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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
March 21, 2001
``I look forward to continuing our fight for cleaner air and water,'' US Attorney General John Ashcroft (3/21)
Attorney General Ashcroft commenting on the Justice Departments settlement of a case against major oil companies. This statement comes after breaking a campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide emissions last week and the revoking of a rule to reduce the amount arsenic in drinking water water this week. The air and water don't appear to get getting cleaner any time soon.
ACTION ALERT: Arctic Refuge Threatened by Budget bill
From the Field:
1. Utah Wilderness Protectors
2. Oklahoma Pollution Watchers
3. Cincinnati Growing Beyond It's Means.
ACTION ALERT: Urge your Senators to Protect the Arctic Refuge from Oil Drilling
The debate over the fate of the Arctic Refuge is once again a hot issue in the press and before Congress. Using the country's recent energy problems, the Oil industry and its allies in Congress are pushing various bills to open the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling.
A major threat is a broad energy bill introduced by Senator Murkowski which contains Arctic drilling as its centerpiece. There will be a long series of hearings on his bill but no major action is expected until at least May. A more immediate threat to the Arctic is through the Federal Budget Bill process. President Bush's budget contains an assumption of revenue from potential Arctic drilling. Though the Budget Bill itself cannot authorize drilling, it creates the expectation that Congress will pass legislation to open the Refuge for development.
We faced this vote last year and narrowly lost the effort on the Senate floor to strip the drilling revenues from the bill by a vote of 49-51. Though we ultimately won the battle when the provision was deleted in conference, we have an excellent shot to win this vote on the Senate floor. The Senate is a "greener" body as a result of the elections, but it will take tremendous constituent pressure to overcome the influence of the powerful Alaska delegation and the oil industry lobby.
Please call your Senators and urge them to vote to protect the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling. We expect a vote on the Senate floor the first week of April. Arctic drilling is not the answer to our country's energy needs. We should not sacrifice this national treasure for less than six-month supply of oil.
1. Sierra Club Utah Wilderness Adopters finish another successful service outing - by Marc Heileson (UT Staff)
A large group of Sierra Club Wilderness Adopters, including Adopters from Sierra Student Coalition contingents of Utah State and Brigham Young Universities, along with some UWC coalition friends traveled to areas of BLM proposed wilderness last weekend of the San Rafael Swell. The S.R. Swell is becoming THE hot spot for motorcycle and ORV abuse to proposed wilderness.
Our volunteers constructed three major buck&rail fences to block vehicle access to the proposed San Rafael Reef Wilderness Unit. In addition, volunteers completed rehabilitation work to destructive dirt bike vandalism tracks created earlier that week. (Over the winter the BLM posted signs of "sensitive vegetation areas" to protect crypto-biotic soils. This group of motorcycles maliciously tracked up these areas and spun "doughnut circles" around the signs themselves)
The Adopter project was conducted during the time that this BLM office has been feeling overwhelmed by an increased work load and large budget cuts. The BLM employees present explained how frustrated they have been recently and how much they genuinely appreciated this volunteer help from the environmental community. I hope that this project will go a long way this year, for the San Rafael Swell is going to be very controversial. We plan to keep doing more volunteers projects with the BLM this campaign year.
This outing also resulted in key relationship building between Sierra Club Adopters and BLM law enforcement officers of the area. The BLM seems very excited to coordinate our efforts of Adopter volunteers reporting damage with BLM law enforcement of off-road vehicles. We are looking forward to helping out.
2. Sierra Club asks attorney general to look into hog farm pollution by Jeannine Hale (OK Staff)
The Oklahoma chapter of the Sierra Club wants Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson to investigate state agriculture officials, claiming they have failed to enforce pollution laws regarding hog and chicken farms and have put the state's citizens at risk.
Sierra Club lobbyist Keith Smith said a study of Agriculture Department records shows that 65 percent of wells sampled by the Agriculture Department have above-normal levels of pollution, but that no action is shown to have been taken on the matter.
Keith also said the agency knew about 3,000 pigs that were left in an unlined pit and creek beds at a Cimarron Pork facility in Logan County, which was the subject of an investigation by federal environmental officials.
"The end result is that the agency watches and takes notes while animal feces and urine continue to pour into Oklahoma's environment."
He said the Department of Environmental Quality would be the more appropriate regulator of pollution at chicken and hog farms, since part of the Agriculture Department's job is to promote the farms.
3. Cincinnati Population Explosion
The population of Cincinnati and many of Northern Kentucky's old, river bank communities dispersed across the entire region by the thousands in the 1990s, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census. And new residents settled farther from the region's aging core.
Areas of growth - the fastest anywhere in either Ohio or Kentucky - completely encircle Cincinnati. Kentucky's Boone County led the region and all of Kentucky with a 49.3 percent jump, topping out the decade at 85,991 people. Warren County, at the other end of the region, led Ohio by rising 39 percent to 158,383 residents. It gained more than 44,000 people, the most of any county in the area.
Urban planners have concerns about the hidden costs of expanding so quickly and leaving behind vast tracts of inner-city neighborhoods. As people move further out, they require ever greater public resources such as transportation routes, police protection and schools. Areas left behind have the infrastructure but fewer taxpayers to support it.
Greater Cincinnati ranks among the worst cities in the nation for sprawl, said Glen Brand, Cincinnati director for the Sierra Club. But Glen says the culprit isn't more people -- it's generations of poor planning and the building of new highways.
''We're sacrificing our greenspace to make new communities while we're abandoning our old communities,'' said Catherine Hartman, president of the Smart Growth Coalition, a non-profit organization fighting against Greater Cincinnati's sprawl.
"After eight long years, I wake up every morning with a smile on my face because of all the opportunities before us."
House Republican Whip Tom DeLay on how successful the GOP has been in pushing the corporate agenda (Wall Street Journal, 3/15)
Table of Contents:
1. Special Alert -- Campaign Finance Reform Debate began today
2. Special Alert II -- Rescuing the Great Bear Rainforest
3. From the Field -- Miami-Dade County Sues US Government over Homestead Airport
1. Call your Senator about Campaign Finance Reform
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001 (better known as the McCain Feingold bill) was introduced in the U.S. Senate for debate today. S.27 includes a ban on "soft money", the unregulated and unlimited contributions to political parties,from special interests that are often used to pressure politicians into weakening environmental laws such as the Clean Air and Water Acts.
You can help by calling your Senator and urging him or her to support bill S-27 for Campaign Finance Reform, and oppose amendments that weaken the bill, such as increases in individual contributions and paycheck protection.
For further information, please contact: Deanna White, Deputy Political Director, (202)547-1141, deanna.white@sierraclub.org or check the Sierra Club website.
2. Rescuing the Great Bear Rainforest - From a Distance
WE NEED YOU to help save the Great Bear Rainforest, a global treasure. Just south of the Alaskan panhandle lies British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest. It is a rare and irreplaceable jewel, featuring breathtaking fjords, inlets, islands, glacial mountains and untouched ancient rainforest watersheds rich with salmon, grizzly bears and the rare white Spirit Bear. It is also home to eleven Coastal First Nations. We need your help to protect it before March 30th, 2001, when important land use decisions will be made by the government.
This is a global treasure, a legacy for all of us. Save the Great Bear Rainforest now and know its safe for you, your children and your grandchildren.
The Sierra Club of BC and other environmental organizations, First Nations, logging companies, and communities are currently working on conservation solutions that desperately need the support of British Columbia's Government.
Please flood British Columbia's Premier, Ujjal Dosanjh,with letters and phone calls showing your support for conservation solutions for the Great Bear Rainforest. Let the Premier know that you support key conservation measures put forth by the Sierra Club of BC. The Premier must recognize that the eyes of the world and international markets are watching how British Columbians will manage this endangered trust.
We know that there is overwhelming public support for a solutions-oriented approach. Now is the time to get British Columbia's government on side. Play a key role, make this happen, take action and make your voice heard.
Call or fax the Premier! Outside British Columbia call 1-250-387-1715. Or check out our faxable website at https://www.savethegreatbear.org.
Or send a letter to: Honorable Premier Ujjal Dosanjh Parliament Buildings Victoria, B.C. Canada V8V-1X4
3. From the Field
Miami-Dade County Sues US Government over Homestead Airport
According to newspaper reports, Miami-Dade County filed suit against the federal government on Friday. The suit is over an decision by the U.S. Air Force that prevents the conversion of Homestead Air Force Base into a new commercial airport.
The County charges that the decision of the Air Force to reverse an earlier decision that would have allowed the development of the new airport violated the Base Closure and Administrative Procedure. The County's suit also maintains that the Air Force misinterpreted environmental impact statements that claim that the proposed airport would not harm the nearby national parks.
The Sierra Club and other environmental groups have opposed the airport over concerns about it's impact on National Parks and urban sprawl.
"You can call this 'second thought week' for the Bush administration. The more second thoughts they have, the more second thoughts I've got." - Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, S.D., regarding the administration's reversal on carbon dioxide emissions and potential increases in the proposed $1.6 trillion tax-cut package
Table of Contents:
1. Featured Action: Protect the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling
2. Protect and restore National Forests
3. Hold President Bush to his campaign promise
4. Speak out against international family planning restrictions
1. Urge your Senators to Protect the Arctic Refuge from Oil Drilling
The debate over the fate of the Arctic Refuge is once again a hot issue in the press and before Congress. Using the country's recent energy problems, the Oil industry and its allies in Congress are pushing various bills to open the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling.
A major threat is a broad energy bill introduced by Senator Murkowski which contains Arctic drilling as its centerpiece. There will be a long series of hearings on his bill but no major action is expected until at least May. A more immediate threat to the Arctic is through the Federal Budget Bill process. President Bush's budget contains an assumption of revenue from potential Arctic drilling. Though the Budget Bill itself cannot authorize drilling, it creates the expectation that Congress will pass legislation to open the Refuge for development.
We faced this vote last year and narrowly lost the effort on the Senate floor to strip the drilling revenues from the bill by a vote of 49-51. Though we ultimately won the battle when the provision was deleted in conference, we have an excellent shot to win this vote on the Senate floor. The Senate is a "greener" body as a result of the elections, but it will take tremendous constituent pressure to overcome the influence of the powerful Alaska delegation and the oil industry lobby.
Please call your Senators and urge them to vote to protect the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling. We expect a vote on the Senate floor the first week of April. Arctic drilling is not the answer to our country's energy needs. We should not sacrifice this national treasure for less than six-month supply of oil.
2. Protect and Restore Our National Forests - Commercial logging destroys wildlife habitat, degrades recreation opportunities, impacts our clean water sources and wastes taxpayer money. It is time to stop the subsidies of forest destruction and invest in forest restoration. Please call your Representative and Senators through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to support full protection of our National Forests from logging and road building. Urge your friends and neighbors to do the same! You can more information on the Sierra Club website at www.sierraclub.org/logging
For more information call Mitzi Emrich at (202) 547-1141.
3. Tell President George W. Bush to follow through on his Campaign Pledge to Regulate Carbon Dioxide Pollution.
President George W. Bush yesterday broke his campaign promise to curb carbon dioxide pollution, the primary gas causing global warming. In a Sept. 29, 2000 campaign speech in Saginaw, Michigan, Bush pledged to curb carbon dioxide pollution. President Bush rejected the advice of EPA Administrator Christie Whitman and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to keep his campaign pledge and consider the long-term consequences. Carbon dioxide accounts for about 70% of the global warming problem. The U.S. is the world's biggest global warming polluter, spewing 25% of the planet's global warming pollution; one-third of our emissions come from power plants. So the President's refusal to impose mandatory carbon dioxide cuts will have severe consequences on our nation and the world.
Take Action:
Send a message to President Bush. Tell him to reconsider his decision not to regulate carbon dioxide. Go to: https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/globalwarming/index.jsp
For further information, please contact Alex Veitch, Sierra Club Global Warming & Energy Program, Tel: 202 547-1141, alex.veitch@sierraclub.org
4. Urge Bush to Reinstate Support for International Family Planning
Only two days after his inaugural address, President Bush dealt a blow to international family planning programs by reinstating the global gag rule. The global gag rule restricts international family planning organizations that receive U.S. funds. When couples have access to unrestricted, comprehensive family planning services, they tend to choose to have smaller, healthier families. By having smaller families, we can ease the demand for water and arable land, preserve biodiversity and vital habitat, and limit pollution - improving the prospects for a healthy environment.
Tell President Bush you disagree and ask him to fully support these programs in the future. For more information, go to: https://www.sierraclub/takeaction/population/index.asp
For further information, contact Laurie Mignone, Global Population and Environment Program, 202-547-1141, laurie.mignone@sierraclub.org
"If you are thinking one year ahead, sow seed. If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people." -Chinese proverb
Table of Contents:
1. Special Alert -- Tell President Bush to Keep His Promise on Global Warming Pollution
2. Special Alert II -- Campaign Finance Reform Debate Begins Next Week
3. From the Field -- Major Newspapers in Los Angeles and Minneapolis Promote Progressive Politics and New Ideas
1. Tell President George W. Bush to follow through on his Campaign Pledge to Regulate Carbon Dioxide Pollution.
President George W. Bush yesterday broke his campaign promise to curb carbon dioxide pollution, the primary gas causing global warming. In a Sept. 29, 2000 campaign speech in Saginaw, Michigan, Bush pledged to curb carbon dioxide pollution. President Bush rejected the advice of EPA Administrator Christie Whitman and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to keep his campaign pledge and consider the long-term consequences. Carbon dioxide accounts for about 70% of the global warming problem. The U.S. is the world's biggest global warming polluter, spewing 25% of the planet's global warming pollution; one-third of our emissions come from power plants. So the President's refusal to impose mandatory carbon dioxide cuts will have severe consequences on our nation and the world. Take Action: Send a message to President Bush. Tell him to reconsider his decision not to regulate carbon dioxide. Go to: https://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/globalwarming/index.jsp
For further information, please contact Alex Veitch, Sierra Club Global Warming & Energy Program, Tel: 202 547-1141, alex.veitch@sierraclub.org
2. Send a Letter to the Editor on Campaign Finance Reform.
Debate begins next week on the McCain Feingold bill.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001 (better known as the McCain Feingold bill) will be introduced in the U.S. Senate for debate on Monday, March 19. S.27 includes a ban on "soft money", the unregulated and unlimited contributions to political parties, and will be a strong first step towards real reform. Every Senator's vote is crucial!
Please write a letter to the editor for your local newspapers. Do it right away so that the Senators are hearing from us as the debate is going on.
To find a current list of cosponsors of S. 27, please check https://thomas.loc.gov/
Thanks for your help. If you have any questions, please contact Deanna White at deanna.white@sierraclub.org
Today's political arena is polluted by large dirty money contributions from anti-environmental special interests. Polluting industries wage multi-million dollar campaigns to influence who runs for office, who gets elected, and what issues dominate the political agenda. In the last election cycle, polluting industries gave more than $60 million in political donations. The McCain-Feingold bill (S. 27) offers an opportunity to clean up politics and keep dirty money out of the system.
This year, McCain-Feingold has strong bipartisan support and a record number of cosponsors. Despite widespread public support in favor of campaign finance reform, special interests still have the ear of many Senators. The most dangerous challenge to this historic legislation comes in the form of amendments. Potential amendments could increase individual contributions and undermine the very essence of the bill or insert provisions that would force Senators to withdraw their support and collapse its bipartisan base.
3. From the Field
Progressive Politics Develop in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, with its economic disparities, ethnic diversity, and sprawling geography, is making more headway in progressive politics than any other U.S. city. As a recent OpEd by Peter Dreier and Gottlieb in the Los Angeles Times demonstrates, a new progressive movement is forming, and political forces are converging, in L.A. today.
One example of this activism is in regard to the housing issue in the city. Recently, leaders of the Sierra Club have joined in coalition with major labor unions, churches, immigrant-service groups, community organizations, senior citizen groups, nonprofit developers, and tenant groups. This coalition of activists is working to devise a strategy to bring Los Angeles' severe housing shortage to the center of the political spectrum.
This new generation of grassroots leaders, including the Sierra Club, recognizes the importance of forming coalitions to address the city's problems. These advocacy groups realize it is essential to identify a clear alternative agenda along with a winning political strategy.
Star Tribune Editorial Supports Minnesota State Green Purchasing Initiative
A Green Government initiative introduced recently in the Minnesota state legislature and supported by the North Star (Minnesota) Chapter of the Sierra Club earned praise and an endorsement this week from the editorial page of Minnesota's largest newspaper, the Star Tribune. The editorial pointed out that since state governments contribute significantly to local and regional economies, state government purchases guidelines "can have a very large impact" on the impacts of the economy on the environment.
According to the editorial, the Minnesota initiative, sponsored by State Sen. John Hottinger and State Rep. Phyllis Kahn, would "accelerate the purchase of recycled paper products... encourage more purchases of super-efficient gasoline/electric hybrid cars, and require more use of ethanol and soybean-derived 'biodiesel' in state vehicles." The legislation would also help protect public lands statewide, encourage recycling of old computers, and encourage "green building" materials and techniques in construction projects.
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