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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
#28 Tuesday, August 14, 2001
"Secretary Norton has walked away from a golden common sense opportunity to balance the needs of wildlife and people by using local citizen management to recover an imperiled species. Americans have a right to expect more than no action from the person who should be the nation's chief advocate for wildlife." -Jamie Rappaport Clark, former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton's move to abandon a plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to areas of Idaho and Montana.
[1] TAKE ACTION: Ensure a Future for the Grizzly in the Northern Rockies In June, the Bush administration announced it is retreating from a plan to reintroduce grizzlies into the wilderness of Central Idaho and Western Montana. Reintroduction would have helped to ensure the long-term health of the grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park and through the Northern Rockies. Your e-mails are needed now to tell the White House you support returning the grizzly to your public lands in the Northern Rockies.
To send a message, go to https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/wildlands/index3.jsp
[2] ENERGY TIPS: Actor Suggests Ways to Save If that voice offering advice on installing energy-efficient lightbulbs sounds familiar, it may be the result of a new Sierra Club partnership. The Club has teamed up with Charter Communications and actor/director Harry Shearer to provide a series of public service announcements on ways to conserve energy. Shearer is the voice of Montgomery Burns and Ned Flanders on "The Simpsons" television program, and he also appeared as the bassist Derek Small in the cult movie classic, "This is Spinal Tap." Charter Communications is airing the ads free of charge throughout California, starting August 13.
To learn more, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/energy/ads/psa.asp
[3] NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Colorado
President Bush was welcomed to Estes Park, Colo. by a sea of Sierra Club signs and activists in endangered species costumes lining his parade route, demanding protection for wildlands. One group dressed as stumps and oil rigs and declared themselves "George W. Bush National Forest."
In addition, the Club joined other environmental groups in sending Bush an open letter making suggestions for his itinerary. The letter requested that, beyond his scheduled stop in Rocky Mountain National Park, he visit equally special public lands that just happen to be threatened by his administration's policies. So far, there hasn't been any reply.
To find out what's happening in your state, click on the "My Backyard" section at https://www.sierraclub.org/
[4] TURN A NEW PAGE: 2002 Calendars Now Available Sierra Club wilderness wall calendars and engagement calendars for 2002 are ready to ship. These best-selling calendars feature spectacular nature photography, including images of North America's wilderness (the wall version) and close-ups and panoramas of plants, animals and wild places (the engagement version).
Order yours at https://www.sierraclub.org/books/calendars/
[4] CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM: It's Not Dead Yet! On July 12, the House of Representatives defeated an unfair rule for debating the Shays-Meehan Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Bill ? delaying consideration of an important first step toward real campaign finance reform. We are currently seeking signatures on a discharge petition attached to a new rule (H.R. 203) which allows all sides to be considered in a fair and open way. The new rule would allow three bills to come before the House for consideration, including the Shays-Meehan bill (H.R. 2356). Under the rule, the bill with the greatest number of votes becomes the bill eligible for further discussion and amendments.
A list of members that had signed on to the petition as of August 3 is below. If your member is signed on, please call and say thank you - and ask him or her to vote for Shays-Meehan and oppose "poison pill" amendments.
If your representative ISN'T on the list, please call and ask him or her to sign on to the Discharge Petition and support the Shays-Meehan bill for cleaner elections and a cleaner environment. For more information contact Deanna White, deputy political director at deanna.white@sierraclub.org
"The oil industry promotes 'environmentally friendly oil drilling,' but that's like selling finger-friendly blenders." - Carl Pope on the August 1 House vote to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
[1] LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: House Votes Wrong
The House of Representatives voted on two important amendments to the Bush energy plan yesterday, and sadly, many of them voted against the environment. Despite the plan's polluter giveaways and industry tax breaks, two amendments to the plan could have made a difference: the first would have enacted the biggest single step to a secure energy future by raising fuel-economy standards for light trucks, including SUVs, to that of cars; the other would have eliminated plans for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Both amendments failed; 160 members voted to raise corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, while 269 opposed the measure and 206 members voted to protect the Arctic Refuge, while 223 were opposed.
See how your representative voted on CAFE at https://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/2001/cafestandards.asp
Check out how your representative voted on the Arctic amendment at https://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2001&rollnumber=317
[2] ACCOUNTABILITY: Thanks and No Thanks
After checking how your representative voted on the Arctic and CAFE amendments (see #1), please let him or her know what you think! Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your representative. Thanks are due to those representatives with "yes"or "aye" votes on both amendments.
[3] HOT RELEASE: New Report "Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and Hype"
With more than 89,000 fires on 6.4 million acres of public lands, the 2000 fire season was considered one of the worst in recent history. The dramatic stories of the 2000 fire season stirred public debate about federal forest management and focused attention on the roles of logging, fire suppression and prescribed burning.
Learn to separate the facts from the myths about fires and logging with the End Commercial Logging Campaign's new education booklet, "Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and Hype." This booklet discusses the threats and realities of federal forest management and presents the Sierra Club's solutions for protecting homes and communities, restoring the natural role of fire in forest ecosystems and protecting national forests.
Check out this informative new report by going to https://www.sierraclub.org/logging/
Or get a printed copy by writing mitzi.emrich@sierraclub.org
[4] HUDSON HOORAH! EPA Decides to Dredge
In a major victory for people who live along the Hudson River, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to implement a plan dredge the Hudson River. For more than three decades General Electric dumped polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a toxin linked to cancer and other disorders, into the Hudson. In an effort to scuttle the dredging plan, GE waged a multi-million dollar public relations battle to try to convince the public that PCBs should stay in the river. Thanks to environmentalists and other groups who have been pushing for the clean-up, the EPA wasn't fooled by their campaign and GE will now have to pick up the dredging tab.
For more, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/victory/hudson_cleanup.asp
[5] RIGHT ON: Representatives in Support of Mexican Environmentalists
Reps. Hilda Solis and Nancy Pelosi, both California Democrats, are circulating a letter to their congressional colleagues, asking them to sign a letter to Mexico's President Vicente Fox explaining their concerns for imprisoned forest activists Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera. The letter urges President Fox to ensure the case's prompt resolution.
The letter could not be more timely as defense attorneys will soon present Montiel and Cabrera's case to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, having exhausted legal appeals in Mexico. Now, more than ever, the fate of both environmentalists rests in the hands of President Fox, who has the authority to ensure that the rulings of the IACHR are implemented.
A letter from the U.S. Congress will remind President Fox that the international community is still attentive to his actions regarding this case. Please call your representative and urge him or her to sign on to the Solis-Pelosi letter to President Fox. Please call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
"Efficiency and conservation are inevitable. It's amazing to me that the Republican party does not get back to these core values." - Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who created the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
[1] MAP IT: Can You Visualize 1300 New Power Plants?
If not, we can help! The Bush administration's energy plan recommends building 1300 new power plants across the country, many of them nuclear facilities -- so we decided to put together a map of what that might look like. Check it out at
https://www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/energymap/
These power plants would jeopardize wildlife habitat and the recreational values of national monuments, forests and grasslands nationwide. A federally-funded Department of Energy study shows that by implementing energy-efficiency measures, supporting renewable energy and replacing dirty old power plants with new, cleaner, more efficient facilities, we could avoid building all these new power plants in the first place!
[2] MORE ENERGY NEWS: NAS Backs Boost in Auto Fuel Efficiency
The National Academy of Sciences released a report on whether safe technology exists for increasing fuel economy standards. Although the panel that produced the report is relatively industry-friendly, it concurred with environmentalists who say that raising fuel economy can be done safely and economically. Furthermore, the report says that a loophole, which allows light trucks and SUVs to meet a lower mile-per-gallon standard than cars, has been abused beyond its original intent and should be changed.
See the NAS press release at https://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309076013?OpenDocument
See our response at https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0107&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=2603
See the report at https://books.nap.edu/html/cafe/
[3] SPEAK UP: Critical Energy Votes Coming Up in the House
Right now, your representative is deciding on whether to vote for various energy plan amendments that would help stop global warming and save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil development. Your call at this time will make a huge difference. If you haven't already, please call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your member of Congress. Ask your representative to support the following key amendments to the Energy Bill, H.R. 4
* An amendment by Representatives Ed Markey and Nancy Johnson that would remove provisions in the bill that would allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;
* An amendment by Representatives Sherry Boehlert and Ed Markey to increase the miles-per-gallon standards for new automobiles to save oil and curb global warming;
* Any other amendments to protect special places from damaging energy development; to increase energy efficiency requirements; to remove corporate subsidies for the oil, coal, and nuclear industries; and to increase investment in renewable energy.
[4] ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Club Hosts Student Group Workshop
The Washington, D.C., office sponsored an environmental justice workshop with the Student Conservation Association last week. More than 60 high school students from Washington area learned about urban redevelopment and the gentrification that often accompanies revitalization of neighborhoods. Over the last two decades, the Club has focused on urban environmental issues, such as toxics, pollution and public transportation, which disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities.
Find out more about Sierra Club's environmental justice effort at https://www.sierraclub.org/foundation/programs/environmental.asp
[5] SENATE ACTION: Your Help Needed Again!
Your senators may be voting as early as today, July 31, on the Emergency Agriculture Aid Package, S. 1246. This measure would help farmers protect drinking water supplies and sensitive wetlands, adopt environmentally responsible farming practices and keep farmland out of sprawl's harmful reach. But your action is urgently needed! Ask your senator to support the Emergency Agriculture Aid Package. Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or click below to send a free fax to your senator.
https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/cleanwater/index6.jsp
"The House Resources Committee voted last week to include drilling in [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] as part of a broader energy plan. The committee is right on one point: The time for drilling is now. Congress should drill this idea right out of our energy plans." - June 25 editorial in the Arizona Republic, "Arctic drilling not worth the risks to wild." Read the story at https://www.arizonarepublic.com/opinions/articles/0725wed1-25.html
[1] CALL TO ACTION: Energy Week Coming to House
Next week the House of Representatives will be voting on the controversial Bush Energy Plan. There will be a number of key environmental amendments offered during debate on priority issues such as increasing fuel economy standards for light trucks and protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling.
Please call your representative and urge him or her to support the following amendments to the Bush Energy Package:
* The Boehlert-Markey Amendment to Close the Light-Truck Loophole. Not only will this be the single biggest step toward curbing global warming, it will also save consumers money at the gas pump!
* The Johnson-Markey-Boehlert Amendment to strike the provision that would allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
* An Amendment to strike the controversial public lands title that would weaken protections for oil and gas development on public lands and provide $7.4 billion in royalty "relief" to the oil industry for deep water drilling.
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your representative. Your call makes a difference!
You can also send your representative a message through our Web site at https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/energy/index1.jsp
[2] CHALLENGING SPRAWL: Club Supports Housing Fund
In an effort to support the revitalization of communities and to stop sprawling developments that gobble up open space, the Sierra Club has endorsed legislation introduced by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) that would create a National Housing Trust Fund. The fund would build 1.5 million affordable homes over the next 10 years.
See our press release at https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0107&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=2004
[3] IN THE FIELD: Nebraskans Head Off CAFOs; Wyoming Members Tout Bridger-Teton National Forest
NEBRASKA: The Sierra Club and the Nebraska Farmers Union organized a forum in McCook on the effects of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. Dr. William Weida, well-known economist from Colorado College, spoke about the health and quality of life impacts of CAFOs on the surrounding community. "No one in their right mind moves into an area where a corporate hog operation is. What you end up doing is sealing the fate of your area," said Weida. The forum drew 65 people from three states.
WYOMING: Highlighting the wildlife and recreational values of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Club volunteers led a tour for local and national media. The reporters saw first-hand what drilling for natural gas and petroleum might do to this pristine area that serves as habitat to elk, mule deer, antelope and grizzly bears. See the story at
https://www.billingsgazette.com/archive.php?section=wyoming&display=/rednews/2001/07/20/build/wyoming/1drilling.inc
[4] DIRTY MONEY: Industry's Campaign Contributions
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Corporate America is waging a public relations battle to build support for the Bush administration's energy plan. Coalitions have launched TV, radio and print ads in support of an energy policy that emphasizes expanding domestic oil and gas production and pipelines. Sound familiar?
The American Taxpayers Alliance, headed by GOP consultant and former Bush campaigner Scott Reed, spent $2 million last month running ads blaming California Gov. Gray Davis for the state's energy woes. According to Time magazine, Reliant Energy is one of the group's donors, and is also one of the companies accused by California officials of price gouging.
The list goes on and on. Check out the article at https://www.opensecrets.org/alerts/v6/alertv6_24.asp
[5] AND ANOTHER THING: Save Salmon and Taxpayers' Dollars
Last week, Reps. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) and Tom Petri (R-Wis.) introduced bipartisan legislation to protect communities and endangered salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers that run through Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Wild Snake River salmon runs plummeted 90 percent after the four lower Snake River dams were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now, all wild Snake River salmon and steelhead are extinct, endangered or threatened. Salmon extinction would result in paying millions of taxpayer dollars to meet treaty obligations with Canada and native tribes.
The Salmon Planning Act (HR 2573) would require the federal government to adequately plan for regional needs if partially removing four lower Snake River dams is deemed necessary to recover salmon and, if the decision is made to remove the dams, authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to do so.
Write a letter to your representative today to request co-sponsorship of the Salmon Planning Act (HR 2573). For more information, contact Chase Davis at (509) 456-8802.
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