NEXT PAGE -->
|
Updated Daily!
| * * * IN-HOUSE RESOURCES * * * |
|---|
DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
August 30, 2001
"It seems to me that somebody didn't do their homework and didn't do any thinking. What can I say, it's just weird." -Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, on the Interior Department's designation as the Fresno Sanitary Landfill as a national historic landmark
[1] TAKE ACTION: I Want My MPG Find Out How Much You Can Save at the Gas Pump!
A new Sierra Club Web site tells you how much you would save if the auto industry were required to make cars go farther on a gallon of gas. You can find out how much money you could save just by entering the make and model of your car. For example, if you own a 16.8 mpg Ford Explorer you spend $1600 on gas but if the MPG were raised, the Explorer would get 33 mpg, saving you $790 each year on gas.
In addition to the mpg calculator, the website features animation of a disgruntled car highlighting the fact that technology for auto fuel economy has stagnated since the mid 1970s.
Want your mpg? Click on: https://www.sierraclub.org/IWANTMYMPG
[2] A FITTING SYMBOL: Bush Administration Picks Superfund Site as National Historic Landmark
The Department of the Interior designated Fresno's municipal landfill as a national historic landmark, making it the first landmark designation of the Bush Administration. But the site also made another, more infamous list: the Superfund list. Since 1989, nearly $38 million has been spent cleaning up the site, which contains an estimated 79 million cubic yards of waste.
To find out why the Bush Administration thought a dump might be worth national recognition, read the New York Times article at: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/29/national/29DUMP.html
To learn more about what the Sierra Club is doing in Fresno, please go to: https://tehipite.sierraclub.org/
[3] CLEANING UP ELECTIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Fair and Open Debate for Campaign Finance Reform
Proponents of campaign finance reform celebrated when the Senate passed the McCain-Feingold bill in April, but then its companion bill, Shays-Meehan, got "trapped" in the House Rules Committee. Now, more than 200 Representatives have signed onto a discharge petition, which would release the bill for debate on the House floor.
This week, the Sierra Club ran newspaper ads in four states, urging citizens to call their Representatives and urge them to sign onto the discharge petition. Was one of the Representatives yours? The targets are Reps. Doug Ose (R-CA), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and John Thune (R-SD).
To find out what you can do to clean up elections, please go to: https://www.sierraclub.org/politics/clean_elections/
[4] NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Rallying for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Vermont
The Vermont Chapter held a joint press conference at the state capitol in Montpelier with Vermont Public Interest Research Group, opposing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and President Bush's irresponsible energy plan. The event brought together a good mix of interests and perspectives, including a 9-foot inflatable "Cara the Caribou," who had to be lashed down against the wind by volunteers. At least 40 people turned out for the rally, holding signs and calling for clean energy and protection of the Arctic Refuge.
To learn what you can do to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, please go to: https://www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/arctic/
To learn more about the Vermont Sierra Club, please go to: https://vermont.sierraclub.org/
"We're trying to get President Bush to put the 'conserve' back in conservative." --Brett Hulsey said moments before Bush landed at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee
[1] Paddling in the Bayou: Club Takes Senator for a Ride
During the Congressional recess, Sen. Mary Landrieu spent some quality time canoeing through the Atchafalaya Basin in her home state of Louisiana, exploring and learning about the threats facing this fragile area. Led by two Delta Chapter Sierra Club volunteers, Harold Schoeffler and Charlie Fryling, Sen. Landrieu was joined by Gen. Edwin J. Arnold Jr., commander of the Army Corps of Engineers' Mississippi Valley Division. The Atchafalya Basin is the largest river overflow swamp in the United States and the Army Corps is currently purchasing sections of the basin in efforts to preserve it.
"We are hoping to get widespread support for the Atchafalaya Basin, wilderness in general and the environment," the Sierra Club's Maura Wood said. While Sen. Landrieu is spending time in the outdoors in her own state, we also hope that this will inspire her to act to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. For some reason, she has yet to decide if she supports drilling the Arctic Refuge.
To read about the trip, go to: https://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=23932
To find out more about the Delta Chapter, please go to: https://louisiana.sierraclub.org/
[2] Notes from the Field: Protestors Greet President in Milwaukee
On August 21, President Bush addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual meeting in Milwaukee. While all was quiet inside, outside hundreds of Sierra Club and other protestors were making noise about President Bush's miserable environmental record. More than 300 protestors rallied in front of an inflatable oil derrick and held signs, admonishing President Bush for his lax stance on air pollution and his support for drilling for oil in the Great Lakes.
To learn more, please go to: https://www.gmtoday.com/news/front/topstory31.asp
To find out what's happening in your area, go to "My Backyard" on the Sierra Club Web site at https://www.sierraclub.org
[3] One Hundred Years of Making a Difference: Sierra Club Outing Program Celebrates Centennial
John Muir believed that the best way to persuade people to fight to save precious, yet threatened areas was to take them to see these areas for themselves. He led the first Sierra Club Outing in 1901.
This year Outings is celebrating its centennial. If you're interested in getting out there and making a difference of your own, check out these two Activist trips for 2001:
Exploring Utah's Dirty Devil River, September 25-October 5, 2001. The Dirty Devil River watershed typifies the dazzling but delicate redrock landscape of the unprotected Colorado Plateau. As we wander through the intricate mazes of the river, we'll learn area history how we can aid the campaign to achieve permanent protection for this spectacular landscape west of Canyonlands National Park.
For more information, please go to: https://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/brochure/01104A.asp
Blue Skies Over Big Bend: Big Bend National Park, Texas, November 4-10, 2001.
Take in remote Texas Frontera country from its rugged mountains to the Chihuahuan Desert floor and its volcanic landscapes while backpacking and dayhiking. The blue skies over Big Bend are disappearing in a haze of pollution from power plants. Learn to be part of the solution while learning border history and enjoying unforgettable sunsets.
For more information, please to go: https://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/brochure/01105A.asp
**If you'd like to sign up for one of these trips, but cost is a concern, you can apply for an actiivist outing scholarship -- for information, contact Vicky Hoover at: vicky.hoover@sierraclub.org
[4] TAKE ACTION: Help Restore the Health and Beauty of our National Parks and Wilderness Areas
Our parks are shrouded in haze-- similar air pollution cuts short the lives of more than 30,000 Americans each year, according to an analysis done by Abt Associates. Tell EPA Administrator Christine Whitman to finalize the Haze Rule, to reduce air pollution and restore visibility in our treasured national parks and wilderness areas. Please visit https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/cleanair/index.jsp to send an official public comment.
To read the Abt Associates Report, please go to: https://www.pirg.org/reports/enviro/dirty_power/
To find out more about our Clean Air Program, please go to: https://www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/
"This is a forest. It is just a very, very young forest."
- Plum Creek Timber Company spokeswoman Kris Russell, on clear-cutting a section of the Lewis and Clark trail
[1] Clear Cutting History
The Plum Creek Timber Company has destroyed a priceless artifact by clear-cutting a section of land along the Lewis and Clark Trail. Instead of selling the land to the U.S. Forest Service, it only sold the government a 15-foot easement allowing public access. The clear-cutting of the lodgepole pine forest sheltering a portion of the famous trail near Lolo Pass, Montana has stripped the land of its historic aura and beautiful setting.
To learn how you can help protect the Lewis and Clark Trail, please go to: https://www.sierraclub.org/lewisandclark/
[2] Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and Hype
In early August, the Sierra Club released a new report that examines how the federal government and the logging industry have exacerbated risks of catastrophic fires, and what the U.S. can do to protect our homes and restore fire's natural role to our forests. The report, Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and Hype, delves into the natural benefits of fires, outlines the threats to our forests, and presents solutions to protect homes, defuse fire threats and restore our forests' health.
The report has grabbed some attention. The New York Times featured an opinion column based on the report. To read the column, please go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/22/opinion/22KITT.html
To read the report, please go to: https://www.sierraclub.org/logging/report01/.
[3] TAKE ACTION: Stop Anti-Environmental Fast-Track Trade Legislation
The Sierra Club and its allies scored an important, but temporary, victory in July, forcing the House Republican leadership to delay a vote on anti-environmental "fast track" trade legislation. But the fight isn't over yet.
When Congress returns after Labor Day, House Republican leaders and their big-business lobbyists will try again to jam this bill through Congress. If they succeed, the Bush administration could use fast track to expand NAFTA provisions that allow foreign corporations to file lawsuits if they feel that protections for our air, water and land interfere with their profits.
To win in September, we must urge members of the U.S. House of Representatives to oppose this "fast track" bill now.
Let your representative know how you feel, by sending them a letter at https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/trade/index.jsp
[4] Sierra Club Puts Michigan Factory Farms on Notice
The Sierra Club sent letters to ninety-two (92) of Michigan's largest animal factories "strongly recommending" that they apply for water quality permits from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ),otherwise they may be at risk for fines and enforcement action for violations of the Clean Water Act. The Sierra Club mailed the informational letters to twenty-seven (27) of Michigan's largest dairies and sixty-five (65) of Michigan's largest swine animal factories that the organization believes may be required to obtain water quality permits under state and/or federal pollution laws.
For more information on how you can protect our air and drinking water from pollution from factory farms, go to: https://www.sierraclub.org/factoryfarms/
"People look at that and say, isn't that progress? It's a million-dollar home. I think it's a disaster." - Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening, quoted in the Washington Post, pointing at a mansion built on a site along the state's southern coast that once was a wetland.
[1] TAKE ACTION: Stop Bush Administration from Delaying Clean Water Rule
The Bush administration has proposed delaying the implementation of clean water regulations that would address runoff pollution from agriculture and other sources. The Sierra Club believes that the proposed 18-month delay may be part of a broader effort by the administration to weaken the Clean Water Act. As many as 218 million Americans live within ten miles of a polluted lake, river, stream or coastal area. In addition, 40 percent of the nation's assessed waters are still unsafe for fishing, swimming or supporting aquatic life. To address these water pollution concerns, the Sierra Club believes that the original effective date of the regulations should be honored.
To send a public comment, please visit https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/cleanwater/index10.jsp
[2] VICTORY!: D.C. Health Department Steps Up to the Plate
After 12 years of ignoring community pleas for a scientific health assessment of the Washington D.C. neighborhood near the PEPCO power plant, the D.C. Department of Health is taking action. On August 14, the health department asked the Center for Disease Control to investigate health concerns in the River Terrace neighborhood.
The timing was no coincidence: At a press conference the next day, 40 neighborhood residents released the results of their own study, detailing rates of cancer, asthma and cancer three to five times the national average. Sierra Club D.C. Chapter Chair Danilo Pelletiere participated, along with representatives from the American Cancer Society and the Ward 8 Coalition.
To learn more about the Sierra Club's environmental justice program, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/
[3] NOTES FROM THE FIELD: New Mexico
While President George Bush mingled at a $1000-a-plate fundraiser at a Sheraton in Albuquerque, N.M., on August 15, 75 protestors rallied in the REI parking lot across the street. The group, which included the Sierra Club, New Mexico PIRG and New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, marched and voiced their opposition to Bush's energy plan. A 25-foot blow-up SUV and an activist with a bear costume and a sign reading "Bush's policies are killing me" drew cameras and helped the protests make it onto two television stations and a radio station.
Jennifer de Garmo, organizer in the Texas/Arkansas field office, said, "We got covered because we were so many groups, all of us [opposed to] Bush's energy policy. It was very effective."
To find out what's happening in your state, click on the "My Backyard" section at https://www.sierraclub.org/.
[4] TIPS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: E-Files Offers Advice on Living Green
Wondering how to lure swallowtails to your garden or seeking investments to appease your social conscience? The E-Files, a new feature on the Sierra Club Web site offers articles on everything from bicycle commuting to choosing environmental movies for kids. Other features highlight the controversy surrounding John Muir's birthplace and the scenic legacy of Highway 66.
Check it out at https://www.sierraclub.org/e-files/
NEXT PAGE -->
|
| * * * IN-HOUSE RESOURCES * * * |
|---|