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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
August 1
"Americans breathe cleaner air today than they did 30 years ago because the Clean Air Act cracked down on polluters. We need to strengthen this safeguard, not dismantle it." Carl Pope Sierra Club Executive Director
(1)CLEAN AIR: Smoke and Mirrors
(2)WILDLANDS: Caring for America? You be the Judge
(3)TRANSPORTATION: Local Projects are a Mixed Bag
(4)TAKE ACTION: Hold your Representative Accountable on Free Trade
1. Smoke and Mirrors on Clean Air
The Bush administration this week introduced its ineffective attempt to deal with air pollution. The "Clear Skies" bill, which would weaken the Clean Air Act and ease the rules for irresponsible, polluting corporations, was met with a barrage of criticism. It would do nothing to reduce emissions of poisonous, asthma-triggering gases, and doesn't even address carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas!
There is a better way. Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) has introduced the Clean Power Act as a responsible alternative. Jeffords' approach treats carbon dioxide as the pollutant it is, and clamps down on old power plants that should have been cleaned up years ago. Most important, it keeps the Clean Air Act - a landmark environmental accomplishment that enjoys broad support - as strong as ever. America's families deserve a clean future. "Clear Skies" won't do the job.
For more information on the "Clear Skies" sham, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/action/clear_skies.asp
2. Caring for America? You be the Judge
The latest pitiful attempt by the Bush administration to paint itself green puts two teams of hikers in the service of a novel PR stunt. In scenes beamed live over the Internet yesterday, one group set off from Las Cruces, New Mexico, the other from Great Falls, Montana. They'll meet up in Salt Lake City, having travelled 1500 miles each, entirely on public lands. The trip is designed to highlight the natural beauty and spiritual value of America's public lands.
It's a worthy goal (and you've sure got to hand it to the White House for creative thinking!). But the facts tell a different story about the Bush administration's priorities: in the last 18 months, they've tried to open up our national forests to logging and mining, threatened our national monument lands with destructive development, and of course, targeted the Arctic Refuge for oil drilling. Sometimes actions speak louder than words.
For more information on the threat to our public lands, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/
3. Local Transit Projects are a Mixed Bag
How would you rather get to work? By sitting in traffic for an hour while adding to local air pollution, or by using clean, reliable public transportation? A new Sierra Club map released this week puts that question front and center. It looks at 49 new transportation projects in communities across the country, highlighting the best and worst for easing traffic congestion, fighting sprawl, and cutting air pollution.
There are some bright spots: the cities of Richmond, VA and Denver, CO are turning their old downtown train stations into modern transportation hubs, while the innovative "Flexcar" program lets sporadic commuters in Portland, OR share cars between them. But the out-dated reliance on the automobile is represented by massive new highway projects in Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina. Public officials take note: providing real transportation choices means more than letting commuters pick which highway they're going to sit in traffic on.
To see the Sierra Club's Sprawl Map, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/report02/
4. Take Action to Hold Your Representative Accountable on Free Trade
Okay - the bad news is, the House of Representatives caved to big business last week by passing fast track trade legislation. That'll help the Bush administration pass more global trade deals that threaten the environment. Now here's the good news:
You can let your representative know you took note of how they voted. If they stood up to the big corporations and opposed fast track, thank them. If they caved, tell them you'll expect them to do better next time. Either way, it'll send the message that their constituents don't want trade agreements that run roughshod over the environment. First, click below to find out how your representative voted. https://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2002&rollnumber=370
Then call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224 3121. Ask for your representative. Deliver the message. Help keep international trade clean, green, and fair.
"I think our people look real good arm-in-arm with the Sierra Club." Max Schumake, a Texas rancher who is part of a coalition of ranchers, loggers, and environmentalists formed to protect local forest land
(1)COALITIONS: Strange Bedfellows
(2)SUPERFUND: Two-Hour Drill
(3)WILD FORESTS: Clear Thinking on Fires
(4)TAKE ACTION: For Cleaner Cars
1. Strange Bedfellows
Sierra Club has been making some new friends lately. In East Texas last week, we teamed up with ranchers, loggers, and local community members to protest plans to build a reservoir on forest land. Today, the Washington Post carries an opinion piece co-written by Sierra Club's Carl Pope, and Ed Crane, president of the conservative Cato Institute.
Crane's group, which advocates free market economic policies, sees eye-to-eye with environmentalists on the energy bill now in Congress. Both point out that the bill's giveaways to the polluting oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries are bad for the economy, bad for consumers, and bad for the environment. Members of Congress take note: when Sierra Club and the Cato Institute agree that something's a bad idea, you should probably scrap it!
To see the Sierra Club/Cato Institute joint opinion piece, go to https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18565-2002Jul29.html
2. Two-Hour Drill
At 12:30 last Friday afternoon, Rhode Island Sierra Club organizer Sarah Kite received an unexpected phone call. Kite learnt that EPA administrator Christie Whitman would be coming to her state to tout the Bush administration's Superfund program, which lets polluters off the hook and delays cleaning up dirty and dangerous toxic waste. Kite knew she had to get Club members to the event, to tell the press and public the truth about Superfund under Bush. The catch? It started in two hours.
The Rhode Island Chapter got busy. They alerted local environmental allies, got the word out to key volunteers, and hurriedly put together some materials for the press. The work paid off: signs reading "Make Polluters Pay" could be seen behind Whitman as she spoke, and Sierra Club got its message into the print and TV coverage of the event. Organizers may have tried to keep the appearance under wraps, but they found out that it's hard to keep a secret from Sierra Club!
To see how Sierra Club and allies rained on Christie Whitman's parade, go to https://www.pawtuckettimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4871682&BRD=1713&PAG=461&dept_id=24491&rfi=8
3. Some Clear Thinking on Fires
With accusations spreading like wildfire in the media, it's nice to know that some opinion leaders still check facts before pointing fingers. The New York Times today exposes the campaign by "the timber industry and opportunistic politicians to exploit the fires for commercial and ideological gain."
Having twisted the facts so as to blame environmentalists for the blazes, some western Republican senators are now trying to suspend crucial forest protections in order to permit logging on up to 24 million acres of national forest land. They claim to be protecting people and property from the threat of fire, but they're focusing on remote areas where no such threat exists. The real agenda: increasing logging of our national forests, and boosting the timber industry's bottom line. And that's the bottom line.
To see today's New York Times editorial, go to https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/30/opinion/30TUE2.html
4. Take Action for Cleaner Cars
Did you know that Americans consume 8 million barrels of oil a day? And the easiest way we could reduce that number - and cut global warming pollution - is to improve the fuel efficiency of the cars we drive. There's no question that Detroit has the know-how. Now they just need to see that Americans want to drive vehicles that save them money at the gas pump and cut pollution.
That's where you come in. Urge Bill Ford Jr., head of the Ford Motor Company, to give consumers what they want. Automakers don't need to stop making the large, comfortable SUVs that Americans like - they just need to use existing technology to make them go further on a gallon of gas.
Click below to send a message directly to Bill Ford Jr. There's a draft provided: https://whistler.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=169&st=curr
"It may not always be easy, convenient, or politically correct to stand for truth and right, but it is the right thing to do. Always." - M. Russell Ballard
(1)POLITICS: Michigans Get Excited Over Two Environmental Champions
(2)CONSUMER CULTURE: Beauty Products Are More Than Skin Deep
(3)TAKE ACTION: Protect Our Wild Forests
1. Michigans Get Excited Over Two Environmental Champions
Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope energized crowds across Michigan in support for pro-environment politicians. With the Ann Arbor Mayor by his side, Pope spoke to a crowd full of Sierra Club members in support for Lynn Rivers running for Congress. Competing in a close race against John Dingell, Sierra Club-endorsed Rivers has a consistent record of voting to defend the environment against polluters.
Pope later gave praise to David Bonior, who is running for governor, at a press conference in Detroit. With the help of Rhonda Anderson, a Sierra Club environmental justice organizer, the conference was a success with many community leaders, state politicians, and neighborhood members attending. Michigan Sierra Clubbers will be fighting for these two environmental champions!
For more information on Sierra Club endorsed candidates, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/politics/ .
2. Beauty Products Are More Than Skin Deep
Ladies - did you know that every morning when put on that fresh application of skin cream, you may be exposing your body to harmful industrial chemicals known as phthalates. This chemical is hidden in a plethora of products we use everyday such as deodorants, fragrances, hair spray and other consumer items that sink into our skin, damaging our organs and even unborn children. More disturbing, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continually allows companies to use this toxin in their products knowing the dangerous consequences to our bodies.
Fortunately, you can support responsible companies by purchasing their phthalate-free products. But you can also stand up for our bodies and babies by applying pressure on the FDA to ban this dangerous chemical. Tell them you refuse to choose between dainty nails and healthy children.
For more information on this dangerous chemical, go to https://www.NotTooPretty.org.
3. Take Action to Protect Our Wild Forests
The movement to protect our wild forests switches to the Senate this week. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Warner (R-VA) are sponsoring a bi-partisan bill which would make these areas off-limits to logging and road-building, leaving them for all Americans to enjoy. The measure would ensure that the popular Roadless Area Conservation Rule goes into effect.
But the bill needs more co-sponsors, and that's where you come in. Contact your senators and urge them to co-sponsor the Roadless Area Conservation Act. Americans want our last remaining wild forests protected.
Click below to send an email directly to your senators. There's a draft provided:
https://whistler.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=178&st=curr
"Restoring our National Forests will leave a legacy of clean air and water, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, and protection from flooding and catastrophic fires -- a wild heritage that is worth more than can be measured in two-by-fours." Excerpt from a Sierra Club report on forest restoration released today
(1)WILD FORESTS: New Report Offers Solutions on Forest Restoration
(2)GLOBAL WARMING: State Officials Get Heated
(3)CLEAN WATER: Media Buzz Leads to Swift Action
(4)TAKE ACTION: International Family Planning
1. New Report Offers Solutions on Forest Restoration
After decades of destructive logging and road-building activities, our National Forests are in serious disrepair. This summer's fires have only heated up the debate even further. But a new Sierra Club report released today resists pointing fingers. Instead, it offers proactive solutions for bringing silt-clogged trout streams back to life, stabilizing landslide-prone hillsides, and creating jobs for the environment.
'Restoring America's Forests: Protecting Habitat, Saving Streams and Generating Jobs in our National Forests' highlights the benefits of restoration, helping communities, policy makers, and the public. "Instead of wasting taxpayer money on commercial logging of these forests, we should be restoring what remains of America's playgrounds," said Sean Cosgrove, Sierra Club forest policy specialist.
For a copy of the report, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/logging/report02
2. State Officials Get Heated Over Global Warming
Sometimes the messenger matters just as much as the message. A group of Attorneys General from coast to coast is calling on the President to start seriously addressing the threat of global warming. The fiery eleven released a letter this week applauding the administration's May report acknowledging the effects of climate change, but criticizing the President for failing to create a national policy to limit emissions from automobiles and power plants.
The officials, led by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, had a stern message for the President: "By acting now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Bush administration can...spur private sector investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and can lay the groundwork to avoid the potentially disastrous environmental, public health and economic impacts of global warming." Sounds like a message that's hard to ignore.
For a copy of the Attorneys' General letter, go to https://www.gristmagazine.com/muck/muck071702.asp
3. Media Buzz Leads to Swift Action on Clean Water
A group of Sierra Club members in Missouri last week provided activists around the country with a textbook example of how to use local media coverage to advance a campaign. They descended on St. Louis last week to publicize the heinous state of the city's River Des Peres. Recent data shows that the waterway contains massive amounts of sewage, bacteria, and fecal matter, but the (ir)responsible city and state agencies have been avoiding taking action.
Not any more. The activists generated a media frenzy, using television, radio, and print to get their message out. The story even spilled over into the gossip column. Within days, the city announced a $200 million plan to clean up the river, and the state agreed to list it as an impaired waterway in the interim. Talk about a quick victory!
For a sample of the mass of coverage generated, go to https://home.post-dispatch.com/channel/pdweb.nsf/da37732b0078d6c285256ad500494df3/86256a0e0068fe5086256bfa003b55f1?OpenDocument
4. Take Action For International Family Planning
Bowing to conservative pressure, President Bush wants to retract the congressionally approved U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Anti-family planning groups and lawmakers claim that UNFPA supports China's one child policy. In fact, UNFPA works in developing countries to save women's lives, promote voluntary family planning services and empower families to improve their quality of life and the environment. Its work was recently praised by Secretary of State Colin Powell as "invaluable".
Don't let President Bush turn his back on the United Nations and the international community! Tell him to help improve the lives of women and protect the environment worldwide by releasing the UNFPA funds. Contact the White House today at (202) 456-1111. Press 1 for the White House Office of Comment and deliver the message. Just a few minutes out of your day could save lives around the world!
For current background information, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/23/international/23ABOR.html
To take action on all your favorite Sierra Club issues, please visit: https://www.sierraclub.org/action
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