new standard was a result of more than a decade
of scientific reviews,
public hearings, and discussions with health experts
and industry, and
mirrors the international standard adopted several years
ago by the World
Health Organization and the European Union. The old
standards the Bush
Administration is re-imposing were designed in 1942,
before the dangerous
long-term effects of low-level exposure to arsenic were
well-understood. A
March 1999 report by the prestigious National Academy of
Sciences concluded
that these outdated standards do not "achieve EPA's goal
of protecting
public health and should be lowered as soon as possible."
All Americans expect and deserve safe drinking water. Please help us
stop
this cynical, murderous decision by the Bush Administration and the
EPA.
Tell EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman that as our public servant she
must
stand up for public safety, rather than kowtow to the president's
financiers.
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=11004
There is strength in numbers! So once you take action, please
forward this
e-mail to friends and associates so they can speak out, too.
With appreciation,
Michael Kieschnick
President, Working
Assets
P.S. If you would like to have your name and address
automatically filled in
to our form whenever you take action, simply
register with WorkingForChange
(http://www.workingforchange.com/rgr/rgr_rgr01.cfm).
 |
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from Zero Population Growth March 23, 2001
You can take action on this alert either by email
or preferably on the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18708B0323041415C154
Alert expires on April 22, 2001
Here's what this alert is about:
Urge Congress to Overturn Global Gag Rule
----------------------
On his second day in office, President George W. Bush
imposed the
Global Gag Rule on international family
planning programs. This
rule restricts free speech,
meddles in the doctor/patient relationship, and
threatens
access to family planning overseas.
The Global
Gag Rule bars U.S. assistance to foreign
family planning providers that use
other, non-U.S.
funds, to:
* provide legal abortions in their own
country - a
service which is legal both in their country and ours,
*
tell patients of the availability of legal abortion,
* refer patients who
are seeking a legal abortion to
a provider, or
* engage in any
discussion about their own country's
abortion law.
These restrictions would be unconstitutional if imposed
on American
organizations, and are unconscionable to
impose on organizations overseas.
Legislation has since been introduced in the U.S. Congress
to
overturn this onerous policy. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
and Sen.
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have introduced the Global
Democracy Promotion Act
(H.R. 755 and S. 367). The
legislation sets simple standard:
restrictions we dare
not impose on Americans should not be imposed on those
who happen to live outside our borders. It would end
the
policy of punishing organizations that act to provide
their patients with
services that are legal in their
own countries - and ours, that provide
their patients
with full and accurate information about their options
or
that talk about abortion policy with their own governments.
The bill will
help continue the successes that voluntary
family planning services have
brought to poor women
around the world: healthier lives, healthier children
and healthier communities.
Please take just a moment to respond and
send a letter
to your representative and your senators urging their
support for this important legislation. With your
help,
Congress can be persuaded to act quickly to reverse
the disastrous Global
Gag Rule.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE
WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this
alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A18708B0323041415C154
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender"
option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you
wish. You
must include the whole letter in your response
including
"-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END OF LETTER-".
Please do not add your name and address to your letter.
Action Network
automatically does this for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you
to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten
computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will
still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent
to:
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Representative Maurice Hinchey
Senator Charles Schumer
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW---------
The Global Gag Rule on international family planning
programs restricts free speech, meddles in the doctor/patient
relationship, and threatens access to family planning
overseas. I am strongly opposed to this policy and
I urge you
to support The Global Democracy Promotion
Act (H.R. 755 and S. 367) to
overturn the Global Gag
Rule.
United States support for voluntary
family planning
programs around the world gives women and families
the
ability to take control of their own lives. It
helps ensure that
pregnancies are planned, that children
are wanted and healthy, and protects
the health and
lives of the mothers. The American people have
helped
more than 50 million women around the world gain access
to modern
methods of contraception, and to quality
reproductive health care, and this
help has proven
enormously successful. The programs have helped
to
reduce infant and maternal mortality, and have helped
to reduce the
need for abortion.
The Global Gag Rule threatens all of this success,
and it undermines the United States' claim to be the
world's strongest
democracy. This rule bars U.S. aid
to foreign family planning
agencies if they use other,
non-U.S. funds, to provide legal abortions in
their
own country - a service which is legal both in their
country, and
ours - to counsel patients on the availability
of legal abortion, to refer
patients who are seeking
a legal abortion or to engage in any discussion
about
their own country's abortion law. These restrictions
would be unconstitutional if imposed on American organizations,
and are
unconscionable to impose on organizations overseas.
The Global Democracy
Promotion Act would end this undemocratic
double standard. It
simply says that we will not impose
any restrictions on others that we would
not impose
on Americans. We will no longer use our aid as a tool
to force residents of other countries to give up their
rights. I hope you will become a cosponsor of this
legislation.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
from Rural Advancement Foundation International March 23, 2001
Today, an open letter in support of the
constitutional recognition of indigenous rights in Mexico has been sent to the
Mexican Congress, which is currently discussing this issue, undersigned by 14
recipients of the Right Livelihood Award (sometimes referred to as the
"Alternative Nobel Prize") and the Goldman Prize.
The letter was
published in a full-page presentation in La Jornada on Thursday, March 22,2001
on page 14: http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2001/mar01/010322/014n1pol.html
The letter emphasizes the role of indigenous peoples in nurturing
and
conserving natural and cultural biodiversity, as well as the resolutions
and demands of the National Indigenous Congress and social movements in Mexico.
We would like to invite you to add your signature to the letter below,
which will be posted again with all the new signatures on our website, and
mailed to the Mexican Congress on April 2nd.
Please send your reply
before March 31st to: action@rafi.org.
March 22th, 2001
Congressmen and women of Mexico:
The undersigned, members of
many social and environmental organizations in the world, all of whom have been
awarded the Goldman Award and/or the Right Livelihood Award,(called "Alternative
Nobel Prize") are following the current process of social mobilization and
official discussions on indigenous rights in Mexico.
Particularly, we
have noticed the recent resolutions adopted at the Third Indigenous National
Congress in Nurio, Michoacan, March 2 through 4, 2001, in which more than 3000
delegates from 41 indigenous peoples of Mexico expressed several
points that we consider of major relevance, such as the constitutional
recognition of their lands and territories, which in their own words is "the
entire habitat in which we produce our material and spiritual existence as
peoples, to preserve ourselves whole and maintain the communal stewardship of
our lands, for only in that way will it be possible to preserve our social
cohesion, our forms of free and collective work to benefit the entire community
and to assure the patrimony and future of the next generations."
We also
noted as significant, the rejection of mega-projects, as the Puebla Panama Plan,
and the demand of a moratorium to all projects of privatization of water, mine
exploration and bioprospecting, as well as all other "biopiracy" activities
"until the - indigenous peoples have discussed at our own pace and our own
conditions the issues related to the control of our resources"
Particularly relevant, as it frames all other demands, is their central
demand of approval of a constitutional reform elaborated by the Concord and
Peace on Indigenous Culture and Rights (called "COCOPA Law"), which emerged from
the San Andres Larrainzar Accords, signed February 1996 by the federal
government and the Zapatista National Liberation Army with the participation of
the majority of the Indian Peoples of Mexico.
We believe that you as
Congressmen and women, are in a unique historical situation.
As such, it
is being followed with most attention by thousands of people, organizations and
institutions concerned by the environment and the sustainability of the planet
as well as the rights of peasants and indigenous peoples in the world. This,
because the San Andres Agreements and the "Cocopa Law" contain demands that make
possible the realization of these rights and a better and more sustainable
management of the environment, opening the framework to an effective
implementation of basic indigenous rights such as self-determination, right to -
their own language, to their territories and the control of their resources,
among others.
Based on our research and activities, we know that
peasants and -indigenous peoples of the world have been, through the centuries,
the creators and conservers of biodiversity for survival, providing the whole
humankind with the bases for the cultivated diversity for food, medicines and
shelter. This has been an open and sustainable process, -the heritage of
humankind and intimately linked to cultural diversity and the fact that
indigenous peoples could practice their traditional livelihoods and cultures,
their political, economical and social ways of life, indissolubly linked to the
access and sustainable and autonomous management of their lands, resources and
territories.
In spite of these invaluable contributions,
the majority of the Indian peoples of the world are in displacement and
marginalization, which not only put them in misery, but also threaten the
continuation of this process of resource management upon which depends more than
a quarter of the world's population directly, and the whole world's population
indirectly. The genetic and environmental erosion is greater each day, and the
cultural erosion that this marginalization has meant has reached such dimensions
that, = for the first time in human history, our generation may loose more
knowledge that it can generate.
Profoundly moved by these concerns, we
thank all the -indigenous peoples of Mexico for the hard work, that is costing
them enormous sacrifices, to achieve the recognition of their political, social
and economic rights, that means, the right to live their cultures, and in this
way, continue contributing to the conservation of the biological and cultural
bases of the planet.
We believe that the Congress of the Union of the
United States of Mexico have now the opportunity to positively correspond to
this wide collective work, finally making effective the government signature in
1996 -unaccomplished until now- which committed itself to introduce the San
Andres Accords as a constitutional reform, through the approval of the so called
"Cocopa Law". We are convinced that this will be a pioneer example of major
importance to all -indigenous and non-indigenous peoples of the world.
*
* *
Ricardo Navarro
CESTA-El Salvador
Chair Friends of the Earth
International
Goldman Prize 1995
UNEP Roll of Honor Award Global
500
Pat Roy Mooney
Executive Director
Rural
Advancement Foundation International, Canada
Right Livelihood Award 1985
Prof.Dr.Hans-Peter Duerr
Prof. of Physics University of Munich
Chairman of the
Federation of German Scientists
Peace Nobel Prize
1995
Right Livelihood Award 1987
Prof. Johan Galtung
Founder of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo
Noruega.
Conflict resolution facilitator/consult for UN on North
and South Korea,Israel/Palestine, Gulf region and former Yugoslavia.
Right
Livelihood Award 1987
Medha Patkar
Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save
Narmada Movement)
National Alliance of People's Movements, India
Goldman
Prize 1992
Elías Díaz Peña
Sobrevivencia - Amigos de la
Tierra , Paraguay
Goldman Prize 2000
Oscar Rivas
Sobrevivencia - Amigos de la Tierra , Paraguay
Goldman Prize
2000
Ossi Ron
Presidente, Campaign to Free Vanunu, UK.
Right
Livelihood Award 1987
Vandana Shiva
Research Foundation for Science
Technology and Ecology, New Delhi, India
Right Livelihood Award
1993
Juan Pablo Orrego
Chair Grupo de Acción por el Biobío
GABB - Chile
Goldman Prize 1997, Right Livelihood Award d 1998
Tapio Mattlar
Hartola, Finland
Finnish Village Action Movement
Right Livelihood Award 1992
John Sinclair, Australia
Goldman
Prize 1990
Mr Raymond Abin
Executive Director
Borneo Resources
Institute Malaysia (BRIMAS)
Goldman Prize 1990
Food First/Institute
for Food and Development Policy, Estados Unidos
Right Livelihood Award
1987
More information about the above persons/organizations:
http://www.rightlivelihood.se
http://www.goldmanprize.org
from Rainforest Action Network March 23, 2001
In this post :
1. Bloomberg article on
Florida Spank the Bank Ruckus Camp
2. Canada joins the april 11 Day of
Action targeting Toronto
Dominion (TD) Canada's largest bank!
3. US
Government Sues Citigroup over Predatory Lending
*************************************************************
Rainforest Action Network's Citi team is back from a week of
amazing
skillsharing, strategizing and fun in the sun at the Spank
the Bank
alternative Spring Break Action Camp.
An incredible alliance of groups -
Free the Planet, Student
environment action Coalition (SEAC), Student
Peace Action Network
(SPAN), Student Alliance to Reform Corporations
(STARC), Just Act :
Youth for Global Justice, the Young Democratic
Socialists and of
course the Ruckus Society - conspired to bring over a
hundred student
organizers from around the world (as far away as Zimbabwe)
to spend
the week plotting Citigroup's downfall. It was amazing.
After a lot of hard work and lots of late night brainstorming around
the campfire our collective commitment to directly confront Citigroup's
destructive grip over communities and ecosystems around the world
is
stronger than ever.
April 11th is our next big opportunity to show Citi
that we mean
business so if you haven't started organizing for a local
action the
time is now! Whether its an informational picket, a
teach-in,
guerilla theater, or a non-violent direct action on April 11th
show
Citigroup that you will not tolerate their destructive practices.
Around the planet hundreds of millions of people are raising their
voices demanding a global economy that puts principles ahead of profits.
April 11th is our chance to stand in solidarity with communites on the
frontlines across the planet. From the South Bronx to U'wa
territory in
Colombia we must stop the destruction. Say No Free
Trade Agreement of
the Americas! No more corporate
rule! Replace the doomsday economy
with a Sane economy that
promotes democracy, equality and ecological
sustainability.
To find
your local tentacle of the Citimonster :
<http://www.citibank.com/branches/http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator
/>
<http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/http://www.salomonsmithbarney.co
m/abt_sb/brnchloc.html>
<http://www.salomonsmithbarney.com/abt_sb/brnchloc.html->
For an organizing packet, technical support or organizing ideas contact
NY - Beka Economopoulos beka@ran.org, 917-560-3609/888-840-6416 or
SF - Patrick Reinsborough organize@ran.org, 415-398-4404/800-989-RAIN
IF NOT US, THEN WHO?
DON’T BE AFRAID TO THINK BIG. OUR TIMES DEMAND
IT.
*********************************************************************
#1
Citigroup Target of `Spank the Bank' Activist Camp in Florida
By
Vernon Silver
Arcadia, Florida, March 13 (Bloomberg) -- In the central
Florida woods, a
band of activists is plotting against Citigroup Inc., the
biggest U.S.
financial services company.
Their operation's code
name: ``Spank the Bank.''
Sleeping in tents and eating vegetarian
Mexican food, more than 100
college students and organizers are spending
this week discussing
corporate finance and civil disobedience. The activists
aim to stop Citi
from backing businesses that they say harm the environment
and poor
people.
``It's time for Citigroup, as the largest financial
institution in North
America, to say, `Hey, there are projects we can no
longer afford to
fund,''' said Ilyse Hogue, who runs an anti-Citigroup
campaign for
Rainforest Action Network, one of the sponsors of the camp in
Arcadia,
Florida, east of Sarasota.
Citigroup, whose Citibank and
Salomon Smith Barney units operate in 102
countries, is among the biggest
financial backers of industries opposed by
the activists. According to
Bloomberg analytics, Citigroup was the No. 1
financier of oil pipelines and
the coal industry in 2000, as measured by
loans and corporate bond
underwriting. It was No. 2 in mining, forest and
paper products.
Citigroup denies that it's insensitive to environmental issues. ``We do
conduct our business in a morally, environmentally and socially
responsible manner,'' said Leah Johnson, a Citigroup spokeswoman.
The company has an environmental affairs unit and ``analyzes the
potential
environmental impacts of its business activities and takes action
to
either reduce environmental risk or promote benefits,'' according to a
company fact sheet.
Direct Action
Activists setting up the
camp see it differently. ``This campaign is an
effort to unite different
social movements to attack the corporate
globalization problem at its roots
-- the banks!'' according to the
recruiting pitch made to college students.
The spring break week of camping and organizing is run by the Ruckus
Society, a Berkeley, California-based group that protested at the 2000
U.S.presidential conventions and the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting
in Seattle.
``Regardless of what issue you are working on, Citi is
involved,'' Ruckus
said. ``Whether it's forest destruction, predatory
lending, militarism,
fighting the prison industrial complex, genetic
engineering or the
corporate takeover of our political process, Citigroup is
involved.'' Since
it was founded in 1995, Ruckus has held ``action camps''
around the U.S.,
focusing on topics such as human rights and the
environment.
The camp's activities -- which include ``direct action
climbing,''
``Finance 101,'' and ``blockades'' -- aim to give college
students tools to
organize anti-Citi campaigns when they return to campus
from spring break,
said Hogue of Rainforest Action Network, which is based
in San Francisco.
Unhappy Customers?
She said Citigroup, the No.
1 credit card lender, was targeted because
``they have an enormous number of
customers around the world and the U.S.
who are not going to be happy when
they realize their money -- their credit
card balances and their savings
accounts -- are funding this.''
Citigroup says it has become a target
only because it's the biggest company,
not the worst offender. ``They're
acknowledging that they're targeting Citi
because we're a large company with
a large customer base, not because of our
record,'' Citigroup's Johnson
said.
Citigroup's philanthropy includes donations to causes such as the
World
Wildlife Fund's Philippines Ecotourism Project and the American
University
in Cairo's Environmental Studies Program, according to the bank's
Web site.
Rainforest Action Network says Citigroup also funds, among
other projects,
an oil pipeline in Africa and the Three Gorges dam in China,
which will
displace at least 1.3 million people and submerge towns and
archeological
sites. It is partly funded with cash from a $500 million bond
sale, of which
Salomon underwrote $225 million.
Closer to home,
activists fault Citigroup's purchase in November of
Associates First Capital
Corp., the biggest U.S. consumer finance company.
Last week, Associates was
accused by the government of deceiving borrowers,
many with low incomes,
about the terms of high-interest loans.
Autumn Leonard, a 23-year-old
senior at Yale University, said the camp is a
chance to learn about the role
banks play in a global economy. ``My money or
your money, (Citi) turns
around and uses it to cut down the rainforest,''
she said Monday, after
attending a session on ``introduction to
anti-oppression.''
After
finishing a lunch of fake-ground-round soy gluten burritos, soft shell
tacos
and miso soup, Leonard said she was heading to her next Spank the Bank
activity: Nonviolence.
*********************************************************************
#2 PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD UNITE TO TAKE ON THE
BANKS! CANADIAN ACTIVIST
TARGET CANADA'S LARGEST BANK IN
SOLIDARITY WITH THE CITI CAMPAIGN!
APRIL 11TH 2001 - DAY OF ACTION
AGAINST TORONTO DOMINION (TD) BANK
AND GLOBAL FINANCE
The Forest
Action Network (FAN) is calling for creative action to
Take On TD Bank!
Across the globe, activists will be taking on the
banks to let them know we
don't want their big bucks to continue
causing big environmental and social
problems. Sticker the Banks and
help put global capital 'out of
service'. STICKERS GO EVERYWHERE!!
PLASTER THEM ON BANK MACHINES AND EVERY
OTHER PLACE YOU CAN IMAGINE,
cut up your credit card, practice civil
disobedience, organise
teach-ins, shareholder activism, demonstrations,
phone zaps, fax
blasts, press conferences, guerrilla theatre, informational
pickets
or whatever you can think of! Together with the Rainforest Action
Network (RAN), we will be taking on the banking system
DIRECTLY. In
Canada, confront TD Bank - in the US, confront
Citigroup.
TO GET LOTS OF STICKY STICKERS, OR OTHER ACTION MATERIALS
SUCH AS
POSTERS, FACTSHEETS AND SAMPLE PRESS RELEASES, OR TO CONNECT WITH
LOCAL ACTIVISTS IN YOUR AREA CONTACT THE FOREST ACTION NETWORK:
fanbc@fanweb.org, Tel. (250) 799 5800.
INFO AND ACTION MATERIAL
ALSO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM OUR WEBSITE
http://www.fanweb.org/td
Let TD Bank
know what you think! Write to Charles Baillie, Chairman
and CEO TD Financial
Group, 55 King St. West, Toronto, ON M5K 1A2 or
call TD at 1.800.983.2265 or
the toll free customer info line at
1.888.572.8924.
TD Bank is
Canada's largest financial institution since it took over
Canada Trust in
2000. It is one of the top three online banking
companies in the world, and
TD Waterhouse Group is the world's
largest discount brokerage. In
2000, TD gave over $1 Billion to the
logging industry and $2 Billion to the
oil and gas industry, just two
of the nasty industries they are bankrolling
with YOUR money. With
more than 900 retail outlets plus many cash points all
over Canada
they are easy to find! PROTEST LOCALLY - EVERYWHERE! Find the
branch next to you at www.tdbank.ca/locator
Forest Action
Network
BOX 625 BELLA COOLA, NUXALK TERRITORY, BC, V0T 1C0
PHONE (250)
799 5800, FAX (250) 799 5830
http://www.fanweb.org, fanbc@fanweb.org
****************************************************************************
#3
US Government Sues Citigroup over Predatory Lending Practices
Predatory lenders are destroying communities across the
country. These lenders lure low-income people, the elderly, and
minorities
into loans with excessive rates and misleading terms --
eventually stripping
them of the equity in their homes, often their only
financial asset.
Tell Citibank to clean up predatory lending
practices! Learn the
details and take action at http://www.tellcitibank.org a
project of
Co-op America and Social Investment Forum.
ARTICLE :
Lawsuit details from FTC web site:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/03/associates.htm
March 6, 2001
Agency Takes Citigroup Unit to Court
By
REUTERS
Filed at 4:26 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A consumer lending
company acquired last year by
financial giant Citigroup Inc. (C.N) was
charged with systematic and
widespread abusive loan practices in a suit
filed on Tuesday by the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC
alleges that Associates First Capital Corp. used deceptive marketing
practices to induce consumers to refinance existing debts into home loans
with high interest rates, costs and fees.
The suit filed in federal
court in Atlanta, also names Citigroup Inc. and
CitiFinancial Credit Co. as
successors to Associates, one of the nation's
largest lenders in the
``subprime'' market for higher-rate loans to
high-risk borrowers.
The FTC is seeking redress for all customers who were harmed as a result
of
the alleged practices.
In response, Citigroup said it had tried
to address the FTC's concerns and
the suit was ``counterproductive'' to a
shared objective of making
attractive loan products available to all
borrowers.
Citigroup said in a statement that it had already put in
place a program to
address the practices of Associates and had contacted
almost 500,000
customers to date.
The FTC said Associates customers
were falsely told that the debt
consolidation loans would lower their
monthly payments and save them money.
The FTC did not estimate the number of
borrowers affected or the amount of
money involved.
The lawsuit
alleges the actions violated the Federal Trade Commission Act,
the Truth in
Lending Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Equal Credit
Opportunity
Act.
Citigroup's stock closed up 38 cents to $48.63 on the New York
Stock
Exchange on Tuesday.
CONSUMER GROUP CRITICISM
Citigroup's
purchase of Dallas-based Associates, the former consumer finance
arm of Ford
Motor Co. (F.N), has continued to draw criticism from community
and consumer
groups who say the reforms at the lending arm have been
inadequate.
``The FTC case backs up what we've been saying, that Associates has been
ripping off homeowners across the country,'' said Maude Hurd, president of
the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
The
FTC alleged Associates targeted people who had to borrow money to meet
``emergency needs'' and misrepresented the loan terms.
The company
trained its employees to tell consumers that the loans would
contain no
out-of-pocket fees and ``no upfront out-of-pocket costs, the FTC
said.
In fact, the FTC said, First Capital charged customers high interest and
inflated the cost of the loans by packing them with optional fees.
The
FTC further alleges that Associated First Capital then used ``unfair
tactics'' to collect payments from debtors.
The lawsuit mirrors
complaints against the company by consumer groups since
the Citigroup
acquisition closed in December. A group of activists set up an
Internet site
at http://www.tellcitibank.org to
gather complaints about the
company.
Last year, Citigroup said it
would take steps to improve the consumer
lending practices at Associated
First Capital and merged the company in with
its CitiFinancial consumer
lending unit.
``We are proud of the progress we have made on these
initiatives, which
establish us as the best-practices leader in the
industry,'' Citigroup said
Tuesday.
In 1999, Associated First
Capital's consumer finance portfolio totaled $29.7
billion, and the company
serviced 480,000 home equity loans, the FTC said.
In 1997, the last year for
which figures were available, the company also
had nearly 3 million personal
loans, according to the agency.
from the Wilderness Society March 23, 2001
As if allowing higher concentrations of arsenic
in America's drinking
water and loosening restrictions on hard-rock mining
were not enough for
one week, on Wednesday the Bush administration
essentially abdicated its
responsibility to defend our national forests.
In a stealth move that signals tacit cooperation with the timber
industry,
the Bush administration offered an anemic defense to industry
arguments
that the Roadless Area Conservation Rule - the most significant
national
forest conservation measure of the past 100 years - should be
overturned.
For more information, please go to:
http://www.wilderness.org/eyewash/forests.htm
****************************
BACKGROUND
The Roadless
Area Conservation Rule would protect 58.5 million acres of
unspoiled
national forest land from commercial logging, road construction
and other
damaging activities. More than half of national forest land is
already open
to logging, mining and other extractive industries. The US
Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service issued the rule after a
three-year
administrative process that involved more than 600 public
meetings and 1.6
million public comments.
Almost immediately following the inauguration,
the Bush administration
ordered that all recent Clinton administration rules
and policies be
suspended and subjected to review. Accordingly, in early
February the
administration announced that the Roadless Area Conservation
Rule,
scheduled to go into effect March 13, would be delayed until May 12.
But the rule could be further delayed - or even rescinded - depending on
the outcome of several pending lawsuits.
WEAK RESPONSE BY
ADMINISTRATION SIGNALS ROLLBACK
Earlier this year, the Boise Cascade
Company, the State of Idaho and
others filed two separate lawsuits against
the federal government to
overturn the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
Boise Cascade and the State
of Idaho also asked that the court issue an
injunction to prevent the rule
from being implemented while the case is
being tried.
On Wednesday, in response to the request for an injunction,
and despite
pledges by Attorney General John Ashcroft to the contrary, the
Bush
administration offered absolutely no defense of the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule. In fact, the 5-page response did not attempt to address
any of the legal claims raised by Boise Cascade and the State of Idaho,
namely that the Roadless Area Conservation Rule lacked specific details,
there was insufficient time for the State to respond and public
participation was inadequate.
As Jon Owen from the Washington
Wilderness Coalition told NPR Radio, "Our
natural heritage is on trial and
our defense attorney just walked out of
the courtroom and started oiling up
the chainsaws of the prosecution."
"The Bush administration showed its
cards," said Tim Preso, attorney for
the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund,
which is representing the eight
environmental groups arguing in favor of the
road ban. "This appears to be
a calculated first step by the administration
to avoid offering any
defense of the [Roadless Area Conservation Rule]."
Rather than the anemic response given by the Bush administration, the
court should have been told the simple truth: that the injunction should
not be granted because the Roadless Area Conservation Rule complies with
all legal requirements.
"By pulling its punches at this point, the
administration is indicating
that it may simply throw in the towel," said
Mike Anderson of The
Wilderness Society. "Their strategy seems to be either
to use the lawsuits
as an excuse to delay implementation of the rule or, by
mounting so weak a
defense as to lose the case, allow the rule to be
rescinded."
The Judge will likely determine whether the injunction
should be granted
sometime in early April, following a March 30 hearing. If
he grants the
injunction, the implementation of the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule will
be again delayed.
The Wilderness Society,
along with a coalition of organizations, has been
granted standing in the
lawsuit. Through the efforts of lawyers at
Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund
and National Resources Defense Council,
the conservation community is
working to uphold the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule and protect our
national forests.
from Environment News Service March 23, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
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EXXON
VALDEZ ANNIVERSARY ENERGIZES OPPOSITION TO ARCTIC DRILLING
By Cat
Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, March 23, 2001 (ENS) - Twelve years after the
Exxon Valdez
oil spill in Alaska, oil drilling and transport still threaten
to
contaminate pristine Arctic ecosystems. This year, President George W.
Bush
will press to open a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to
drilling, despite warnings that more drilling will lead to more air and
water pollution.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-23-06.html
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CAR CRASH CLAIMS LIFE OF GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDER
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, March 23, 2001 (ENS) - One of the most
influential figures in the environmental movement, the man widely credited
with the first campaign to save whales and to end French nuclear testing,
David McTaggart died in a head on car crash near his home in Umbria, Italy,
this morning.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-23-12.html
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FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE GRIPS EUROPE
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 23,
2001 (ENS) - European leaders gathering in the
Swedish capital for the
European Union summit today put the official agenda
on the backburner as
foot and mouth spread to France, the Netherlands and
Ireland this week.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-23-11.html
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High Level Officials Link Environment and Trade
BERLIN, Germany,
March 23, 2001 (ENS) - Ministers and officials from over
70 countries said
here Thursday that environmental considerations need to
be taken into
account in the negotiation of new trade agreements.
For full
text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-23-01.html
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REPORT LEAVES UK WASTE STRATEGY IN SHREDS
LONDON, United
Kingdom, March 23, 2001 (ENS) - The UK government's targets
for household
recycling are "depressingly unambitious" and "leave the door
open to a big
expansion of large scale incineration," said a highly
critical report this
week.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-23-10.html
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: MARCH 23, 2001
Newfound Gene
Could Revolutionize Agricultural Biotechnology
$125 Million will Curb
Sprawl Outside Atlanta
Population, Poor Planning Lead to Sprawl
Experimental Gear Improves Salmon Survival
States Get $50
Million for At Risk Wildlife
Texas' Renewable Energy Policy Is Nation's
Most Effective
PBS Expose on Chemical Industry to Air Monday
Editorial: Bush Budget Out of Balance
For full text and graphics
visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-23-09.html
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Healing Our World: Weekly Comment
By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
Killing the Future - Pesticide Spraying in Schools
As predicted,
many critical environmental protections are falling, one by
one, to the
ultraconservative, industry backed administration of President
George W.
Bush. In the last couple of weeks, the plan to improve pollution
controls
for arsenic in our drinking water has been eliminated, worker
health and
safety has been compromised, and plans were put into place to
suspend the
rule that would hold mine owners responsible for the terrible
toxic
pollution they create.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All
Rights Reserved.
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"TRADE SECRETS": THE LATEST IN A LONG LINE OF CONSPIRACIES
CHARGES SAMUEL S. EPSTEIN, M.D.
CHICAGO, IL, March 23,
-/E-Wire/-- Bill Moyers is to be warmly commended for
his March
26 program "Trade Secrets". This PBS Special will document the
chemical
industry's conspiracy in denying information on the grave cancer
risks to hundreds
of thousands of workers manufacturing the potent
carcinogen vinyl chloride (VC) and
its polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
product.
CONTACT: Samuel S. Epstein,
M.D., Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition and Professor environmental
and occupational medicine, University of Illinois School of Public Health,
Chicago, 312-996-2297, email: epstein@uic.edu
/Web site: http://www.preventcancer.com
For
Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0112.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Event
Announcement: 6th International Wildlife Law Conference
SAN
FRANCISCO, CA, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- The 6th International Wildlife Law Conference
will be held in Washington, DC on March 31, 2001. The theme for this year's
conference is "The Seas and International Law." The conference, chaired by
William C. G. Burns with the American Society of International Law - Wildlife
Interest Group, is organized as a day-long series of panel discussions.
/CONTACT: JIWLP@pacbell.net/
/Web site: http://eelink.net/~asilwildlife/6IWLCProgram.html/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0111.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Eurotech
Projects EKOR Business Revenues Over $250,000,000 Annually within Five Years
FAIRFAX,
VA, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- Eurotech Ltd. (AMEX:EUO -
news) Don Hahnfeldt,
Eurotech's President and CEO, announced that the
Company's Nuclear and
Environmental Business Unit, which is marketing EKOR,
is expected to
generate over $250 million annually within the next five
years and turn
profitable in 2002.
/CONTACT: Eurotech, Investor Relations: Dawn VanZant,
800/665-0411, dawnvz@direct.ca/
/Web site: http://www.eurotechltd.com/
For
Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0110.html
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TO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT EDITORS:
FORUM 2001 Explores Solar Energy Solutions
WASHINGTON,
DC, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- Fourteen organizations devoted to renewable energy and
resource conservation are joining forces this spring to present a five-day event
in Washington, D.C. under the banner FORUM 2001. Subtitled "Solar
Energy: The Power to Choose", the event offers practical solutions for the
integration of solar power and other renewable energy sources in residential,
commercial, and public buildings; transportation; wireless communications; and
emerging markets. With sponsorship from the U.S. Department of Energy, BP Solar,
and Duke Solar, FORUM 2001 is expected to draw participation on the part of
educators, builders, manufacturers, engineers, contractors, installers,
scientists, researchers, and policymakers interested in learning about the
latest product developments and research findings in the field of solar power.
Additional sponsorship is provided by Austin Energy, Southern California Edison,
Xantrex, and the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association.
/CONTACT: Cindy Nelson, CMP, Events
Director, American Solar Energy Society, 303-443-3130/cnelson@ases.org/
/Web site: http://www.solarenergyforum.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0109.html
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TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOOD EDITORS:
Water Quality Association
Holds Convention Amidst Public Debate of Arsenic Standards
and Rising Concern Among Consumers Over Safety of Household
Drinking Water
While Arsenic Standards Debated, Water
Treatment Experts Offer Consumers
Options for Removing Arsenic from
Home Drinking Water Today
ORLANDO, FL,
Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- The Water Quality Association
holds its 27th national
convention and exhibition in Orlando, Fla., March
27-31, at the Orlando
Convention Center. The exhibition, showcasing the
latest in home,
commercial, industrial and ultra-pure point-of-use water
technologies,
begins at 9 a.m., Thurs., March 29.
/CONTACT: Carlyn Meyer, 630-505-0160, or cell, 630-561-0742, or
Jamie
Miles, 212-875-9092, both of Water Quality Association/
For
Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0108.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Cyclopss
& OxiDyn Complete Acquisition Terms
SALT LAKE CITY, UT, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/--
CYCLOPSS Corp. (OTCBB:OZON - news) and OxiDyn Inc. a Raleigh, N.C. ozone and
products company Monday announced they have completed negotiations regarding an
acquisition initially contemplated to take place before year end 2000.
/CONTACT: William Stoddard,
801/972-9090, Fax: 801/972-9092/
/Web site: http://www.cyclopss.com/
For Full
Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0103.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Help
for Sara Title III / Tri Reporting
EHS Software Eases Increased
Chemical Tracking and Reporting Requirements Burden
ANN ARBOR, MI, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- A V
Systems, Inc., announced the April release of MIRS™ (Material Inventory Report
System) v. 7.10, to contain all EPA SARA Title III, Section 313, Toxic Release
Inventory changes for Report Year 2000. The EPA has announced several
major changes to Section 313 reporting (Form R) requirements. A group
of previously regulated chemicals and additional new chemicals have been
classified as Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics, or PBTs. With this
new classification comes significantly lower thresholds and even a newly-defined
compound category for 17 highly-regulated Dioxin and Dioxin-like compounds that
require reporting in different units of measurement.
/CONTACT: A V Systems, Inc., 4657
Platt Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48108-9726, telephone (734) 973-3000, fax (734)
677-4480, e-mail MIRS@MIRSinfo.com/
/Web site: http://www.MIRSinfo.com/
For Full
Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0107.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Colleges
and Universities Get ENSR's "Crash Course" in Environmental Compliance
WESTFORD,
MA, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- In the past year, ENSR International, a leading
environmental consulting firm, provided environmental services to 60 college and
university campuses seeking assistance with their environmental
programs. Improvements to waste management, air and water quality,
site planning, and other environmental programs were achieved by major public
universities and smaller private colleges, including 30 institutions in the
northeast, 15 in the south, and 7 in the mid-west.
/CONTACT: John Petraglia,ENSR,(800) 722-2440; Michelle Bates
Deakin, (781) 641-1116/
/Web site: http://www.ensr.com/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0106.html
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TO NATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Endangered Goose: Back From The Brink
MEMPHIS,
TN, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that
the Aleutian Canada goose has fully recovered from near extinction and will be
removed from the list of threatened and endangered species. Interior Secretary
Gale Norton announced the news March 19th.
/CONTACT: Tildy La Farge, 901-758-3859, mlafarge@ducks.org/
/Web site: http://www.ducks.org/
For Full Text
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Xechem
International and Xechem China Sign Cooperation Agreement with Shanghai Fudan
Taxusal New Technology Co., Ltd. For Development of Paclitaxel Analog(s) and
Other Natural Products
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ,
Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- Xechem International, Inc. (OTC BB ZKEM) and Xechem
Pharmaceutical China Ltd. today announced that they have signed a cooperation
agreement with Shanghai Fudan Taxusal New Technology Co., Ltd. located within
the Science and Technology Industry Park of Shanghai
Universities. This agreement's objective is the co-development of new
paclitaxel soluble analogs and other natural products isolated from Chinese
traditional medicines. The signing ceremony was held on February 17,
2001 in Shanghai during Dr. Ramesh Pandey's visit to Peoples Republic of China.
/CONTACT: Dr. Ramesh C. Pandey,
President and Chief Executive Officer, (732) 247 - 3300./
/Web
site: http://www.xechem.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0102.html
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TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND BUSINESS EDITORS:
Solution to EPA's Tougher Feedlot
Regulation?
Field Trials Planned for
Absorbing Ammonia and Phosphates
MISSOULA,
MT, Mar. 23 -/E-Wire/-- Victor Industries (OTC
Bulletin Board: VICI) is
pleased to report that field trials are planned
at a Dairy Farm in Idaho of
a proprietary compound designed to absorb
ammonia and phosphates generated
by the cattle to prevent nitrate and
phosphate pollution to ground water.
/CONTACT: Victor Industries,
406-251-8501, fax, 406-251-8502,
zeolite@blackfoot.net/
For Full
Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Mar01/23Mar0101.html
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