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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
March 2, 2005
1. Wildlands: The End of the Road
2. Honors: Passing the Torch
3. Take Action: A New Chapter and a New Call to Action
"Remember it's NOT oil drilling, it's responsible energy exploration."
-Republican pollster Frank Luntz advising the Bush administration how to talk about its energy policies in his post- 2004 election Republican strategy memo. Luntz, recognizing that the environment is the single issue on which Republicans are most vulnerable, famously invented a new kind of smooth language that puts a positive spin on a dirty environmental record. He is the brains behind such misleading framing employed by the Bush administration as the "Clear Skies Initiative" and the "Healthy Forest Initiative."
1. Wildlands: The End of the Road
Florida's endangered panthers, alligators, birds and other wildlife got a new dose of protection last week when a federal judge ruled in favor of protecting their habitat. The judge's ruling affirms a National Park Service plan that limits off-road vehicles in South Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress had become a poster child for the devastating impacts of unchecked ORV use, and these basic protections will help curb this abuse in the future, protecting its unique ecosystems. Now the National Park Service needs to request adequate funding from the Department of Interior to implement the new protections.
Read the Sierra Club's press release at https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,bbno,km3,8cjz,1qx6,irqz,5w4u 05-02-23b.asp
2. Honors: Passing the Torch
The Sierra Club and California Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis recently presented the Sierra Club Hilda L. Solis Environmental Youth Leadership Award to Juan Martinez, an Outward Bound Adventures Youth Advisory Council leader, for outstanding leadership in outdoor education. Juan was following the path of many urban teens until he had the opportunity to attend an outdoor science school in the Grand Tetons. "There I realized that life was beautiful. I saw that the world was not just concrete, streetlights or smog-infested cities. It's out there where trees don't care what race you are- they still share their shade." Congresswoman Solis described to the audience how her outdoor experiences have guided her commitment to the environment in her career. The Sierra Club's Inside the Outdoors program strives to ensure that youth of all ethnicities, backgrounds and cultures have the opportunity to nurture a similar love for the outdoors.
Learn more at the Sierra Club's Inside the Outdoors webpage- https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,bbno,km3,56mk,gbxh,irqz,5w4u
3. Take Action: A New Chapter and a New Call to Action
In February, the Sierra Club named Puerto Rico its newest chapter, the first to be chartered in over 10 years and the first ever fully Spanish- speaking chapter. You can help us welcome the new chapter by joining their campaign to protect a precious piece of pristine coastline that is under threat from development by the Marriott and Four Seasons hotel chains. The area, called the Northeast Ecological Corridor, is the last example of pre-Columbian coastline on the Island and is home to over 40 rare and endangered species. In addition, the corridor is one of the most important nesting grounds for endangered Leatherback sea turtles in areas under United States jurisdiction. The development is opposed by residents, who already suffer from lack of water during tourist season, and fishermen, who are losing access to their fishing grounds.
Go to https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,bbno,km3,j07t,iwfq,irqz,5w4u to fill out a Take Action that will be faxed to the Marriott, Four Seasons and the Governor of Puerto Rico.
"...if Mr. Bush's drilling plan passes in Congress after what is expected to be a fierce fight, it may prove to be a triumph of politics over geology." - Yesterday's New York Times article "Big Oil Steps Aside in Battle Over Arctic" about the oil industry's growing skepticism over the potential benefits from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b6qz,km3,byhp,jrio,irqz,5w4u tml?
(1) TOXICS: It's Not Rocket Science
(2) SIERRA CLUB: A New Chapter
(3) TAKE ACTION: Big Livestock: No Exemption from Clean Air Laws
1. TOXICS: It's Not Rocket Science
Perchlorate, a toxic additive in rocket fuel and explosives, can cause thyroid problems, lower intelligence, and learning disabilities, particularly in children and infants (read: it's not something we want in our drinking water). The EPA issued its first safety standard for perchlorate last week but the standards are still too lenient to protect vulnerable groups like pregnant women and children. California and Massachusetts have already proposed limits on perchlorate that are much more restrictive than the level the EPA chose.
Read "Safety Limit Set for Perchlorate" in the Washington Post: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b6qz,km3,j66w,edlj,irqz,5w4u 2005Feb18.html
2. SIERRA CLUB: A New Chapter
Please join us in welcoming the Sierra Club of Puerto Rico as the newest chapter of the Sierra Club! The Board of Directors approved the chapter, the first chartered in more than 10 years, at a meeting this month in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Local members have been working hard over the last two years to protect their Isla del Encanto (Island of Enchantment).
Welcome the new chapter by watching a slideshow of the Isla del Encanto, a pristine coastal area the chapter is fighting to protect: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b6qz,km3,hu3,c99x,irqz,5w4u
3. TAKE ACTION: Big Livestock: No Exemption from Clean Air Laws
On January 31, 2004, the EPA finalized a sweetheart deal with the livestock industry that gives participating operations immunity from enforcement of the Clean Air Act. In exchange for receiving exemption from these laws, they must pay a small fine and contribute toward an air pollution monitoring fund. Large livestock operations can be major sources of air pollutants such as particulates, which have been linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases. The EPA should use its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to protect the health and quality of life of people who live near livestock operations, not exempt these polluters from laws enacted to protect health and the environment.
Send a message to the EPA telling them to enforce clean air laws against big livestock: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b6qz,km3,83ci,1hcx,irqz,5w4u
1. Air: Climate Shortchange 2. Science: Smells Fishy
3. Take Action 1: CALL 1-888-8-WILDAK: Urge Your Senator to Keep Arctic Refuge Drilling Out of the Budget!
4. Take Action 2: A Deal Big Livestock Can't Refuse
5. Take Action 3: Conserve the Roan Plateau
"The environment is a values issue." -Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the 30 million- member National Association of Evangelicals, explaining to the Washington Post why religious conservatives should play a more active role in promoting environmental stewardship.
1. Air: Climate Shortchange
This week marks an important step forward in the protection of the global environment. The Kyoto Protocol becomes official on February 16, illustrating that the nations of the world are rolling up their sleeves to tackle global warming. But while other nation's are getting to work, the world's worst polluter continues to ignore the threat of global warming. In 2001, the Bush administration pulled the United States out of the Kyoto Protocol, even though we account for over 25% of the world's global warming pollution. The administration continues to deny the seriousness of global warming and the scientific consensus surrounding climate change.
Read the Sierra Club's press release at https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b2g3,km3,8cjz,1qx6,irqz,5w4u 05-02-15.asp
2. Science: Smells Fishy
Does politics trump science? Recent experiences at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suggest it does. A recent survey shows that several scientists in the agency have been pressured by higher-ups to change the results of their studies. Most of the pressure comes from the timber, grazing, development, and energy industries- industries that also happen to be large contributors to the Bush Administration. "As a scientist, I would probably say you really can't trust the science coming out of the agency," said Sally Stefferud, a biologist who worked at the agency for 20 years. This skewed science is now being used to justify weakening the Endangered Species Act and wilderness protection laws.
Read the LA Times article on the survey at https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b2g3,km3,gf98,4f54,irqz,5w4u -na-scientists10feb10,0,4954654.story?coll=la- home-nation
3. Take Action 1: CALL 1-888-8-WILDAK: Urge Your Senator to Keep Arctic Refuge Drilling Out of the Budget!
The fight over the future of the Arctic Refuge is heating up again and despite overwhelming public support for protecting this national treasure, oil corporations and their friends in Congress are back to their same old dirty tricks. In an attempt to limit public debate and circumvent normal Congressional procedure, pro-drilling advocates have pledged to add leasing revenues from opening the Arctic drilling in the upcoming FY 2006 Federal Budget bill. But the Arctic Refuge should be more than just a line item in the budget resolution and leasing revenues are speculative at best.
Call the ARCTIC ACTION HOTLINE at 1-888-8-WILDAK (1-888-894-5325) Tell your Senator to protect America's national heritage - keep the Arctic Refuge out of the budget!
Want to do more? Call your Senator's in-district office and leave a message there as well. Only through action can we ensure the safe future of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and America's other special wild places!
4. Take Action 2: A Deal Big Livestock Can't Refuse
The EPA has released a plan to shield operators of large livestock operations from prosecution from air pollution violations if they participate in a new program to collect emissions data from their farms. Instead of forcing polluters to clean up their act, this new rule would allow them to disregard the Clean Air Act for two years while participating in the program. The EPA needs to know it is not acceptable to let polluters off the hook.
Click here to tell the EPA to enforce clean air laws for big livestock - https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b2g3,km3,jdko,4a99,irqz,5w4u =367 5. Take Action 3: Conserve the Roan Plateau
The Roan Plateau is one of the few remaining oases of scenic beauty and solitude amidst an industrial desert of oil and gas drilling. Home to some of the purest strains of the imperiled Colorado cutthroat trout, the Roan Plateau's deep canyons, magical waterfalls, sagebrush and woodland may soon mirror the lands at the base of the plateau: pockmarked with drill pads and access roads.
Click here to tell the Bureau of Land Management to create an alternative management plan that conserves the top of the Roan Plateau and its stunning wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities - https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,b2g3,km3,8hw4,fvyg,irqz,5w4u araction=1
"We need to tell corporate America, you need to be held responsible." - Mike Noble, suffering from breathing problems, is a former 21-year employee of W.R. Grace & Co. The company is accused of lying to mine employees, nearby residents, and EPA officials about the dangers caused by mining asbestos vermiculite.
(1) POLITICS: Budget Blues
(2) WATER: Fins on Fish
(3) TAKE ACTION: Make Love, Not Lumber
1. POLITICS: Budget Blues
The New York Times calls it "a monument to misplaced political capital." The Washington Post calls it "a farce" and "a tragedy." President Bush unveiled his FY2006 budget yesterday, outlining a plan to cut domestic spending across the board. The plan includes hefty cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, eliminating Amtrak funding, and yet another push to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The administration's budget includes a wildly speculative $2.4 billion in revenues from potential oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Given the historic average for oil leases on the North Slope of Alaska, these numbers just don't compute.
Read the Sierra Club press release: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,axrm,km3,clc3,jcpl,irqz,5w4u
Your urgent donation will help the Sierra Club and its efforts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from these blatant attacks. Please donate now at: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,axrm,km3,g688,6ayt,irqz,5w4u
Please also sign our petition to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid registering your commitment to keeping the Refuge pristine and undeveloped. Sign the petition at: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,axrm,km3,iq0r,fca3,irqz,5w4u
Read The New York Times editorial, "Avoiding the Real Challenge" (registration required) at: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,axrm,km3,57sp,jd4j,irqz,5w4u
Read The Washington Post editorial, "A Breathtaking Budget" (registration required) at: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,axrm,km3,6l9y,1pxz,irqz,5w4u
2. WATER: Fins on Fish
Anyone who's health-conscious knows how important it is to get lots of protein in their diet. But there are certain risks to keep in mind before piling your shopping cart in the seafood aisle. A new report from Finland says that says men should avoid eating fish high in mercury because it could put them at a greater risk of heart attacks and other heart ailments. The study found that 50% to 70% of men who had elevated levels of mercury in their bodies were at greater risk of heart attacks. Mercury, which is released into the environment from coal-fired power plants and contaminates our waters when it rains, is a serious toxin that also affects fetal development in pregnant women.
Read the report's abstract: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,axrm,km3,j482,d452,irqz,5w4u
3. TAKE ACTION: Make Love, Not Lumber
America's rare ancient forests are a vital part of our American wilderness heritage. But can you believe that even as the US Forest Service celebrates its 100 year anniversary, there are still thousands of acres of ancient forest threatened by timber sales? Right now in the Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon the Forest Service is rushing to log old growth and roadless forests -- and they've spent at least $5.8 million of tax dollars to do it! That's no way for the "world's leading forestry agency" to treat our ancient forests. This Valentine's Day tell Chief Dale Bosworth to show a little more love for our land and stop the rush to log more of America's ancient forests.
Take action: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,axrm,km3,bxt2,h91v,irqz,5w4u
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