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Environment Action
Alerts for
April 1 - April 7, 2001
from World Wildlife Fund April 1, 2001
Protect Killer Whales and People From Toxic Chemicals
Dear WWF Conservation Action
Network Activist:
Please urge
the Bush administration to protect whales, other animals,
and people by signing a critically important global treaty
on toxic
chemicals.
In May, diplomats from around the
world will gather in Sweden to
sign the treaty, known
as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic
Pollutants (POPs). The new treaty is the most ambitious effort
ever undertaken by the global community to rein in and
ultimately halt
the proliferation of toxic
chemicals. It was agreed to last December by
the 122 negotiating governments, and enjoys the support of
the
chemical industry and environmental and public
health organizations.
Now it needs to be
signed by participating governments and ratified by
at
least 50 countries before it enters into force.
The Bush administration has not
yet decided whether to support the
new
treaty. Please go to http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ to send a
free message urging Secretary of State Colin Powell to sign
the treaty.
Your message will also urge the United
States to pursue expedited
ratification.
The treaty targets some of the
world's most dangerous chemicals,
including dioxins,
chlordane, aldrin, and PCBs. These chemicals
accumulate in the body fat of wildlife and people and are
passed from
mother to fetus. Sadly, orca or
"killer" whales living in the waters
around Washington
and British Columbia are among the most
contaminated
marine mammals in the world, carrying PCB levels of
over 200 parts per million. Even small
quantities of POPs can cause
nervous system damage,
diseases of the immune system, reproductive
and
developmental disorders, and cancers.
Please show the Bush administration that U.S. citizens want
swift
action to eliminate these dangerous
chemicals.
from Global Response April 2, 2001
Dear Global Response Quick Response Network,
The Sea Shepherd Society asked us
to pass on this important information to
you. Please
visit this site and write a letter to stop illegal fishing in
this unique ecosystem.
Thank You,
Mariella Colvin
Assistant Director
Global Response
http://www.seashepherd.org/campaigns/gallapagos/sendprotest.html
from Rural Advancement Foundation International April 2, 2001
RAFI
Rural Advancement Foundation
International
www.rafi.org | rafi@rafi.org
Geno-Types - 2 April 2001
Monsanto vs. Percy Schmeiser
No Corporate Liability for Unsafe
Sex
and Bioserfdom
On 29 March 2001 a Canadian judge dealt a crushing blow to
Farmers' Rights by ruling that Percy Schmeiser, a third generation Saskatchewan
farmer, must pay Monsanto thousands of dollars for violating the Gene Giant's
monopoly patent on genetically modified canola seed.
Under Canadian patent law, as in
the US and many other industrialized countries, it is illegal for farmers to
re-use patented seed, or to grow Monsanto's GM seed without signing a licensing
agreement. If the Gene Giants and US Trade Reps get their way, every nation in
the world will be forced to adopt patent laws that make seed saving illegal. The
ruling against Schmeiser establishes an even more dangerous precedent because it
means that farmers can be forced to pay royalties on GM seeds found on their
land, even if they didn't buy the seeds, or benefit from them.
Percy Schmeiser did not buy
Monsanto's patented seed, nor did he obtain the seed illegally. Pollen from
genetically engineered canola seeds blew onto his land from neighboring farms.
(Percy Schmeiser's neighbors and an estimated 40% of farmers in Western Canada
grow GM canola). Monsanto's GM canola genes invaded Schmeiser's farm without his
consent. Shortly thereafter, Monsanto's "gene police" invaded his farm and took
seed samples without his permission. Percy Schmeiser was a victim of genetic
pollution from GM crops - but the court says he must now pay Monsanto $10,000
for licensing fees and up to $75,000 in profits from his 1998 crop. It's like
saying that Monsanto's technology is spreading a sexually transmitted disease
but everyone else has to wear a condom.
The GM canola that drifted onto Schmeiser's farm was
engineered to withstand spraying of Monsanto's proprietary weedkiller, Roundup.
But Schmeiser did not use Roundup on his canola crop. After all, if Schmeiser
had sprayed his crop, the chemical would have killed the majority of his canola
plants that were not genetically modified to tolerate the
weedkiller! Schmeiser didn't take advantage of Monsanto's GM
technology, but the court ruling says he's guilty of using the seed without a
licensing agreement.
Monsanto
(acquired by Pharmacia last year) is the world's premiere Biotech
Behemoth. Last week's court ruling has far-reaching implications for
farming communities around the world. Last year, Monsanto's GM seed technology
was planted on 41.6 million hectares (103 million acres) worldwide. That means
Monsanto accounted for 94% of the global area sown to genetically modified seeds
in 2000. (Total worldwide area = 44.2 million hectares or 109.2 million acres.)
Thanks in large part to
Terminator technology, the Monsanto moniker has became synonymous with GM seeds
and corporate greed. Although Monsanto disavowed "suicide seeds" in the wake of
international public protest, the company has routinely employed Draconian
measures to prevent farmers from re-using patented seed, including the use of
private police to root out seed-saving farmers, and toll-fee hotlines to
encourage rural residents to snitch on their farm neighbors. Monsanto
has threatened to "vigorously prosecute" hundreds of cases against seed saving
farmers, but Schmeiser's was the first major case to reach the courts. Schmeiser
courageously decided to fight back and speak out against bioserfdom.
Last week's anti-farmer verdict is
being hailed as a landmark victory for Monsanto, but it's too soon for the Gene
Giants to celebrate. Will the ruling against Schmeiser unleash a new biotech
backlash in the heartland?
North American farmers grew three-quarters of the world's
commercial GM crops last year, and now they're showing signs of biotech battle
fatigue. Illegal traces of Aventis' StarLink maize (unapproved for human
consumption) have disrupted grain markets and jeopardized exports. Unsold
stockpiles of US maize are at their highest level since GM crops were
commercialized. The US government announced last month that it would spend $20
million in taxpayer money to bail out the biotech industry, by purchasing maize
seed that was contaminated with Aventis' StarLink genes. (StarLink maize was
planted on less than 0.02 percent of all US maize cropland in 2000, but
cross-pollination with other maize varieties resulted in seed contaminated with
StarLink genes.) To add insult to injury, the federal bailout is using money
that would normally go to disaster relief for farmers.
With the advent of genetic
engineering and exclusive monopoly patents, the Gene Giants have abolished the
farmers' fundamental rights to save and exchange seed. Now farmers are being
forced to accept liability for genetically modified crops. How many bullets will
they take for biotech?
In
North America, where many farmers have embraced GM technology, there are signs
of resistance worth noting:
*
The National Farmers Union of Canada has called for a national moratorium on
producing, importing and distributing GM food.
* A bill introduced in North Dakota (US), backed by the
state's wheat farmers, would impose a moratorium on growing genetically modified
wheat - a crop that Monsanto hopes to commercialize by 2003.
* In March 2001 the National
Farmers Union (US) adopted a policy supporting a moratorium on the introduction,
certification and commercialization of genetically engineered wheat until issues
of cross-pollination, liability, commodity and seed stock segregation, and
market acceptance are adequately addressed.
* The Indiana (USA) House of Representatives passed a bill
last month defending the farmers' right to save seed.
* Oklahoma's Secretary of
Agriculture, Dennis Howard, recently commented: "After reviewing
Monsanto's 2001 Technology Agreement, I would discourage any farmer from signing
this document. Not only does this contract severely limit the options of the
producer, it also limits Monsanto's liability...The protection of the Monsanto
contract is strictly one-sided and I would encourage producers to carefully
consider this before entering into this agreement."
* A North Dakota State University economist warns that
growers of GM crops are exposing themselves to potentially huge financial risks
by signing gene technology agreements. Dwight Aakre warns that "responsibility
for providing assurance of non-contamination with GMO materials is being pushed
back to the individual producer."
Support Percy Schmeiser
Percy Schmeiser has filed a
counter-suit against Monsanto, but his family faces enormous legal costs that
cannot be sustained without outside assistance. Contributions to Schmeiser's
legal defense may be sent to:
Schmeiser Defense Fund
Canadian
Imperial Bank of Commerce
Humboldt, Saskatchewan
Canada SOK 2A0
For more information about Percy
Schmeiser's case, go to:
www.percyschmeiser.com
To see the 62-page decision by
Canada's federal court judge Andrew MacKay go to: http://www.fct-cf.gc.ca
**********
RAFI (the Rural Advancement Foundation International) is an
international civil society organization based in Canada. RAFI is dedicated to
the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to the socially
responsible development of technologies useful to rural societies. RAFI is
concerned about the loss of agricultural biodiversity, and the impact of
intellectual property on farmers and food security.
from Environment News Service April 2, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
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EUROPE WILL RATIFY KYOTO
PROTOCOL WITHOUT THE USA
KIRUNA, Sweden, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - The 15 countries of
the European
Union will ratify the Kyoto climate
protocol by 2002 with or without
American
participation, Swedish Environment Minister Kjell Larsson said
this weekend.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-03.html
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UN OFFERS TO ANSWER BUSH'S
CLIMATE CHANGE DOUBTS
NAIROBI,
Kenya, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - In a clear reference to the United
States, a high ranking United Nations official has asked
those countries
with doubts about the science behind
climate change forecasts, to present
them.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-10.html
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NATIONS PLAN FOR TOURISM THAT
SHELTERS BIODIVERSITY
By
Susana Guzman
MEXICO CITY,
Mexico, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - Protecting the plants and
animals of the world's most visited places was the focus of
a three day
international meeting in Mexico City that
wound up Saturday.
For full
text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-04.html
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TWO GOVERNMENTS BID TO SAVE
CANADIAN BOG
VANCOUVER,
Canada, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - The largest domed peat bog on the
west coast of North America could be permanently protected
if a financial
offer made by Canadian and British
Columbia governments is accepted.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-11.html
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AUSTRALIA GAINS A FISH, LOSES
A MAMMAL
ADELAIDE, Australia,
April 2, 2001 (ENS) - Australia's largest river, the
Murray, has gained a new fish species - the Yarra pygmy
perch - offering a
bright spot in the river's legacy of
pollution and dwindling biodiversity.
But in other
parts of the nation, species like the tiny brush tailed
phascogale and dozens of woodland birds may be vanishing
forever.
For full text and
graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-06.html
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GREENPEACE TAKES ON BRITISH
AND U.S. OIL INDUSTRY
ABERDEEN, Scotland, April 2, 2001 (ENS) - Seventeen
Greenpeace volunteers
appeared in a Scottish
magistrates court this morning in connection with
the
occupation of an oil drilling rig that was about to leave Cromarty
Firth to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-02.html
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: APRIL 2, 2001
Earthjustice: Roadless Forest Rule Still At Risk
Senators Introduce Renewable Fuels
Act of 2001
Critical Habitat
Designated for Arkansas River Shiner
Environmental Groups Take Aim at Southwestern Grazing
Toxic Metals, Organic Pollutants
Persist in Charles River
California Cattle Ranch, Owner and Foreman Indicted
McDonald's Approves EarthShell
Container for Big Mac
Recycled
Bottle Promotes Plastic Recycling
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-02-09.html
Copyright
Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
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SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
First American sells 2 KDS
Micronex"! Systems to a Fraser Valley Waste
Management
consortium to convert chicken waste into energy for heating
greenhouses
VANCOUVER, B.C. April. 2
-/E-Wire/-- C.L. Kantonen, Chairman of FASC
is pleased
to announce that FASC has received a signed purchase agreement and
deposit to supply two (2) KDS systems to be installed in
the central Fraser Valley
region of BC, Canada. A pilot
plant, costing $ 1.2 million Cdn, will be constructed
by B & B Poultry Waste Management Inc to process
approximately 72 tons of
chicken waste per day through
the KDS machine converting it to a fine
dry powder
which will be fed into state-of-the-art powder burners. This
will generate sufficient energy to heat approximately 64
acres of
greenhouses at one half the cost of heating
with natural gas. The
facility is expected to commence
operation before the end of June 2001.
/CONTACT: Call Corporate Communications toll
free at (877) 778 - 7101 or
(800) 561- 8656/
/Web site: http://www.fasc.net//
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/02Apr0108.html
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TO BUSINESS EDITOR:
EarthCare Makes Solid Waste
Acquisition in Growing Florida Market
DALLAS,, TX, Apr. 2
-/E-Wire/-- EarthCare Company (Nasdaq: ECCO),
announced
today that it has acquired the assets of Palm Carting, Inc. Palm
Carting currently provides construction and demolition
waste services in Palm
Beach and Broward counties in
Florida and has plans to expand services into
Dade
County. These three counties account for more than one-third of the
Florida population. Annual revenues for Palm
Carting are approximately
$2 million.
/CONTACT: Bill Solomon, Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer of
EarthCare Company,
972-858-6025/ (ECCO)
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/02Apr0107.html
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Major
Car Wash Equipment Company Contracts
With EnviroClean
Technologies For Pilot Program
MIAMI, FL, Apr. 2 -/E-Wire/--
EnviroClean Technologies, LLC, the
developers of
ECT-2000, the next generation water disinfectant products,
announces that it has entered into an agreement with a
major car wash
equipment company to conduct a pilot
program utilizing EnviroClean's
wastewater treatment product --
ECT-2000W -- in their car washing facilities.
ECT-2000W
is non-toxic, less-corrosive, environmentally safe, and would
replace the use of chlorine.
/CONTACT: Maxine Adler, the Adler Network, Inc.,
954-776-6633
/Web
site: http://www.envirotech.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/02Apr0106.html
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Bio-Services
International, Inc. Signs Sales Agreement With
EnviroClean
Technologies, LLC
To Market and Distribute Next
Generation Water Disinfectant Products
That
Meet or Surpass FDA and EPA Standards --
Without
Health or Environmental Hazards of Chlorine
MIAMI, FL, Apr. 2 -/E-Wire/--
EnviroClean Technologies, LLC, announced
that it has
signed a Marketing Representative Agreement with Bio-Services
International, Inc. that allows Bio-Services (BSI) to market,
sell and
distribute EnviroClean's product, ECT 2000 to
its current customer base within
the United States and
the international export market.
/CONTACT: Maxine Adler, The Adler Network,
Inc., 954-776-6633 for
EnviroClean Technologies, LLC/
/Web site: http://www. envirotech.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/02Apr0105.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Activists are needed for global
finance reform
but have lessons yet to learn, study says
NEW YORK, NY, Apr. 2
-/E-Wire/-- Activists, NGOs, trade unions, lobby groups and other elements of
civil society can play an important role in correcting major problems with the
global financial system but to become more effective players they need to draw
from several lessons of recent years, according to a new study by the U.N.
University and the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation
(CSGR) at the University of Warwick, U.K.
/CONTACT: Terry Collins, Tel: 416-538-8712,
416-878-8712 (cell), UNU Liaison Office, New York: 212-963-6346/
/Web site: http://www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/CSGR/projects.html/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/02Apr0104.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Breakthrough, Compostable
Plastic Premiers as Dunlop Golf Ball Packaging Film
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, Apr. 2
-/E-Wire/-- NatureWorks(TM) PLA, the
revolutionary
polymer made entirely from annually renewable resources such
as corn and wheat, is now being used in its first full-scale,
mass market
packaging film application. Launched in the
Japanese market by Mitsubishi
Plastics, Sumitomo Rubber
Industries Ltd., Dunlop Japan Ltd. and Cargill Dow
LLC,
the polymer is being unveiled as new, environmentally responsible
packaging option for Dunlop golf balls.
/CONTACT: Cargill Dow LLC, Michael O'Brien,
952/742-0523, michael_o'brien@cargilldow.com or Gibbs & Soell
Public Relations, Jennifer Gray or
Steve Halsey,
847/519-9150, jgray@gibbs-soell-il.com, shalsey@gibbs-soell.com/
/Web site: http://www.cargilldow.com
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.040201/bb9/
For Full Text
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
DynaMotive Announces DTI
Renewable Energy Grant For BioOil Consortium
LONDON, U.K., Apr. 2
-/E-Wire/-- DynaMotive Europe Limited, a wholly
owned
subsidiary of DynaMotive Technologies Corporation (OTCBB: DYMTF) and
producer of clean burning BioOil fuels, today announced
details of one of the
UK Government's largest ever grants
to support the development of energy from
biomass in the
UK. The pnds stlg 1.16 million/US $1.7 million grant from the
Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), which was announced
by the UK Energy
Minister Peter Hain, will enable
commercial production testing of an
integrated BioOil and
electricity generating plant to take place in the UK.
The
project is expected to cost in excess of pnds stlg 4.5 million/US $6.6
million and will be funded equally by the
partners.
/CONTACT: call Toll Free (in North America):
1-877-863-2268; Raymond
McAllister, Director, Corporate
Communications, Tel: 604-267-6000,
email:
investor@dynamotive.com,
/Web
site: http://www.dynamotive.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/02Apr0102.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Dave
Foreman to be Keynote Speaker at the Appalachian
Wildlands Conference in
Bethesda, MD, on April 7th
MECHANICSVILLE, MD, Apr. 2
-/E-Wire/-- Dave Foreman is one of the 100 most influential conservationists of
the 20th Century and the Founder of the Wildlands Project, designed to protect
and restore the ecological richness and biodiversity of North
America. Dave is also the publisher of Wild Earth, a quarterly
journal about conservation biology and wildlands activism. He is also
the author of several books. Dave has agreed to speak at this meeting
because he is excited about a wildlands recovery and restoration program in
Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Region, the Appalachian Wildlands
Preserve-Maryland Project.
/CONTACT: Linda Murdock, Walk Lightly in Peace,
Inc., P.O. Box 181, Persimmon Creek Road, Mechanicsville, MD 20659,
lindamurdock@walklightlyinpeace.org, 301-884-0500/
/Web site: http://www.magicalliance.org/events.html/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/02Apr0101.html
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JOBS
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from Natural Resources Defense Council April 3, 2001
========================================
Natural Resources Defense Council's
CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION
ALERT
NRDC's California Activist
Network was formed to mobilize
and provide action tools
to Californians and others
concerned with protecting the
state's extraordinary wealth
of natural treasures and
the health of its citizens.
April 3, 2001
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action alerts--
1. Help build bipartisan support for critical energy
efficiency legislation
2. Urge Governor Davis to stand up for California's Carrizo
Plain and Coastal Monuments
3. Tell Senator Feinstein not to propose building costly and
destructive dams in California
======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action
Center, which includes tools for taking action easily
online, at http://www.nrdc.org/action
(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions
below for how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with
questions
or comments.)
=============
Action alerts
=============
1. Help build bipartisan support for critical energy
efficiency legislation
As the warm spring gives way to a hot summer, the demand on
California's already stressed power grid is expected to
increase. State Senator Sher (D-Palo Alto) has
introduced
SBX1 5 to help reduce energy demand by
providing one billion
dollars in urgently needed funds
to promote energy
efficiency this summer and beyond.
Energy conservation programs the
bill would fund include
high efficiency heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning
systems; efficiency
standards for street lights, traffic
lights, and
billboards; and home weatherization
improvements. The
legislation also provides for replacing
and recycling
old and less efficient appliances, and gives
priority to
low-to-moderate income households.
The State Energy Commission estimates that for every day the
legislature delays passing SBX1 5, it misses the chance
to
save the state 20 megawatts of energy, enough to
power about
15,000 homes. But funding bills require
two-thirds votes to
pass the legislature, so bipartisan
support for SBX1 5 and
its Assembly companion bill, ABX1
29, is essential.
== What to do
==
To help generate bipartisan support for the bill,
send a
message to Assemblyman Anthony Pescetti, a
Republican leader
who has a record of working for sound
energy policy.
==
Contact information ==
You can email Assemblyman
Pescetti directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use
the contact information and sample letter below to send your
own message.
Assemblyman Anthony Pescetti
4158
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-319-2010
Fax: 916-319-2110
Email: anthony.pescetti@asm.ca.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Support SBX1 5/ABX1 29 to
help reduce energy demand
Dear
Assemblyman Pescetti,
I urge you
to support SBX1 5/ABX1 29, a comprehensive
package of
efficiency investments designed to deliver real
conservation as quickly as possible. Energy efficiency is
the cleanest, fastest, and most cost-effective way to
help
ease the state's growing energy crunch, through
this coming
summer and beyond.
The steady growth in demand for
electric power throughout
the western United States in
recent years, coupled with
significantly reduced
investment in energy conservation and
new generation, is
a major contributing factor to the
current electricity
crisis. Increasing energy production is
not the only
solution, and should not be the primary focus
of options
we consider, to help overcome our current
circumstances.
To properly tackle energy supply shortages,
the first
steps must be to ease the demand pressures on the
electricity market.
SBX1 5 appropriates funds to implement new, and support
existing, energy efficiency programs. In addition, using
less energy will save the state money, reduce air pollution
and global warming emissions, and make us less reliant
on
out-of-state power generators.
Again, please support SBX1 5/ABX1
29.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
2. Urge Governor Davis to stand up
for California's Carrizo
Plain and Coastal Monuments
Two of our nation's newest national
monuments are located
here in California. The Carrizo
Plain National Monument,
east of Bakersfield, is all
that remains of the once vast
grasslands that covered
the central part of the state. The
monument's 204,000
acres are home to many endangered and
threatened plant
and wildlife species as well as important
archeological
and historic resources. The California Coastal
National
Monument is comprised of the islands, rocks,
exposed
reefs and pinnacles off the length of our coast, and
provides unique feeding and nesting habitat for breeding
seabirds and marine mammals. In designating these areas
national monuments, former President Clinton recognized
their significance to the entire country as well as to
California and sought to protect these natural treasures for
future generations to enjoy. But now those protections
are
at risk.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton has just written to western
governors, including Governor Davis, asking for
suggestions
about boundary and other changes for all
Clinton-designated
monuments managed by the Department
of the Interior. (The
Giant Sequoia National Monument is
managed by the U.S.
Forest Service in the Department of
Agriculture.) If the
protections for these two new
national monuments in our
state are to remain in place,
Governor Davis must strongly
support them.
== What to do ==
Contact Governor Davis and urge him to emphatically defend
California's new Carrizo Plain and Coastal National
Monuments as designated.
== Contact information ==
You can
email Governor Davis directly from NRDC's Earth
Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use the
contact information and sample letter below to send your own
message, and please include your own reasons why
protecting
these unique places is important to you.
Governor Gray Davis
State Capitol Building
Sacramento,
CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
Email: graydavis@governor.ca.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Protect Carrizo Plain and
California Coastal
National Monuments
Dear Governor Davis,
I understand Interior Secretary Gale
Norton has asked you to
recommend boundary and other
changes to the Carrizo Plain
and California Coastal
National Monuments, both of which
were established by
former President Clinton. These
monuments safeguard
significant parts of our state's unique
natural heritage
and I urge you to strongly defend their
current
protections in response to Secretary Norton's
request.
The Carrizo Plain National
Monument encompasses all that
remains of central
California's once vast grasslands. It is
home to
numerous federally listed endangered and threatened
plants and wildlife species, as well as archeological and
other resources. The California Coastal National
Monument is
composed of the rocks, exposed reefs and
other geological
formations off our coast and provides
major feeding and
breeding places for shorebirds and
marine mammals.
Their status as
national monuments ensures that these
singular places
and their resources will be protected for
present and
future generations to enjoy. Please tell
Interior
Secretary Norton that you believe that the current
protections for both of these monuments should remain in
effect and should not be rolled back or undermined in any
way.
Thank you for your leadership in defending these special
places.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
3. Tell Senator Feinstein not to propose building costly and
destructive dams in California
Senator Dianne Feinstein has drafted
a bill that could
seriously harm California's
environment. The senator's
legislation, which she may
introduce any day now, supposedly
is designed to
implement an ambitious joint state-federal
program
called CALFED, which would help restore the San
Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary, and improve water quality and
water supply reliability for all Californians. CALFED
also
supports ecosystem restoration and water
conservation. Sen.
Feinstein's draft legislation,
however, would instead
destroy the
environmental/economic balance in the CALFED
plan and
launch a costly and environmentally destructive
dam-building campaign.
Specifically, the draft bill would authorize the
construction of new dams and canals across the state, and
give controversial Interior Secretary Gale Norton
sweeping
authority to approve virtually any dam project
in the
Central Valley (the bill authorizes half a
billion federal
taxpayer dollars to pay for these
facilities). Just as
important, Sen. Feinstein's bill
ignores a CALFED
requirement that any new dam projects
be paid for by water
users, rather than taxpayers, and a
provision for at least
$150 million in annual funding
for ecosystem restoration.
==
What to do ==
Send a message to Sen. Feinstein urging
her to revise and
improve her draft bill so it meets the
needs of the state's
environment and economy in a
balanced fashion.
== Contact
information ==
You can email Senator Feinstein directly
from NRDC's Earth
Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action, where we'll
send a copy of your message to California's other senator,
Barbara Boxer. Or use the contact information and sample
letter below to send your own message.
Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3841 (Washington); 415-393-0707
(San
Francisco)
Fax: 202-228-3954
Email: senator@feinstein.senate.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Fund a balanced California
water strategy, not dams
Dear
Senator Feinstein,
I understand
that you are drafting legislation to provide
federal
funding for water projects in California. While I
support federal funding to help restore the health of the
Bay-Delta ecosystem and to improve California's water
quality and water supply reliability, any federal
legislation regarding California water issues must be
carefully designed to reflect the environmental/economic
balance in the CALFED water plan.
I therefore urge you to insure that
any legislation you
introduce includes the following:
** an emphasis on conservation
and water use efficiency as
the primary strategies to
meet California's future water
needs;
** full environmental and economic
analysis of proposed new
dams and canals prior to any
full congressional
authorization vote;
** elimination of taxpayer subsidies
for dams and canals;
**
guarantees that the Interior department will not roll
back the use of water for fish and wildlife restoration
provided by the Central Valley Project Improvement Act; and
** $35 million in new water user
fees and at least $150
million per year for ecosystem
restoration, as called for by
the CALFED plan.
California needs a new balanced
strategy to meet our water
needs, not a return to
old-fashioned, environmentally
destructive,
taxpayer-subsidized water projects. The
principles above
represent the wisest and most balanced
approach to help
meet the needs of the state's environment
*and* economy,
and I urge you once again to incorporate them
into any
legislation you introduce or support.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
*==== California Activist Network
Special Feature ====*
Question: "What do you call
someone who would drill our
Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, where there's hardly any
oil?"
[Go to http://www.nrdc.org for the answer.]
Hint: Last week, NRDC launched a TV
commercial that will be
seen in 21 regions around the
country, including California,
where we hope to convince
several key on-the-fence senators
to vote against any
bill that opens up the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge
to drilling. You can see a video of the ad
on our
website, where you can also send a message to
California's senators, if you haven't already. And if you
like the ad, please forward this message to others who
might
like it, too.
*=====================================================*
==================================================
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).
The CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK
ACTION ALERT is distributed
monthly 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 from the California Activist
Network Action Alert, send an email message to
wildcalifornia@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the subject
line.
EARTH
ACTION is sent biweekly and calls out urgent
environmental issues at the national level and from around
the country. To unsubscribe from Earth Action, send an
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LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in
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send an email message to legwatch@nrdcaction.org
with REMOVE
in the subject line.
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense
Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with
over 400,000 members
nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our
mission is to protect the
planet's wildlife and wild
places and ensure a safe and
healthy environment for all
living things.
For more
information about NRDC or how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40
West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
California Activist Network email: wildcalifornia@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 Environmental Defense April 3, 2001
President Bush moves to reverse new Marine Protected
Areas policies.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A19408B0403113844C227
We encourage you to take action
by April 20, 2001
Act Now to
Defend Our Oceans
----------------------
The Bush Administration is moving to reverse new Marine
Protected Areas policies. Act now!
----------------------
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=419220A19408B0403113844C227
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.
Our system automatically does this for
you.
We STRONGLY
encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample
letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your
own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten
computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of
unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so
please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize
the letter.
Your letter will be
addressed and sent to:
Secretary Donald L. Evans
President George W. Bush
Secretary
Gale Norton
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I write to strongly encourage your
continued support
for establishing an adequate network
of Marine Protected
Areas, including fully-protected
marine reserves, within
U.S. waters.
I am concerned that the Bush
Administration may reverse
important federally mandated
measures to restore America's
marine environment, which
were put in place after very
substantial public comment
last year.
Specifically, I urge
you to continue the critical ocean
restoration efforts
begun under Executive Orders that
created the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef
Ecosystem
Reserve, the National Center for Marine Protected
Areas,
and which significantly improved our nation's
policies
for sustainable management of marine resources.
In addition, I strongly support a science-based network
of fully protected marine reserves within California's
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and at the
Dry Tortugas Reserve in the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary.
Substantial problems exist within our coastal waters
which must be addressed, and there is now compelling
scientific evidence that an appropriately designed
system of marine reserves can help restore damaged
marine populations. Traditional fishery management
measures have not worked well in addressing these issues.
To ignore these problems at this time simply invites
a more severe crisis in the future.
There is now a broad array of
practical experience
demonstrating that marine reserves
can protect biological
diversity and help restore
depleted fish populations.
The resulting protected areas
can also provide tangible,
long-term benefits to both
commercial and recreational
fishermen.
Currently, less than 1% of America's
coastal waters
are within fully protected marine
reserves in which
all extractive activities are
precluded. By creating
safe havens inside of marine
protected areas, species
now in decline can enjoy a
much-needed recovery. I
urge your support for this
important tool for restoring
our nation's marine
resources.
Thank you for your
attention to this pressing matter.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
from League of Conservation Voters April 3, 2001
On April 3rd we can help protect a national treasure: the
Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge!
Call your Senators and
Representative by dialing the capitol switchboard
TOLL
FREE at 1-888-750-4897 or 202-224-3121. This is your chance to let
your Senator or Representative know that you think they
should oppose any
efforts to open America's Arctic to
oil and gas drilling. This week is
critical, as it is
one of the last opportunities for drilling proponents
to
launch a sneak attack on the Arctic by including a drilling provision
in our federal budget resolution - but we're not going to
let them! Ask
everyone you know, your friends,
hairdresser, barkeep, grandma - everyone,
to make the
call as well and help protect the Arctic Refuge from drilling.
The coastal plain of the Arctic
Refuge is the biological heart of the last
unspoiled
Arctic ecosystem in North America. Polar bears den on these
coastal lands while 130,000 Porcupine River caribou travel
hundreds of
miles each year to the coastal plain, where
they deliver their young.
Grizzly bears, musk oxen,
wolves, golden eagles and tundra swans all call
this
unique place home for at least part of the year.
The Gwich'in Indians call this area "the sacred place where
life begins."
The Gwich'in are "caribou people," - the
Porcupine caribou herd has been
the cornerstone of their
culture and subsistence for 20,000 years. If the
caribou
herd declines because the calving grounds are disturbed by oil
industrialization, the Gwich'in way of life will be
jeopardized.
ACT NOW: Call your
Senators or Representative at 1-888-750-4897 or
202-224-3121. Once you. ve been connected with the capitol
switchboard, ask
to be transferred to your member of
Congress. This is your chance to have
your voice heard!
Simply leave the message with the person who answers the
phone, "I urge Senator X / Representative Y to oppose any
efforts to drill
for oil and gas in the Arctic Refuge."
Also, let them know you're a
constituent, and state your
name and where you live. Thanks for your help!
from Environment News Service April 3, 2001
ENVIRONMENT
NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
***********************************************************************
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM PASSES
THE SENATE
By Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2001 (ENS)
- The U.S. Senate has approved a bill
that would
radically change the way money is raised for federal elections.
The Sierra Club, one of the nation's most prominent
conservation groups,
said Monday the bill would "get the
money out of the political process,"
and could prove
critical to future environmental protections.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-06.html
***********************************************************************
TEN WORLD LEADERS IMPLORE BUSH
TO CUT GREENHOUSE GASES
WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2001 (ENS) - Ten of the world's
most prominent
citizens are urging President George W.
Bush to reduce the amount of
greenhouse gas produced by
the United States. They may not be elected
officials,
but they can claim much of the world's attention and the
political pressure it may generate for their hope of
reversing global warming.
For
full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-02.html
***********************************************************************
U.S. FIRES FIRST SALVO IN
SOFTWOOD LUMBER FIGHT
WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2001 (ENS) - The U.S. lumber
industry has made
good on its promise to file unfair
trade practices complaints against
Canadian lumber
imports as last minute talks between U.S. and Canadian
trade ministers failed to extend the five year Softwood
Lumber Agreement.
For full text
and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-10.html
***********************************************************************
Canadian Farmer Loses Biotech Seed Case to Monsanto
By Jane Akre
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, April 3,
2001 (ENS) - A farmer from western
Saskatchewan, Canada
plans to continue fighting the giant biotechnology
company Monsanto for the right of farmers worldwide to save
seed for next
year's crops.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-01.html
***********************************************************************
NEW TASK FORCE SET TO TACKLE
TIGER POACHING
NEW DELHI, India,
April 3, 2001 (ENS) - The first meeting of a task force
on wildlife crime got under way Monday in New Delhi, India
where government
officials and law enforcement experts
are discussing ways of curbing tiger
poaching by
targeting criminal networks.
For
full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-11.html
***********************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: APRIL 3, 2001
U.S.
Population Has Biggest 10 Year Rise Ever
Asbestos Claims Lead Grace to Claim Bankruptcy
Rhode Island Supported in Lawsuit
Against Lead Industry
International Campaign Aims to Protect Prairie Birds
Pesticides Threaten California's Red
Legged Frogs
Audubon Campaigns
to Restore San Francisco Bay Wetlands
Coke and Pepsi Waste Targeted by Environmental Groups
National Wildlife Federation Brings
Wild to Washington
For full text
and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-03-09.html
Copyright
Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
***********************************************************************
SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
***********************************************************************
E-Wire
is a paid press release distribution service.
Responsibility
for the factual accuracy of each press release rests
entirely
with the individuals or organizations identified on the release.
***********************************************************************
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Baseball Star Al Leiter Makes
Pitch for Old Growth Protection
Letter sent
to Logging Giant Boise Cascade as Public Campaign Intensifies
NEW
YORK, NY, Apr. 3 -/E-Wire/-- As Opening Day has baseball fans
across the country eagerly anticipating another season,
baseball star Al
Leiter took a moment recently to take
part in another American pastime;
writing to protect old
growth forests. The New York Mets All-Star pitcher
wrote a letter to Boise Cascade recently, urging the logging
company to stop
selling wood products from old growth
forests.
/CONTACT: Michael Brune, 415/398-4404; Shannon
Wright, 415/596-7246/
/Web
site: http://www.ran.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/03Apr0107.html
***********************************************************************
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RELEASE
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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Napier Environmental
Technologies Inc. Teams Up With Universal Ice
Blast,
Inc.
VANCOUVER, B.C., Apr. 3
-/E-Wire/-- Napier Environmental Inc. (TSE:NIR)
is
pleased to announce that it has completed a reciprocal marketing
agreement with Universal Ice Blast Inc. (UIBI) of Kirkland,
Washington.
/CONTACT: Napier Environmental Technologies
Inc.,Bradley T. Aelicks,
604/801-6664, Website:
www.napierenvironmental.com/
/Web site: http://www.napierenvironmental.com
http://www.iceblast.net/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/03Apr0106.html
****************************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
****************************************************************************
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT:
200
International Experts to meet at the Hemispheric Trade and Sustainability
Symposium on April 17-19 2001
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, Canada,
Apr. 4 -/E-Wire/-- The Hemispheric Trade and Sustainability Symposium will
gather 200 experts from the Americas from April 17 to 19, 2001 in Quebec
City. The Symposium is chaired by Pierre Marc Johnson, former Premier
of the Province of Quebec and Counsel at Heenan Blaikie, David Runnalls,
President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development,
and Enrique Leff from the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office
for Latin America and the Caribbean. It is organised jointly by the
International Institute for Sustainable Development, IUCN, the World
Conservation Union, and the United Nations Environment Programme - Regional
Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
/CONTACT: Karel Mayrand, Director and media
Relations Coordinator (514) 985-0343 or (514) 802-2781. Secondary
contact: Marie Claire Segger, Director, (514) 581-4984./
/Web site: http://www.iisd.org/trade/qc2001/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/03Apr0105.html
***********************************************************************
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TO BOOK, ENVIRONMENTAL AND AUTO
EDITORS:
'Ford & ISO 14001'
Provides Roadmap to Environmental Savings
WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr. 3
-/E-Wire/-- Ford Motor Company has saved millions
of
dollars since becoming the first automaker to certify all of its
manufacturing facilities worldwide to the ISO 14001
international standard on
Environmental Management
Systems in 1998.
/CONTACT: Paul Scicchitano of the McGraw-Hill
Companies, 866-225-3122, or
ISOeditor@aol.com; or Phil
Colley of the Ford Motor Company, 313-323-0660, or
pcolley1@ford.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/03Apr0103.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
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***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Trimol
Group to Participate in Fuel Cell Conferences
Chief Scientific Officer
Presents Ground Breaking Aluminum-Air Fuel Cell Developments
NEW
YORK, NY, Apr. 3 -/E-Wire/-- Trimol Group, Inc. (OTC-BB: TMOL) announced
today that the Company's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr.
Donald W. Kirk, will
unveil details of the Company's
revolutionary aluminum-air fuel cell
technology at two
major fuel cell conferences to be held this month - the
first in Paris followed by a second in Washington, D.C.
/CONTACT: Rafael Ferry, Vice President of
Marketing, Trimol Group, Inc., 866.277.FUEL (4835), ext. 224 or 212.554.4394/
/Web site: http://www.batteries2001.com
http://www.knowledgefoundation.com/events/11081046.htm/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/03Apr0104.html
***********************************************************************
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Terminal Railroad Begins Using
Cleaner Burning Fuel
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Apr. 3
-/E-Wire/-- RxP Products, Inc. President
Don Woodward
announced today that Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
would begin using fuel treated with RxP, an
emissions-reducing fuels
technology.
/CONTACT: Don Woodward of RxP Products, Inc.,
727-327-2394, or fax,
727-321-8540/
/Web site: http://www.rxp.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/03Apr0102.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Public
Power Renewable Energy Action Team Launched
Non-Profit
Center for Resource Solutions Assumes Management Responsibilities
SAN
FRANCISCO, CA, Apr. 3 -/E-Wire/-- Municipal utilities in California
have come together behind renewable
resources. Volatile electricity markets
are
making renewable energy increasingly cost-effective, and a team of
municipal utilities plans to deploy renewable resources as a
means to ensure
the continued competitiveness of public
power. The Center for Resource
Solutions
(CRS), a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, has
assumed management and organizational responsibilities for
the group, which
is called the Public Power Renewable
Energy Action Team (PPREAT). Key
supporters
of PPREAT include the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power,
City of Anaheim, Northern California Power Agency and many
other municipal
utilities in California.
/CONTACT: Këri Bolding,
CRS Communications Director, 415-561-2100,
kbolding@resource-solutions.org or Kirk
Brown at CRS at 415-561-2100 or
e-mail at:
kirkbrown@resource-solutions.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/03Apr0101.html
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JOBS
For
the latest job openings for environmental professionals, visit:
http://www.EnviroNetwork.com
*****************************************************
from Alaska Rainforest Campaign April 4, 2001
Great news for Alaska's Tongass!
Earthjustice o Sierra Club o The
Wilderness Society o
Alaska Center for the Environment o
Sitka Conservation Society
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2001
Court Orders Protection of Tongass
Roadless Areas
and New Wilderness Study
Anchorage, Alaska In response
to a lawsuit brought by Earthjustice on
behalf of four
conservation groups, a federal court on Friday ordered the U.S. Forest Service
to consider whether more wilderness areas should be designated in the Tongass
National Forest. Judge James K. Singleton, Jr., of the U.S. District
Court for the District of Alaska ruled that the Forest Service violated two
federal laws when the agency refused to consider any new wilderness areas in the
1997 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Tongass Land Management
Plan Revision (TLMP). The order also prevents the Forest Service from
permitting any new roads or timber sales in roadless areas of the Tongass until
the agency prepares an EIS considering wilderness.
"In Alaska and in the rest of the country, the public
strongly supports
protection of the remaining roadless
areas of the Tongass," said Tom Waldo,an Earthjustice attorney representing the
plaintiffs. "In the recent public process for the Forest Service
roadless area protection rule, over a million people spoke out in favor of
protecting these places from roads and clearcuts."
"Finally, we will have a public forum to address whether
some of the
incredible remaining roadless areas of the
Tongass should be designated as wilderness," said Allen Smith of The Wilderness
Society. Under federal law,only Congress can designate new wilderness
areas, but the Forest Service is required to make recommendations on new
wilderness proposals when preparing a land management plan.
"What a relief," said Pat Veesart of
the Sitka Conservation Society. "This order spares some of most
prized roadless areas in the Tongass from the ax." He cited sales planned for
Cape Fanshaw, the Cleveland Peninsula, Bradfield Canal, Gravina Island, and
Cholmondeley Sound as examples of sales the Forest Service will have to cancel
to comply with the order.
To speak with someone directly please e-mail info@akrain.org
or call 907-747-8292.
Thanks for
your support.
Alaska Rainforest
Campaign Staff.
from Sierra Club April 4, 2001
SC-ACTION Vol. III, #37
DEFENDING
THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
Tuesday, April 3, 2001
--------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"The idea that this country can ever again be energy
independent is
outmoded and probably was even in the era
of Richard Nixon..."
-- Lee
Raymond, ExxonMobil's Chairman and CEO, questioning the notion that
the United States could ever become energy independent as
quoted in
Business Week [4/9/01].
--------------------------------
[1] THE PUBLIC SPEAKS: Documents
Show Overwhelming Support for Wild Forests
The Sierra Club will release new, more precise numbers
tomorrow that show
Americans overwhelmingly support the
Wild Forest roadless initiative. The
initiative, which
will protect almost 60 million acres of still-wild forest
and grassland, was recently delayed by President Bush.
Though the president
claims that more consultations with
local land-owners are needed, the newly
released numbers
show the unprecedented amount of public involvement in the
process -- and the incredible level of support the
initiative has won.
The Sierra
Club press release with detailed numbers will be available
Wednesday at:
http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/
--------------------------------
[2] VICTORY: Senate Passes Campaign
Finance Reform
Though opponents
in the House of Representatives are already sharpening
their knives, the Senate's passage of the McCain-Feingold
campaign finance
bill is a historic victory for clean
elections -- and a cleaner
environment.
Do campaign donations really impact
our environmental laws? You make the
call: In the 2000
election alone, the mining industry donated more than $5
million dollars and the oil and gas industries donated more
than $14
million. Now President Bush has removed a plan
to lower the amount of
arsenic in our drinking water
and, along with allies in the Congress, is
pushing to
open the pristine and irreplaceable Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge up for oil exploration. Hmm...
To get the low-down on dirty money
and our environment:
http://www.sierraclub.org/politics/clean_elections/
--------------------------------
[3] IN THE NEWS: Smart Growth
Activists Get Glossy Cincinnati Spread
Sierra Club activists in Cincinnati have broken new ground
-- in the pages
of Cincinnati Magazine. The April
edition of this glossy "lifestyle"
magazine will include
an in-depth feature on our efforts to slow sprawl and
encourage smart growth. According to the upcoming feature:
"The Sierra
Club's man on the job in these parts is Glen
Brand, and he's as likely to
be looking for allies
among soccer moms as backpackers. His goal: to get
our heads out of the woods and into the world of
off-ramps, cul-de-sacs
and traffic jams." Note to area
activists: Better watch those paparazzi!
To find out more about the Sierra Club's Challenge to Sprawl
Campaign:
http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/
To read about smart growth in
Cincinnati:
http://www.ohio.sierraclub.org/cincy/
--------------------------------
[4] HUMAN RIGHTS: Final Push Needed
to Free Mexican Environmentalists
Jailed environmentalists Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera
are one step
closer to gaining freedom -- but they need
our help. On March 9, lawyers
for the two filed legal
papers with the court calling for an "amparo,"
which is
a finding of wrongful prosecution. If granted, the amparo would
open the door for Montiel and Cabrera's release. While
President Vicente
Fox and officials within his
administration have publicly stated support
for Montiel
and Cabrera, President Fox's attorney general, Rafael Macedo de
la Concha, has the opportunity to officially support the
amaparo. Urge him
to do so by visiting our Take Action
Webpage.
To send a customizable
letter to Mexico's attorney general:
http://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/humanrights/index.jsp
--------------------------------
[5] TAKE ACTION: Help Needed to Restore Funds to Key
Environmental Programs
President
Bush's proposed budget will slash $3.3 billion from key
environmental programs -- your quick action is needed to
turn the tide.
Please call your
senators today and urge them to vote against the Senate
Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2002, H.Con.Res.83, and
vote for the
amendment expected to be offered Wednesday
by Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
that would restore the
drastic cuts.
Bush's proposed
budget would cripple federal efforts to set air and water
quality standards, promote energy efficiency, protect
wildlife and manage
sensitive public lands. In contrast,
Corzine's amendment would ensure that
federal agencies
have the funding they need to enforce environmental laws
and it would fund a popular program created by Congress last
year to
protect open space.
This is a critical environmental vote, so your calls are
important! Please
call your senators today
and urge them to vote against the Senate Budget
Resolution and in favor of the Corzine Amendment.
To contact your senators, please
call the US Capitol Switchboard,
202-224-3121 or go to:
http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm.
--------------------------------
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 April 4, 2001
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
(ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We
Cover the Earth For You"
***********************************************************************
WHITMAN GIVES EUROPE NO JOY ON
CLIMATE PROTOCOL
By Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, April 4, 2001
(ENS) - The best reasons advanced by European
environmental officials in Washington this week to
reinterest the Bush
administration in climate
negotiations did not appear to be persuasive. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Todd
Whitman gave
European environmental representatives
little hope that the Bush administration
would
reconsider its decision not to support the Kyoto Protocol.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-06.html
***********************************************************************
MOST ENDANGERED PARKS LIST
INCLUDES ENCORE APPEARANCES
WASHINGTON, DC, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - Air pollution,
development,
insufficient funding and recent actions by
the Bush Administration threaten
U.S. national parks,
says the National Parks Conservation Association. The
group released its third annual list of America's Ten Most
Endangered
National Parks today, citing dangers to parks
in nine states and the
District of Columbia.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-07.html
***********************************************************************
WWF ECO-FORESTRY PROJECT
OPERATING WITHOUT APPROVAL
Bob
Burton
PORT MORESBY, Papua New
Guinea, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - The Papua New Guinea
Forest Authority has revealed that an eco-forestry project
run by the U.S.
based World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as a
model of well managed forestry, is
logging mangrove
forests without permission. Mangrove forests are excluded
from logging under the PNG Code of Logging Practice.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-01.html
***********************************************************************
PEACE BREAKS OUT IN WAR OVER
CANADIAN RAINFOREST
By Neville
Judd
VANCOUVER, Canada, April 4,
2001 (ENS) - Loggers and bureaucrats call the
4.8
million hectares (11.8 million acres) of marine, foreshore and upland
area on the British Columbia coast, the central coast. In
announcing the
protection today of a vast swath of the
region's temperate rainforest,
British Columbia Premier
Ujjal Dosanjh called it the Great Bear Rainforest.
For full text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-10.html
***********************************************************************
CANADA FIRM IN SUPPORT OF
CLIMATE TREATY
OTTAWA, Ontario,
Canada, April 4, 2001 (ENS) - Top European Union
environmental officials seeking support for the Kyoto
climate protocol met
with a warmer reception in the
Canadian capital today than they did in
Washington on
Monday and Tuesday.
For full
text and graphics, visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-11.html
***********************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
AMERISCAN: APRIL 4, 2001
California Water System May Need Federal Investment
Spill for Fish Withheld Because of
Drought
Klamath Mountains
Steelhead Do Not Need Protection
Biomass Programs Promoted in Congressional Hearing
Reason Foundation President May
Serve in Interior Department
Audubon Receives Million Dollar Grant for Wetlands
Protection
Foot and Mouth
Disease Could Pose Risk at Zoos
Soybean Hulls Eyed for Wastewater Filtering
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-04-09.html
Copyright
Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.
***********************************************************************
SEND
NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com
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E-Wire
is a paid press release distribution service.
Responsibility
for the factual accuracy of each press release rests
entirely
with the individuals or organizations identified on the release.
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Castrol and Earth's 911
Kick-off Oil Recycling Month
LA PUENTE, CA, Apr. 4
-/E-Wire/-- USED OIL DRIVE
WHAT: An opportunity for Los Angeles area
residents to be part of the solution by participating in a USED OIL DRIVE.
The first 50 people who bring their
used oil to be recycled will receive a John Force autographed Castrol GTX
t-shirt, and there will be free giveaway items for everyone who participates.
/CONTACT: CONTACT: Bill Holtz or
Alan Taylor Comm. 212-714-1280/
/Web site: http://www.castrol.com//
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0108.html
***********************************************************************
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TO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDITORS:
Three Puget Sound Companies
Plug in to 100% Green Energy
PORTLAND, OR, Apr. 3
-/E-Wire/-- Three Puget Sound area companies
announced
today their purchase of Green Tags sourced by the Bonneville
Environmental Foundation(1) (BEF) in an amount equal to 100%
of their energy
use. The companies, Xantrex
Technology, Inc., for its Arlington facility,
Batdorf
& Bronson Coffee Roasters of Olympia, and Global Energy Concepts of
Kirkland are the first in Washington -- and among the first
in the U.S.
-- committing to 100% new renewable energy.
/CONTACT: Pam Field of Bonneville Environmental
Foundation, 503-248-1905/
/Web
site: http://www.bonenvfdn.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0105.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bush's
Former Oil Company Threatens Endangered Sea Turtles in Costa
Rica; 800 Turtle Scientists Issue Plea
SAN
JOSE, COSTA RICA, Apr. 4 -/E-Wire/-- Plans by Harken Energy
Corporation, a Houston-based oil company with ties to U.S.
President George
W. Bush, to drill for oil and natural
gas just off the Caribbean port of
Limón in southeastern
Costa Rica have run headlong into opposition from
hundreds of scientists. The proposed drill site
is barely five miles off
the coastline in a region
referred to as the "cradle" of the Caribbean's sea
turtle populations.
/CONTACT: Caribbean Conservation Corporation,
4424 NW 13th St., Suite
A-1, Gainesville, FL 32609,
352-373-6441, ccc@cccturtle.org, Cindy Taft
(Director of International Programs) or Roxana Silman (Costa
Rica Director),
INT+506-224-9215/
/Web site: http://www.cccturtle.org/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0107.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
TO HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
EDITORS:
New Nutrition Study
Indicates Significant Increase in
Omega-3
Fatty Acid Levels in Wild California Salmon
USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference to Reflect
Findings
LOS ANGELES, CA, Apr. 4
-/E-Wire/-- According to a recent study
reported by the
USDA's Nutrient Data Laboratory, the level of omega-3 fatty
acid in wild California salmon is 29.4% greater than
previously recorded.
/CONTACT: David Goldenberg, 916/358-2960,
or Lee & Associates, Inc.,
Howard
Pearlstein, 323/938-3300/
/Web
site: http://www.calkingsalmon.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0106.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Mining
of Cell Phone Mineral Suspended in Key Wildlife Area
BRONX, NY, Apr. 4 -/E-Wire/--
Park guards and military personnel have
successfully
stopped illegal mining of coltan, a mineral used in the
manufacture of cellphones, in the Okapi Faunal Reserve in
the Democratic
Republic of Congo, the Wildlife
Conservation Society has learned.
/CONTACT: STEPHEN SAUTNER (718-220-3682;
ssautner@wcs.org), JOHN DELANEY
(718-220-3275;
jdelaney@wcs.org)/
/Web
site: http://www.wcs.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0104.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
University of California,
Berkeley Awarded AT&T Industrial Ecology
Faculty
Fellowship
NEW YORK, NY, Apr. 4
-/E-Wire/-- AT&T selected researchers from six
leading universities, including the University of
California, Berkeley, to
receive an AT&T Industrial
Ecology Faculty Fellowship. Researchers at
University of California, Berkeley received a $25,000 grant
to support their
project, "Hybrid Life-Cycle Assessment
of Telework and Teleconferencing."
/CONTACT: Cynthia Neale,(908) 221-7249,
cneale@att.com/
/Web
site: http://www.att.com/foundation/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0103.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
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TO TRAVEL AND ENVIRONMENT
EDITORS:
Leading ecotravel nonprofit
brings resources to top eco-lifestyles
website
BURLINGTON, VT, Apr. 4
-/E-Wire/-- The International Ecotourism Society
(TIES),
a nonprofit membership organization, and naturalist.com, an online
network for nature and natural health enthusiasts, have
teamed up to provide
travelers with expert ecotourism
news and resources on the internet.
/CONTACT: For The International Ecotourism
Society, contact Patricia
Carrington at 802/849-9729;
for Wilderness Web, contact Mike McCarney at
802/863-4690; and for naturalist.com, contact Phil Horn at
212/279-0024./
/Web
site: http://www.ecotourism.org
http://www.naturalist.com/
For Full Text
Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0102.html
***********************************************************************
E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS
RELEASE
***********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CARB
Advisory on Diesel Emergency Generators Understates Public Health
Benefits of Keeping the Juice On
WASHINGTON, DC, Apr. 4
-/E-Wire/-- In a strongly worded letter to the
California Air Resources Board, the Diesel Technology Forum
today charged
the Board with the "use
of unsubstantiated data" on the health effects from
the emissions of sporadically-used emergency diesel
generators. Forum
Executive Director Allen
Schaeffer warned that by doing so, "CARB blows out
of
proportion the risks from the very machines whose primary purpose is
often the protection of public health and assurance of
public safety."
/CONTACT: Forum Office: One Dulles Tech Center,
Suite 100, 2191 Fox Mill
Road, Herndon, VA 20171; Media
Contact at Forum office: Allen Schaeffer,
Tel:
703/234-4411
, Mobile: 301/346-2086, Email:
aschaeffer@dieselforum.org; Media Contact at
Rowan &
Blewitt Incorporated: Pam Jones, Cell: 650/576-9377, Tel:
650/598-9905, Email: JonesComm@aol.com/
/Web site: http://www.dieselforum.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Apr01/04Apr0101.html
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ENVIRONMENTAL
JOBS
For
the latest job openings for environmental professionals, visit:
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*****************************************************
from World Wildlife Fund April 5, 2001
========================
Earth Day -
22 April 2001
========================
Take action for our natural planet. See WWF's Tip of the Day
for easy ways
to be Earth-friendly in your own life.
Go to http://www.panda.org/cgi-bin/motd.pl?cf=wwf/tips_new.cf&how_many=1
Fur... flippers... feathers... fangs!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Our new species mini-site focuses on WWF's "Big 6":
- giant pandas, elephants, tigers, rhinos, great
apes, marine turtles.
Get the
facts, figures and photos at:
http://www.panda.org/species/species.cfm?d
Good news!
Golden monkey swings back from the brink of extinction
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
30 years ago
the Golden Lion Tamarin was one of the world's most
endangered primates, and a conservation priority for
WWF. In March 2001,
the wild population of
this beautiful monkey reached 1,000 following the
birth
of a baby male. This means that the chances of survival for this
species are excellent.
See exclusive pictures and video footage at:
http://www.panda.org/species/tamarin/?d
Man of the
forest - back at school
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * *
Orang-utans learn forest skills from their
mothers, but many youngsters
are orphaned or kidnapped
for the illegal pet trade. So how do they learn
to
survive when they are returned to their native forests after a life in
captivity?
This month, WWF's Living Planet Magazine explores the
sensitive work
involved in the rehabilitation of orphan
orang-utans. Subscribe to the
magazine today:
http://www.panda.org/livingplanet/livingplanet_magazine.cfm?d
Wanted - alive - pandas in the wild
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
- A panda normally gives birth to only one cub
at a time.
- When a baby panda is born, it
weighs only 100-200 grams.
- Out of all the
pandas in captivity, only 28% are breeding.
For WWF's panda conservation team, the top priority is to
protect pandas
in their natural habitat.
Read the new species report at:
http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/species/pandas/index.htm?d
You can also watch an
exclusive interview with the giant pandas Tian Tian
and
Mei Xiang who arrived from China at the National Zoo in Washington,
DC. Go to the WWF-US website at:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/pandas/interview.htm
Wetlands
reclaimed - birds come back to the Yangtze
* * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Two years after the restoration of wetlands in China's
Qingshan and
Xipanshanzhou Polders (two of the pilot
project sites of WWF's Living
Yangtze Programme)
hundreds of migrating birds have returned to their
preferred habitat - the reclaimed wetlands.
Read the full story at:
http://www.panda.org/news/features/story.cfm?id=2232
Many thanks
for your continuing support of WWF.
With warm wishes from,
Holly Ellson
Panda.org e-news team
WWF International, the conservation organization
P.S. Why not forward this to a
friend and ask them to make a difference
for Earth Day.
------
NB: You have received this email from WWF-International
because you have subscribed to species-alert list on our site at
www.panda.org If you have subscriptions to other WWF-International
email alerts you may receive this message again.
We respect your on-line privacy - your e-mail address was
entered, presumably by yourself, on the WWF mailing list. You are currently
subscribed to species-alert as: [alerts@earthhopenetwork.net].
You can have it removed by sending a
blank email to leave-species-alert-670591Y@lists.panda.org
Important:
We promise you that WWF will not give, rent or sell your
email address to any other organization.
- If when clicking on one of the links in the newsletter,
nothing happens, copy and paste the address in to your internet browser location
box, and press Return to go to the page.
- Some of the longer links may break into two lines in some
email readers. If this happens, copy and paste the link into your internet
browser.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Any questions?
Please use the
enquiry form on the website at:
http://www.panda.org/forms/feedback.cfm
from Rainforest Action Network April 5, 2001
6 DAYS TO APRIL 11TH!
Check out the picture. here
It is an incredible snapshot of the corporate take over of
everyday life.
It is a picture
from the frontpage of the NY Times from November 13 of 1999.
This is the coverage of Bill Clinton signing the Financial
Services Modernization
Act which not only repealled many
of the consumer protections of the 1933 Glass-Steagall
Act but specifically legalized the Citibank-Traveler's
insurance merger that
formed Citigroup.
This law is historic in that it
created one of the largest, most destructive
and
unaccountable concentrations of wealth and power in modern
history. April
11th and the unfolding
campaign is our opportunity to say no way! WE WILL NOT BE
RULED BY WALL ST!
Attached in Word 2000 - manipulate, enhance and alter at
will.
also available for download at http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/0411.html
Big or small organize something on
April 11th. Find the nearest tentacle
of the Citimonster
at :
<http://www.citibank.com/branches/
<http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/
<http://www.salomonsmithbarney.com/
FOR MORE INFO, TO GET AN ORGANIZING
PACKET OR TO CONNECT WITH LOCAL
ACTIVISTS IN YOUR AREA
CONTACT RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK:
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
from Natural Resources Defense Council April 5, 2001
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
April 5, 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 ! =
4/5/01
Environmentalists scored a big
victory with the recent
passage of the House budget
resolution without revenues from
oil and gas drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;
these revenues are
likely to be excluded from the Senate
version of the
budget resolution as well. In other important
action,
the Senate passed campaign finance reform
legislation
that seeks to change the rules for
contributions to
candidates for national office.
...
Budget
= N O T E ! =
On 3/28, the House passed its $1.98 trillion budget
resolution for fiscal year 2002. Because of strong
opposition by Democrats and moderate Republicans, led by
Rep. Markey (D-MA), Rep. Hoeffel (D-PA), and Rep. Johnson
(R-CT), the resolution did not include revenues from oil
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senate
proponents of opening the Arctic Refuge appear to lack
the
votes to include these revenues in the Senate budget
resolution.
= N O T E ! =
On 3/28, the House
rejected Rep. Spratt's (D-SC) Democratic
alternative
budget that would have increased environmental
and
natural resources funding by 4 percent, reversing the
Bush administration's proposed environmental spending cuts.
The Bush administration's initial budget proposal cut
the
Environmental Protection Agency budget by more than
6
percent, and the Department of Interior budget by 3.9
percent, from last year's funding levels. Global
warming,
potentially the most significant worldwide
environmental
challenge, was not addressed at all in the
president's
budget blueprint. Oil and coal programs were
slated for huge
increases, whereas energy efficiency
programs were cut
drastically and funding for solar and
other renewable energy
tied to expected revenues from
drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. The
president's final budget
proposal is due to Congress on
4/9.
= N O T E ! =
For a step-by-step guide to our annual odyssey through
resolutions, reconciliations and appropriations, see NRDC's
budget process fact sheet at
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/fbudg.asp
...
Campaign Finance Reform
= N O T E ! =
On 4/2, the Senate
approved S. 27, Sen. McCain's (R-AZ) and
Sen. Feingold's
(D-WI) campaign finance reform bill. This
bill would ban
"soft money" donations from corporations to
political
parties, which currently are not subject to
federal
limits. Huge soft money 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. S. 27 also
contains a
provision that would increase the amount of
money
individuals could give to candidates, which has
the
potential to increase the influence of the
wealthiest
contributors. Another provision would limit
issue advocacy
by nonprofit groups preceding an election
(this provision
may be unconstitutional, however). While
environmental
groups disagree on the merits of this
particular bill, they
generally support efforts to
reduce the influence of
corporate special interests in
the funding of national
elections.
...
Clean Air and Energy
= N O T E ! =
The Democratic energy
bill, S. 597, introduced by Sen.
Bingaman (D-NM) on
3/22, would not open the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge
to oil drilling, but would allow offshore
oil and gas
leases in the eastern part of the Gulf of
Mexico.
Because this area has not previously been open to
oil
and gas exploration, environmentalists oppose the bill.
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.
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 Senators 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.
NRDC's report, A
Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st
Century (http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp),
outlines the components of an alternative energy policy --
one that can meet the nation's energy needs without
destroying wilderness or rolling back environmental
safeguards.
...
Clean
Water
= N O T E ! =
On 3/28, EPA administrator Whitman testified before the
House Energy and Commerce Committee on water infrastructure
needs. At the hearing, Rep. Waxman (D-CA) criticized
Whitman's decision to pull back a recent regulation,
approved during the last weeks of the Clinton
administration, to reduce the allowable levels of arsenic in
drinking water. The current standard, once more in place
because of Whitman's decision, is outdated and harmful
to
public health.
...
Coasts
and Oceans
On 2/14, Senators
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 ! =
A popular bipartisan
brownfields redevelopment bill (S. 350)
is on the verge
of approval by the full Senate. Senators
Smith (R-NH),
Chafee (R-RI), Reid (D-NV), and Boxer (D-CA),
the bill's
sponsors, are anticipating a vote on the bill
soon. On
3/15, the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee
overwhelmingly approved this 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, but members of
this committee have not yet
developed a House bill.
...
Public Lands
= N O T E ! =
Two House Resources subcommittees plan to hold a joint
hearing to discuss whether the Forest Service's new rule to
ban roadbuilding in many areas of national forests would
hinder energy policy. The subcommittees will review an
energy department study, which found that the new
roadless
rule could have a negative impact on gas
supplies. The
subcommittees also intend to consider the
effect of the rule
on coal mining and other mineral
extraction.
= N O T E ! =
On 4/3, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
held a hearing on access to public lands for oil and gas
drilling. The committee heard from representatives of
the
U.S. Geological Survey as well as a number of
drilling
proponents, such as the American Petroleum
Institute.
Although drilling on public lands increased
substantially
under the Clinton administration, drilling
advocates are
pushing for access to the 9 percent of
public lands that are
still off-limits. They also
complain that environmental
protections on the lands
open to drilling are increasingly
onerous.
= N O T E ! =
On 3/28, the House Resources Committee approved H.R. 601,
Rep. Simpson's (R-ID) bill to restore hunting in a
portion
of the Craters of the Moon National Monument in
Idaho by
redesignating that section of the monument as a
preserve.
Environmentalists did not oppose this bill,
because the
Interior Department will oversee hunting
activities in the
preserve, and the government did not
intend to prohibit
traditional hunting in the preserve
when the monument was
created.
= N O T E ! =
On 3/21, the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
heard testimony from the U.S. Geological Survey about
its
preliminary assessment of oil, gas, coal and
coal-bed
methane reserves in the 21 national monuments
designated by
President Clinton since 1996.
= N O T E ! =
On 3/15, the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
considered access to energy reserves on federal lands,
with
witnesses discussing restrictions designed to
protect
natural resources. The subcommittee also
addressed offshore
drilling for natural gas.
Environmental witnesses pointed
out that restrictions to
resources on public lands serve
important purposes and
are compatible with appropriate
development.
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
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.
...
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
...........
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...........
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