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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
April 23
"This is the worst environmental administration in the history of America." - U.S. Representative Peter Deutsch (D-FL)
(1)EARTH DAY: Sierra Club Crashes the Bush Administration's Party
(2)FREE SPEECH: Energy Company Seizes Sierra Club "Propaganda"
(3)ENVIRONMENTAL HEROES: Present and Future
(4)TAKE ACTION: The Fight for Clean Energy Continues
1. Sierra Club Crashes the Bush Administration's Earth Day Party
The Bush administration hoped to use a few carefully choreographed photo-ops on Earth Day to obscure fifteen months of attacks on the environment. But things didn't go quite as planned. The President came to New York's Adirondacks to tout his "Clear Skies" initiative, which would weaken the Clean Air Act and do little to cut pollution. He was met by a throng of activists from Sierra Club and other groups, who demanded real solutions on clean energy and clean air.
Meanwhile down in the Florida Everglades, Club members gave Interior Secretary Gail Norton a rousing welcome. Norton was there to highlight a federal program designed to control an invasive species, but activists, some dressed as oil drums, made sure the focus was squarely on her many attempts to open up public lands for development. Here's hoping that next Earth Day Bush and Norton will have some real environmental accomplishments to promote.
For more information on the Bush administration's misleading Earth Day photo-ops, go to
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31014-2002Apr22.html AND: https://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/community/states/florida/counties/broward_county/3118377.htm
2. Energy Company Seizes Sierra Club "Propaganda"
Here's one for the "What Happened to the First Amendment?" department: Security guards at Xcel Energy's annual meeting last week confiscated Sierra Club press releases and other materials from reporters. Xcel's chief executive described the materials as "inflammatory" and "dangerous".
In fact, the offending documents merely called on Xcel to invest in renewable energy, and urged it to stop buying power from a Canadian company whose environmental practices have devastated a large portion of Manitoba province. Xcel has also come under fire from clean air advocates for its dirty, coal-fired power plants. No wonder they're a little touchy!
For more information on efforts to make Xcel clean up its act, go to https://www.citypages.com/databank/23/1102/article10074.asp
3. Environmental Heroes, Present and Future
Eight defenders of the earth were given the recognition they richly deserve last week, when the Goldman Environmental Prize announced its winners for this year. The three North American winners were leaders of the Gwi'ichin tribe, who were instrumental in saving the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling. They were joined by environmentalists from Poland, Somalia, Puerto Rico, Guyana, and Thailand, who worked on issues from saving family farms to protecting coastal ecosystems.
The May 18th deadline to nominate someone for next year's award is just around the corner. So if you know any environmental heroes you think might be deserving of the "Nobel Prize for the Environment", contact Sam Parry (sam.parry@sierraclub.org). But remember: the process is confidential, so make sure not to tell the nominee!
For more information on the Goldman Prize, go to https://www.goldmanprize.org
4. The Fight for Clean Energy Continues
The clean energy quest has taken some interesting twists and turns in the Senate. First, Senators caved to industry pressure and refused to make our cars and trucks go further on a gallon of gas by raising fuel economy standards. But then they partially redeemed themselves, voting to protect the pristine Arctic Refuge from oil drilling. Now they'll get another shot on fuel economy when a bipartisan measure sponsored by Senators Carper and Specter comes to the floor this week. And they should oppose an amendment that would make it easier for companies to avoid investing in clean renewable energy. You can help make sure this story has a happy ending.
Contact your senators and urge them to support the Carper-Specter amendment, and oppose the Nickles amendment. Click below to send an email directly to your senators:
https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=158&st=curr
"The next thing you know, they'll be saying drilling in the Arctic Refuge is the only way to bring back Oprah's book club"
Senator Joe Lieberman, Arctic champion
(1)WILD LANDS: Arctic Drilling off the Table!
(2)STUDENT ACTIVISM: Budding Activists Hone Their Skills in the Desert
(3)SIERRA CLUB PRODUCTIONS: Ansel Adams - A Documentary Film
(4)TAKE ACTION: Save National Parks and Wildlands from Millions of Miles of Roads
1. Arctic Drilling off the Table!
What a win! Years of organizing, lobbying, blood, sweat, and tears paid off today, when the Senate rejected a proposal to drill in the Arctic Refuge. Drilling advocates resorted to a string of desperate schemes to push their proposal through, but lawmakers saw through their tricks. 54 senators stood up to heavy pressure from big oil and the Bush administration, and voted to safeguard one of our greatest national treasures.
The current energy bill is still a far cry from what America needs for a clean energy future, so the fight isn't over yet. But today's vote - which is due to the tireless efforts of environmentalists across the country, who refused to let the oil industry plunder this unique area - is a victory we can all be proud of.
To see the Sierra Club's response to the big news, go to https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0204&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=2054
If this link does not work for you, click on the link for Senate Scores Great Victory By Protecting Arctic Refuge at: https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A1=ind0204&L=ce-scnews-releases
2. Budding Activists Hone Their Skills in the Desert
Sierra Club is helping to create the next generation of environmental leaders. Thirty students - Anglo and Native American, high school and college - came together to discuss public lands and tribal issues at a Sierra Student Coalition training academy in southern New Mexico. The weekend was designed to give these young activists new skills and contacts to make their work even better.
Eight of the participants were young Hopi and Navajo activists who are working to protect the sole source of water for Native Americans living on Black Mesa in Arizona. These hot-shot organizers recently held a concert to publicize their efforts - and 800 people showed up! Others are right now forming a state-wide high school environmental network. Looks like the environmental movement is in good hands for the future!
For more information on the Sierra Student Coalition, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/spotlight/ssc/index.asp
3. Sierra Club Productions Presents: Ansel Adams - A Documentary Film
Sierra Club Productions provides all the T.V. viewing you need! Earlier this week they gave us a wonderful feature on one family's trip around the world by boat. (You can still catch that tonite if you missed it - see below.) Now they're bringing us a stunning biography of legendary photographer, and long-time Sierra Club board member and friend, Ansel Adams. It'll be on PBS this Sunday, April 21st, at 9pm (check your local listings).
This beautiful film explores the meaning and legacy of Adams' life and work, within the context of the great themes that so fascinated him: the beauty and fragility of "the American earth", the inseparable bond between humankind and nature, and the moral obligation owed by our present to our future. It's rare to find such inspiring and important television. Mark your calendar for Sunday night.
For more information on this tribute to a Sierra Club hero, go to https://sierraclub.org/ansel_adams/documentarydetails.asp
For details on the Ciszek's around-the-world sailing adventure, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/scp/thepassage/index.asp
4. Take Action! Save National Parks and Wildlands from Millions of Miles of Roads
The Arctic may have been saved from drilling, but paving is still a threat for many national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas. The Bush administration has proposed a dangerous rule that would make it easier for state and local governments to build roads on public lands. Already, states and municipalities are scheming to roll in the bulldozers for millions of miles of new roads in Alaska, Utah, California, and other states!
The Bureau of Land Management, which is behind this move, is accepting comments from the public until April 23rd. Urge them to withdraw this destructive rule. Just click below to send an email directly to the BLM: https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=155&st=curr
"When more than 200 highly respected scientists agree that logging our National Forests is detrimental to the environment, wildlife and the economy, we hope the Bush Administration listens" Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director
(1)ENERGY: Saying No to Nuclear Waste
(2)WILD LANDS: Protect our National Forests, Say Scientists
(3)SIERRA CLUB PRODUCTIONS: Traveling the Seven Seas with Sierra Club - on T.V.
(4)TAKE ACTION: Arctic Drilling - The Vote is On!
1. Saying 'No' to Nuclear Waste
Sierra Club joined top lawmakers and activists from around the country at a sweltering rally at the capitol today. They urged Congress to stand up for public health and the environment by rejecting a dangerous plan to transport thousands of tons of radioactive nuclear waste across the country, then store it at Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
Nuclear waste would travel through 44 states on its way to Yucca, creating the potential for horrifying accidents, or a terrorist attack, on our roads and rails. Nevada has already vetoed the scheme. Congress will now decide, and a vote is expected in the next few months. Lawmakers should listen to the crowd of concerned citizens who came from across the country and gathered in the heat outside the capitol today. They should protect Americans' health by voting 'no' on Yucca Mountain.
For more information on the dangers of nuclear waste, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/
2. Protect our National Forests, Say Scientists
Take it from the experts: our forests need to be protected, not logged. Over 200 scientists from every state in the nation signed a letter to President Bush today, urging him to end commercial logging of our National Forests. The list included a Pulitzer Prize winner, and a recipient of the President's National Medal of Science.
Since taking office, the current administration has tried to pay back its contributors in the timber industry by weakening many of the key initiatives that safeguard our forests. But when 200 leading scientists weigh in on the importance of protecting our forests for water quality, wildlife, recreation, and the economy, even the President might want to listen.
For more information on the scientists' letter, go to https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/16/science/16LOGG.html
To read a copy of the letter and a complete list of its signers, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/logging/letter
3. Traveling the Seven Seas with Sierra Club - on T.V.
Set sail with Sierra Club and the Ciszek family! Check out this intrepid band of six as they travel the globe by boat. Sierra Club Productions is presenting their cruise as a reality T.V. series. The Ciszek's maiden voyage sets sail today in the Queen Charlotte Islands.
You can catch it on the National Geographic Channel on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week at 7pm and 10pm EST. Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for news on this family's big trip.
For more information on the trip, go to https://sierraclub.org/scp/thepassage/index.asp
4. Arctic Drilling - The Vote Is On!
At last the months and years of waiting, watching, and guessing are over. Senator Frank Murkowski introduced his amendment to drill the Arctic at 3pm today, with a vote expected Thursday. Knowing that he needed to dress up his proposal to destroy the pristine refuge for six months worth of oil, Murkowski added some wrinkles:
The amendment would allow the President to open the refuge "in the interest of national security". There's a few other cute tricks in there, but none of them masks the fact that this legislation would destroy the crown jewel of our nation's wildlands for six months worth of oil. Now's not the time to relax: contact your senators and urge them, one last time, to protect the Arctic refuge!v Call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224 3121 and ask for your senators. Then click below to send an email to them directly: https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=143&st=curr
"(Pro-drilling Senator Frank) Murkowski said...that oil "is a weapon of war." Does that mean higher CAFE standards are Cipro?" - From today's Hotline
(1)ENERGY: It's Official - Enviros were an Afterthought to Energy Policy
(2)CLEAN WATER: GE Pledges Cooperation on Hudson Cleanup
(3)EARTH DAY: Sierra Club Presents a Night at the Movies
(4)TAKE ACTION: Drilling Proponents are Getting Tricky
1. It's Official: Enviros were an Afterthought in Energy Policy
It's almost insulting! The latest round of energy documents to come to light show that the task force's attempt to include input from green groups came down to this: a cursory round of phone calls just 48 hours before the deadline. And it gets worse - energy department staff had orders to only include recommendations that already jibed with the task force's pollution-heavy policy.
There is an alternative to the administration's dirty, dangerous energy plan. The National Energy Policy Initiative, an independent, non-partisan group of senior energy policy experts, has created a set of recommendations focusing on efficiency and clean energy sources. At a time when politicians can't agree to do anything meaningful to reduce our consumption of oil, maybe we need to start looking for new ideas.
For more information on the latest round of energy documents, go to https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/11/politics/11CHEN.html
For more information on the National Energy Policy Initiative, go to https://www.nepinitiative.org
2. GE Pledges Cooperation on Hudson Cleanup
Looks like even GE realizes the game is up. After years of foot-dragging and a multi-million dollar PR campaign, they've finally agreed to help clean up the Hudson. The company announced Tuesday that it would begin collecting polluted soil from the river bed as early as this summer.
The company had dumped thousands of PCBs into the once-pristine river, making it unfit for swimming and fishing, and severely damaging its delicate ecosystem. In February, the EPA responded to pressure from concerned citizens - and environmentalists led by the Sierra Club - by ordering a full cleanup, with GE footing the bill. There's a long way to go, but New Yorkers may once again be able to enjoy one of the north east's environmental treasures.
For more information on GE's pledge to cooperate, go to https://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/04/04092002/ap_46881.asp
3. Sierra Club Presents a Night at the Movies
Lights, camera, take action! The Sierra Club's Ohio Chapter got set for Earth Week in style last night: they teamed up with the Cincinnati Film society to host a screening of "Rising Waters", a film about global warming. This was followed by a panel discussion on climate change, featuring the film-maker, a local university professor, and the chapter's energy chair.
120 people packed the theater, twice as many as usually show up for movies there. In fact, the film society was so impressed by the turn-out, they've invited Sierra Club to make the event even bigger and better next year, by putting on a whole series of eco-films to mark Earth Day. Anyone have any suggestions? And who's bringing the popcorn?
4. Drilling Proponents are Getting Tricky
Realizing that the Senate won't pass their plan to destroy the Arctic Refuge for six months worth of oil, advocates of Alaskan drilling have resorted to a desperate and cynical strategy. They're using blackmail, offering written promises of support for steel-worker pensions, in exchange for votes from steel-state senators on...you guessed it...Arctic drilling.
Contact your senators immediately and let them know you're onto this scheme. Urge them to resist any attempt to link the Arctic to steel-worker pensions, and tell them not to destroy one of our greatest environmental treasures for six months worth of oil. Call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224 3121, and ask for your senators. Then click below to send them an email directly.
https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=143&st=curr
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