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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
Feb 1, 2006
"I think (tolerance) sets the bar too low. I recognize that tolerance is progress over intolerance, but I believe a great democracy should have higher aspirations. Instead of tolerance, we should be calling boldly for the creation of brotherhood and sisterhood. Let us not merely accept our differences, but celebrate our kinship as sisters and brothers of the human family." - Civil rights leader Coretta Scott King, the widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., speaking to a diverse audience of over 400 at the Kaplan Jewish Community Center in suburban West Palm Beach.
(1) GLOBAL WARMING: Record Profits, Record Problems (2) JUDICIAL: Alito Oh No
(3) TAKE ACTION: Protect the Yellowstone Grizzlies
(4) TAKE ACTION: Protect America's National Parks
1. GLOBAL WARMING: Record Profits, Record Problems
While Americans suffered through devastating hurricanes and sky-high gas prices last year, ExxonMobil netted the largest profit in the history of corporate America. Yesterday, the world's largest oil company announced a record-breaking annual profit of $36.2 billion for 2005. Despite soaring profits, the company chooses to spend its money on backwards energy policies while sabotaging efforts to slow global warming. It refuses to pay communities affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters of our time. ExxonMobil is also the only major oil company that is still a member of Arctic Power, the special interest group that lobbies Congress in support of drilling in the Arctic Refuge.
Find out more: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hxhz,o7l,cvgx,j4u2,dazy,eylb
2. JUDICIAL: Alito Oh No
Today, Judge Samuel Alito was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice despite the threat his philosophy poses to environmental protections. That philosophy could eventually jeopardize all of the environmental laws that protect clean air, clean water, endangered species and more. "Judge Alito poses a serious threat to the environmental protections we cherish. We applaud those Senators who recognized that the ability to protect our clean air and clean water are at stake," said Sierra Club's Carl Pope. "Those Senators who voted for Judge Alito are putting hard- won protections at risk."
Read the Sierra Club press release: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hxhz,o7l,6doq,bbuy,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: Protect the Yellowstone Grizzlies
The Yellowstone grizzly bear is an irreplaceable part of America's natural heritage. Since it was first listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act in 1975, the grizzly bear has made a strong recovery. But, since then threats to their habitat have only amplified. Sprawling development, oil and gas drilling, logging, road building, and off-road vehicles are crowding grizzly bears out of the last pockets of wilderness they need to survive. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a proposal to remove federal protections for the grizzly. But without strong habitat protections in place, the long-term survival of the bear requires the safety net of the Endangered Species Act.
February 15th is the deadline for you to tell the USFWS to keep federal protections in place to ensure the long-term recovery of the grizzly. Act now! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hxhz,o7l,imk3,duxc,dazy,eylb
4. TAKE ACTION: Protect America's National Parks
America's National Parks have a higher approval rating than the President and many members of Congress. Visitors are by and large pleased with their trips to Great Smokies, Yellowstone and Yosemite and other National Parks. So why is the Bush administration proposing a major rewrite of the policies that guide management of our National Parks? Under the proposed changes, the management philosophy would switch from one of conservation --- which has long protected these national treasures -- to one of commercialization. You have until Feb. 16 to let the Park Service know that a rewrite of park policies is unnecessary and misguided and that you strongly support abandoning the draft changes and retaining the current management policies.
Take action now: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hxhz,o7l,6gps,bulf,dazy,eylb
"What if we decided to make some changes to the Statue of Liberty, maybe put a waterslide down from the torch? What if we had only one national hearing on that? What if we had it on Staten Island? How would everyone like that? Why didn't we have a hearing in New York? Why didn't we have a hearing in Denver? Why didn't we have a hearing in California, where the state flag flies with a grizzly on it, and there are no grizzlies left there?" - Sierra Club Senior Regional Representative and Bozeman, MT resident Kathryn Hohmann, to the Los Angeles Times on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's lone hearing on weakening protections for the grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park. (Note: Last Friday, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer's office announced that at the state's request, the Interior Department will add another public hearing, possibly in Bozeman next month.)
(1) SPECIES: Grizzlies Sing for Their Lives
(2) CLEAN AIR: Making Over Madison
(3) TAKE ACTION: Say No to Toxic Mine Waste in Alaska's Lower Slate Lake
(4) TAKE ACTION: Stand Up for NEPA - Democracy in Action
1. SPECIES: Grizzlies Sing for Their Lives
The Endangered Species Act has protected Yellowstone's grizzly bears for thirty years but the Bush administration is proposing removing these magnificent creatures from the endangered list. Lifting federal protections for the bear right now is far too risky. We are just starting to realize a return on our investment. The good news is that the grizzlies aren't taking it lying down -- in fact they're singing and dancing to save themselves from extinction. Click on the link below to watch the grizzly revue, then get the facts and sign a petition to help save the bears.
Check out this new song and dance starring America's very own Yellowstone grizzly bears: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hs7j,o7l,3u2m,ksdy,dazy,eylb
2. CLEAN AIR: Making Over Madison
Wisconsin's Madison Gas & Electric, one of the most polluting power plants in the Midwest, has announced that it will stop burning coal by 2011 at one of its Madison plants. Thanks to an intense grassroots campaign lead by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, the utility plans to boost its reliance on wind energy, energy efficiency and natural gas. Residents look forward to breathing easy - the end of coal burning means mercury, sulfur dioxide and soot will be virtually eliminated locally.
Read "Blount Street plant to stop burning coal within 6 years" in the Wisconsin State Journal: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hs7j,o7l,388e,6unb,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: Say No to Toxic Mine Waste in Alaska's Lower Slate Lake
Congress passed the Clean Water Act more than 30 years ago to ensure that our waters remain safe and clean. But now, the Army Corps of Engineers has authorized a gold mining corporation to dump millions of tons of mine tailings directly into pristine Lower Slate Lake in Alaska, killing all fish and smothering the lake under toxic sludge. If this plan moves forward, it would open the door to future large-scale mine tailings dumps in water bodies all across America. Any place where people fish, hunt, camp, kayak, or just enjoy our nation's lakes, rivers, and streams could become open dumping grounds for coal, hard rock, or metal ore mines.
Tell the Corps to revoke its destructive, illegal, and unprecedented waste-dumping permit now, and replace it with a legal permit that protects clean water: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hs7j,o7l,f1hh,dilz,dazy,eylb
4. TAKE ACTION: Stand Up for NEPA - Democracy in Action
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is one of the most important environmental laws in America. NEPA requires federal agencies to study and disclose the environmental effects of major projects on the surrounding community and include the public in the decision-making process for federally funded projects. Recently, California Congressman Richard Pombo has assembled a task force to review the National Environmental Policy Act through 6 hearings to be held across the country. Congressman Pombo would like to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act and silence our say in what the government does to our property, parks, water, wetlands and wildlife.
Tell the House of Representatives' NEPA Task Force to defend NEPA: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hs7j,o7l,6wag,4acw,dazy,eylb
"Staff at the Bureau of Land Management say the decision to clear the way for drilling was made at the behest of Vice President Dick Cheney's super-secretive energy task force, which never met an ecosystem it wouldn't treat like a two-bit hooker." - Grist Magazine, "OK, We'll Just Drill Over Here Instead," on the Bush administration opening up Alaska's Teshekpuk Lake, which had actually been protected under Interior Secretary James Watt, to oil drilling.
(1) GLOBAL WARMING: What a Difference a Degree Makes
(2) NEW TOOLS: Google Eyes
(3) TAKE ACTION: Help Protect Wild Forests
(4) TAKE ACTION: Keep Endangered Species Act Protections for Yellowstone Grizzlies
1. GLOBAL WARMING: What a Difference a Degree Makes
The San Francisco Chronicle has published a three-part series on how global warming is already being felt along the coast of North America, from Alaska to Mexico. In part one of "A Warming World: The Difference a Degree Makes," environment writer Jane Kay and photographer Kat Wade focus on polar bears in the Arctic Circle whose frozen habitat is rapidly shrinking. Part two highlights the subtle changes along California's coast where the few degrees increase in Pacific Ocean temperature has already changed life in Monterey Bay's fragile tide pools. Part three introduces us to a family living near the Sea of Cortez, where life is changing as the coral reefs that draw tourists, the sea that provides food and livelihood, and giant gray whales are being threatened by global warming.
Take an audio tour of Jane Kay's trip or read the entire series here: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hnlq,o7l,cxgq,kuxg,dazy,eylb
2. NEW TOOLS: Google Eyes
When Google Earth came out last June, it put a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your computers. And for grassroots environmentalists, it became much more than another "here today, gone tomorrow" software tool. By draping satellite imagery over 3-D topographic data, Google Earth gives people the rare opportunity to visit and help protect places as big as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to the forests and wetlands in their own backyard, all from their own desktops.
Read SF Gate's "Green Eyes in the Sky:" https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hnlq,o7l,2bey,dxsa,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: Help Protect Wild Forests
Last May, the Bush administration revoked the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, one of the most popular conservation policies in American history. Its decision to abandon the landmark rule and replace it with a convoluted petition process leaves America's last wild forests at risk from destructive commercial logging and road building. This ill-conceived plan ignores the overwhelming public support and forces Governors to petition the Department of Agriculture to protect their wild, roadless National Forests. More than 4 million Americans have already voiced their support for our last remaining Roadless Areas. Now you can add your voice to the chorus of Americans who want our National Forest legacy protected from destructive commercial logging and logging road construction.
Sign the petition today! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hnlq,o7l,f6r4,lbim,dazy,eylb
4. TAKE ACTION: Keep Endangered Species Act Protections for Yellowstone Grizzlies
The Yellowstone grizzly bear is an irreplaceable part of America's natural heritage. Since it was first listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act in 1975, the grizzly bear has made a strong recovery. But, since then threats to their habitat have only amplified. Sprawling development, oil and gas drilling, logging, roadbuilding, and off-road vehicles are crowding grizzly bears out of the last pockets of wilderness they need to survive. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has announced a proposal to remove federal protections for the grizzly. But without strong habitat protections in place, the long-term survival of the bear requires the safety net of the Endangered Species Act.
Urge the USFWS to keep federal protections in place to ensure the long-term recovery of the grizzly: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hnlq,o7l,7y15,f710,dazy,eylb
Quote of Note:
"It's the top officials in the [Mine Safety and Health Administration] who have, over the past five years, interfered with the field operations and tried to prevent inspectors from doing their jobs....Two weeks ago [I] talked with someone in the agency who's quite knowledgeable about what was happening with the agency, and that person said, 'Jack, I'm afraid that there's going to be another mine disaster very soon, because of how poorly the agency's being managed and because the inspectors aren't being allowed to go forward with the kind of enforcement action they think is necessary.' I think that may be what happened here at [Sago Mine]."
-- Jack Spadaro, mining engineer and former head of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy, which trains mining inspectors. Spadaro was threatened with losing his job after blowing the whistle on what he called a whitewash by the Bush administration of an investigation into a major coal slurry spill in 2000.
(1) MEDIA: New Sierra Club TV Series
(2) AIR: States Take the Lead
(3) TAKE ACTION: Oppose Alito's Confirmation to the Supreme Court
(4) TAKE ACTION: Help Protect Yellowstone's Grizzly Bears
1. MEDIA: NEW SIERRA CLUB TV SERIES Looking for something to watch on your laptop during the next plane flight? Now you can watch or download the newest in progressive TV, free. Sierra Club Chronicles debuts January 12 on Link TV (www.linktv.org) at 8:30pm ET/PT -- but if you don't get Link, you can download the episode at www.sierraclubtv.org. Chronicles tells stories of people like you who are taking action to protect their families, communities, lands and livelihoods from pollution, corporate greed and short-sighted government policies -- and reminds us that we can do something to create environmental solutions.
The first episode tells the heartbreaking story of the emergency first responders who answered the call on 9/11, assured that the air was safe. Now, years later they are suffering health problems, but are again heroes in the fight for the health benefits that everyone who was misled deserves. Watch a preview of "9/11 Forgotten Heroes." https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hiy5,o7l,d9j5,9q99,dazy,eylb
2. AIR: STATES TAKE THE LEAD Last week, Governor Rod Blagojevich announced a plan to require Illinois' coal-fired power plants to reduce the levels of toxic mercury released into our air and water. The plan requires the plants to reduce mercury pollution by 90% in the next three years. The Bush administration recently drew criticism for its plan to release three times more mercury pollution into our air than current laws allow and to delay cleanup for a decade longer. Governors across the country are taking matters into their own hands to cut harmful mercury pollution. Illinois joins a list of six states which already have mercury standards in the works that demand deeper and faster cuts than the federal proposal.
Read the Associated Press article, "Blagojevich calls for stringent state rules regulating mercury." https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hiy5,o7l,70j4,k4a2,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: OPPOSE ALITO'S CONFIRMATION TO THE SUPREME Court Americans deserve mainstream, independent Supreme Court Justices who will protect individual rights and freedoms. Unfortunately, Judge Samuel Alito's opinions and other statements, combined with a disturbing lack of candor since his being nominated, show that Judge Alito cannot be trusted to protect these rights and freedoms. His judicial record suggests that he would threaten both the ability of Congress to pass laws to protect the environment and the ability of citizens to enforce those laws.
Urge your Senators to oppose Alito's confirmation. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hiy5,o7l,ix9i,6euc,dazy,eylb
4. TAKE ACTION: HELP PROTECT YELLOWSTONE'S GRIZZLY BEARS The Bush administration has proposed removing Endangered Species Act protections from the Yellowstone grizzly bear - - a move that would jeopardize the progress America has made over the last 30 years in recovering the grizzly bear. Without adequate protections, the places where grizzlies live and raise their young could soon be open to irresponsible oil drilling, unsustainable logging and sprawling development. Without the federal protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act, the investment America has made in recovering the grizzly could quickly disappear.
Tell the Bush administration that we will not give up on the progress we've made to date protecting grizzlies. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,hiy5,o7l,imk3,duxc,dazy,eylb
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