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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
April 29, 2004
"Quack." -The duck that landed in a fountain outside the Supreme Court just before oral arguments began in the Energy Task Force lawsuit Sierra Club filed against Vice President Dick Cheney. Perhaps it followed Cheney and Justice Antonin Scalia home from the duck hunt trip they took together three weeks after the Court agreed to take up the case.
(1) SPECIES: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Bred Fish
(2) MERCURY: Buggy Down
(3) TAKE ACTION: America's Coasts and Oceans Need Protection
1. SPECIES: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Bred Fish
The Bush administration recently announced a proposal to count wild salmon by including hatchery salmon when considering listings under the Endangered Species Act. According to the Washington Post, "six of the world's leading experts on salmon ecology complained last month in the journal Science that fish produced in hatcheries cannot be counted on to save wild salmon." Instead of owning up to its failure to protect wild salmon, the administration is fixing the numbers to mask the problems wild salmon are facing.
Click here to read more or send a fax to the Administration asking it to restore wild salmon: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6cng,km3,hdvn,8kzk,irqz,5w4u
2. MERCURY: Buggy Down
While President Bush was attending a $25,000 per couple fundraiser in Edina, Minnesota this week, across town in Wooddale Park, a baby buggy brigade marched the streets to protest the administration's weakening of mercury standards. As Mother's Day approaches, women are urging the administration to reconsider its ill-conceived mercury plan, which permits three times more pollution than strict enforcement of the Clean Air Act allows, for decades longer.
Tomorrow is the last day to convince EPA administrator Mike Leavitt to keep mercury out of our air and water: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6cng,km3,6vxo,ly0u,irqz,5w4u
3. TAKE ACTION: America's Coasts and Oceans Need Protection
Last week the US Oceans Commission released the second major report in the last year describing a mounting crisis in American coasts and oceans. It adds to and reinforces the conclusions of the report published by the Pew Oceans Commission in June 2003 which reported significant overfishing in US waters, increasing pollution, damaging fishing practices and a host of other problems that are destroying the ecosystems on which ocean wildlife depend. Governors are now being asked to comment and make recommendations on the report. Please ask your Governor to support solid legal and permanent protections for America's coasts and surround oceans.
Find out how to contact your governor here: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6cng,km3,fyro,e5wm,irqz,5w4u
Read Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope's comments: www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/releases/pr2004-04-20a.asp
"In Bushworld, you can claim to be the environmental president on Earth Day while being the industry president every other day." - New York Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd in "The Orwellian Olsens", April 25, 2004
(1) PEOPLE: Unsung Hero
(2) ENERGY: Straight to the Task Force
(3) TAKE ACTION: Protect Us from Mercury
1. PEOPLE: Unsung Hero
With a soft voice and a firm commitment, Dr. Edgar Wayburn, 97, may be the least-known yet most successful defender of America's natural heritage. A tenacious and tireless leader of the Sierra Club since the 1940's, he played a central role in protecting wildlands throughout the U.S. including establishing the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and leading the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. When you add up the acres, he has saved more wilderness than any other person alive. Out this May, Dr. Wayburn's new book "Your Land and Mine" is an autobiography that details his hard-fought battles through lively portraits of legislators and a glimpse into his personal life.
Read "The Quiet Conservationist" in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6b3p,km3,dflb,8jux,irqz,5w4u bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004 /04/25/CMG2C5T4GU1.DTL
Order the book: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6b3p,km3,drc3,ee4s,irqz,5w4u
TELL FRIENDS ABOUT CURRENTS! VISIT THIS LINK: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6b3p,km3,ds0d,fbqs,irqz,5w4u
2. ENERGY: Straight to the Task Force
The Supreme Court today heard long-awaited arguments on the Bush administration's refusal to divulge documents relating to the secretive Energy Task Force led by Vice President Dick Cheney. If the Sierra Club prevails, the high court's decision could finally put an end to White House stonewalling and shed some much-needed light on the unjust influence industry has had on national energy policy under the Bush administration.
Should Cheney's private records on a national energy task force be made public? Cast your vote on the CNN website: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6b3p,km3,guu0,4bcg,irqz,5w4u
3. TAKE ACTION: Protect Us from Mercury
In January 2004, the Bush administration published their ill-conceived mercury pollution plan. Even though we have the technology to reduce mercury pollution by 90% or more by 2008, the Bush administration wants to permit three times more than enforcement of the Clean Air Act allows - for decades longer. According to the EPA, one in six U.S. women of childbearing age has mercury levels in her blood high enough to put her baby at risk. That means approximately 630,000 newborns are at risk each year. The proposed rule is endangering public health by delaying cleanup up of poisonous mercury.
On or before April 30, urge EPA administrator Mike Leavitt to keep mercury out of our air and water: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,6b3p,km3,4v5r,g0hx,irqz,5w4u
"In a spirit of shared faith and respect, we feel called to express grave moral concern about your 'Clear Skies' initiative - which we believe is The Administration's continuous effort to weaken critical environmental standards to protect God's creation." - From a letter by the National Council of Churches to President Bush this week accusing his administration of weakening the Clean Air Act.
(1) STRATEGIC IGNORANCE: Throwing the Book at Them
(2) WILDLANDS: Barely Teddy
(3) TAKE ACTION: Stop Extreme Judicial Nominations
1. STRATEGIC IGNORANCE: Throwing the Book at Them
How do you hit the Bush administration with the truth about its anti-environmental record? With a "book club," of course! And Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope and Sierra magazine Senior Editor Paul Rauber have just written the perfect book to use, "Strategic Ignorance: Why the Bush Administration Is Recklessly Destroying a Century of Environmental Progress." The book is being officially released today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Tune into "Bill Moyers NOW" on PBS tomorrow night at 9:00 and hear Carl discuss "Strategic Ignorance." Check your local listings.
Get your own copy of "Strategic Ignorance" today at: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,68xm,km3,k8i8,k618,irqz,5w4u
TELL FRIENDS ABOUT CURRENTS! VISIT THIS LINK: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,68xm,km3,ds0d,fbqs,irqz,5w4u
2. WILDLANDS: Barely Teddy
Whenever President Bush and his deputies talk about the environment, they often invoke Theodore Roosevelt, who created an unparalleled legacy of protecting America's natural treasures. It turns out that the Bush administration is more bull than bully. Roosevelt preserved 240 million acres of land, while the Bush administration has actually weakened protections on 234 million acres - an area the size of Texas and Oklahoma combined! v Read a recent article from Sierra magazine. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,68xm,km3,bou9,1j55,irqz,5w4u
3. TAKE ACTION: Stop Extreme Judicial Nominations
The Bush Administration's penchant for extreme judges recently moved forward as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines 10-9 to send William G. Myers III to the floor. Myers has argued that the Endangered Species Act regulations are unconstitutional and has called environmental regulation "outright, top down coercion." These kinds of statements raise serious doubts about his ability to make impartial judgments as a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also has little litigation experience and received an "unqualified" rating from more than 1/3 of his American Bar Association review panel for the job.
Tell your Senator to oppose the nomination and to support a filibuster against this extremist nominee: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,68xm,km3,kuns,cnjm,irqz,5w4u =arz,61nx,km3,2eee,dbfs,dqzy,dgy3
"This year Toyota will sell 150,000 gas-electric hybrid cars around the world. It's one of the most radical transformations in automotive technology in a century. And with U.S. automakers trailing far behind, Toyota's gamble might just shake up the industry." - Excerpt from the article "Hybrid's Rising Sun" in the April 2004 Technology Review
(1) CLEAN WATER: Rivers Up a Creek
(2) WASTE: Tax Right Off
(3) TAKE ACTION: Stop the Bush Administration's Proposal to Weaken Fuel Economy Standards
1. CLEAN WATER: Rivers Up a Creek
David Letterman's "Top 10 Questions Received by the ChapStick Hotline"...now that's a fun list. "2004 Most Endangered Rivers"...not so fun. American Rivers released its report revealing those rivers and streams nationwide reaching crossroads due to looming pollution, wetlands destruction and inadequate sewer systems. The top three endangered rivers include the Colorado, Big Sunflower and Snake. While we have made progress cleaning up the nation's waters since the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, the Bush Administration threatens that progress by weakening the clean water laws that protect our communities from unchecked pollution.
Read the American Rivers "2004 Most Endangered Rivers" report: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,659o,km3,4xr0,iqz9,irqz,5w4u
2. WASTE: Tax Right Off
Tax Day is upon us, and those that put off the daunting task until today may see some new faces outside their post office. The Sierra Club and several of our coalition partners will be joining citizens at area post offices to remind them that the Bush Administration is using our tax dollars to pay for clean up of abandoned toxic waste sites. This is the first Administration to oppose the principle that polluters should pay for cleaning the sites, not taxpayers. Some citizens will be placing stickers on their returns reading "Make Polluters Pay to Clean Up Toxic Waste Site. Tax Polluters, Not American Families."
Learn more about the Bush Administration shifting the financial burden to taxpayers: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,659o,km3,9njr,icpk,irqz,5w4u
3. TAKE ACTION: Stop the Bush Administration's Proposal to Weaken Fuel Economy Standards
Last month, the Bush Administration issued a new proposal that would undermine existing fuel economy standards and allow automakers to build more gas guzzlers. Instead of taking us backwards, the Bush Administration should require automakers to put existing gas-saving technology into all their vehicles. Using current technology, all cars, trucks, and SUVs could average 40 miles per gallon within ten years. Taking this step would curb global warming and save more oil than we currently import from the entire Persian Gulf and could ever take out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, combined.
Click here to submit comments opposing the Bush Administration's effort to weaken fuel economy standards: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,659o,km3,bd0l,6l5x,irqz,5w4u
Learn more about the Bush Administration's proposal at: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,659o,km3,94o1,4vc7,irqz,5w4u
"I've heard that argument. And I've got to say, that's completely hokey. I was in dozens of conversations with company officials and their lawyers, and the idea that we were enforcing regulations they were unaware of -- that simply didn't come up." - Former EPA official Eric Schaeffer, in an April 4, 2004 New York Times Magazine article, responding to accusations from utility companies that the EPA did not offer guidance on how to meet clean air requirements. In 2002, Schaeffer publicly resigned from the EPA after 12 years, saying he could no longer pretend the White House and the Department of Energy were not undermining Clean Air laws and his department's ability to enforce them.
(1) CLEAN AIR: Airing Out
(2) NATIONAL FORESTS: Forest Service Photo-Flop
(3) TAKE ACTION: Keep Toxic Mercury Out of Our Fish
1. CLEAN AIR: Airing Out
On April 15, the Bush Administration will release a list revealing that over 160 million people, more than half the nation's population, live in or around areas in violation of federal ozone standards expanded under the Clinton Administration. Traditional urban areas won't be the only ones on the list. At least seven national parks and numerous smaller cities also make up the 500 counties living with dirty air. We'll have to wait and see whether the Bush Administration does anything to ensure that state and local governments meet the stricter air standards.
Check back here on April 15th to see the list: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,63oj,km3,cae,abhr,irqz,5w4u
TELL FRIENDS ABOUT CURRENTS! VISIT THIS LINK: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,63oj,km3,ds0d,fbqs,irqz,5w4u
2. NATIONAL FORESTS: Forest Service Photo-Flop
The Bush Administration in under criticism for misrepresenting a series of photos in a Forest Service brochure to promote its plan to double the amount of commercial logging in the Sierra Nevada. The brochure includes a series of photos spanning from 1909 to 1989 to show how Sierra Nevada forests have become overcrowded with vegetation and therefore need to be thinned. But everything isn't always what it seems, according to a recent Associated Press article. The photos were taken not in the Sierra Nevada but in Montana! And the "natural conditions" supposedly depicted in the first photo actually represent a site that had just been logged. The Administration used nearly $100,000 of taxpayer money to hire the P.R. firm who designed the misleading brochure.
Read the AP story to learn more: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,63oj,km3,1m76,as90,irqz,5w4u
3. TAKE ACTION: Keep Toxic Mercury Out of Our Fish
The Bush Administration's proposal to limit mercury pollution from power plants will actually permit three times more mercury pollution than strict enforcement of Clean Air Act allows. This mercury rains into our waters and ultimately ends up in many of the fish we eat. Fish advisories for mercury have increased 138% from 1993 to 2002 and 45 states and territories had fish advisories in 2002.
Urge EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt to enforce the Clean Air Act and require power plants to use existing mercury-reducing technology: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,63oj,km3,6vxo,ly0u,irqz,5w4u
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