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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
May 3, 2006
"Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite-powered car!" - Comedian Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents' Dinner
(1) GAS PRICES: Don't Spend it All in One Place
(2) BOOKS: Birding Babylon
(3) TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Save us Money with Better Fuel Economy Standards
(4) TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Senators that Arctic Drilling is NOT a Solution
1. GAS PRICES: Don't Spend it All in One Place
Last week, Sen. Bill Frist unveiled a proposal to offer a $100 tax rebate to consumers feeling pain at the gas pump. This measure would buy Americans a couple tanks of gas while opening up the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, prolonging our oil dependence. At a time when Americans need real energy solutions, this bribe adds insult to injury.
Read about the angry response to the rebate plan in the New York Times. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jx56,o7l,12rb,8oxo,dazy,eylb
While you're waiting for the administration to implement smart energy solutions, like making our cars, trucks, and SUVs go farther on a gallon of gas, check out our 10 ways to save money at the pump. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jx56,o7l,m3rx,2uih,dazy,eylb
2. BOOKS: Birding Babylon
When Jonathan Truern-Trend, a 38 year-old father of five and National Guardsman from Connecticut, was deployed to Iraq in 2004, he brought with him a lifelong passion for birds and nature, and he began keeping an online birdwatching journal from his base in the Sunni Triangle. The site attracted thousands of visitors from around the world, and Sierra Club books has just released a book version of his blog, called "Birding Babylon: A Soldier's Journal from Iraq." It's a story of the resiliency of life even in a war zone.
Read more about "Birding Babylon" or order a copy. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jx56,o7l,jdy9,64zz,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Save us Money with Better Fuel Economy Standards
Rising gas prices are taking their toll on American families. With booming demand and limited supply driving prices up to around $3 per gallon in much of the country, the need to boost fuel economy for all new cars, trucks, and SUVs has never been clearer. But instead of taking this step, some in Congress are once again calling to open special places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and America's coastlines to oil and gas drilling, even though this will do nothing to solve America's energy problems. Hunting for ineffective, short-term responses is no answer. It's time to chart a new path forward with smart energy solutions, like making all new vehicles average 40 miles per gallon within ten years.
Tell your Senators and Representatives to protect our special places and start saving us money by raising fuel economy standards. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jx56,o7l,bxix,m6gn,dazy,eylb
4. TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Senators that Arctic Drilling is NOT a Solution
Some politicians, including President Bush, have argued that if we'd drilled in the Arctic Refuge years ago that we would not have today's high gas prices. The facts tell us otherwise. According to the President's own Energy Information Administration, drilling in the Arctic would destroy a pristine wildlife refuge in order to save us about a penny at the pump in 20 years time. America sits on 3 percent of the world's oil supply, yet uses 25 percent of it. Energy dependence is simply not a problem we can drill our way out of. By contrast, had we raised fuel economy standards in 1990, we'd be using half the gas we are today. Call the Capital switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask for your Representative, and tell them to support real, long- term energy solutions- not the same failed attempts to drill in the Arctic.
"I'm learning how to keep the air clean." - Serina, age 10, a participant in a Sierra Club Earth Day event at the Chattahoochee Nature Center near Atlanta.
(1) CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY: Our Health for DuPont's Wealth?
(2) CONSERVATION: Protecting the Island of Enchantment
(3) TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Senators to Support Wind Power
(4) TAKE ACTION: Stop Rep. Walden's Destructive Salvage Logging Bill
1. CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY: Our Health for DuPont's Wealth?
On Wednesday, Americans from across the country will show DuPont shareholders and executives the true cost of toxic pollution at the company's annual meeting. Members of the United Steelworkers, the Sierra Club, workers and residents from communities contaminated by the Teflon chemical (PFOA) or dioxin will rally outside the meeting in Wilmington, DE. Many of these people are suffering serious health effects, and mean business when they demand that DuPont protect workers, communities and the environment from dangerous toxic chemicals.
Watch the Sierra Club Chronicles episode "Dioxin, Duplicity & DuPont." https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jray,o7l,f6z9,conj,dazy,eylb
2. CONSERVATION: Protecting the Island of Enchantment
Puerto Rico is an island caught between two worlds -- full of Caribbean beauty but in pursuit of the American dream. Just 25 miles from San Juan's highly developed beaches, idyllic coasts are still easy to find -- for now. The country is developing rapidly, and mega-resorts are popping up on sensitive coastline. The Sierra Club Puerto Rico Chapter is attempting to obtain permanent protection for the Northeast Ecological Corridor, one of the last expanses of undeveloped coastal ecosystems in all of Puerto Rico (www.sierraclub.org/corridor/). Part of the chapter's solution is making the northeast part of the island, which includes El Yunque Rainforest, a prime ecotourism destination. Plan your trip to the Corridor: https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jray,o7l,sk0,hiss,dazy,eylb
Read the Sierra magazine article "Between Two Worlds." https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jray,o7l,boqw,9097,dazy,eylb
Tell the Governor of Puerto Rico to support permanent protection of the Northeast Ecological Corridor. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jray,o7l,aiu9,lcst,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Senators to Support Wind Power
The Cape Wind project -- a 130-turbine wind farm proposed for federal waters in Nantucket Sound -- is under attack. If built, this source of clean, renewable energy would be the first of its kind in the United States. However, a last-minute provision inserted into a Coast Guard authorization bill by Senator Ted Stevens may put an end to this critical project. This inappropriate provision would give Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney -- a known opponent -- veto power over the project.
Tell your Senators to oppose the anti-wind provision in the Coast Guard authorization bill. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jray,o7l,bvyk,haon,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: Stop Rep. Walden's Destructive Salvage Logging Bill
When a 500,000 acre fire burned in southwest Oregon in July 2002, it didn't take long for the timber industry and their friends in politics to use their version of "scientific research" to push more damaging commercial logging. Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope exposes this industry ploy in his latest Sierra magazine column. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jray,o7l,4h53,z26,dazy,eylb
Using the same failed approach, Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) is promoting a bill which would fast-track destructive logging projects in National Forests impacted by natural disturbances such as fires, droughts, or windstorms. The Walden logging bill, HR 4200, would remove basic protections for clean water and wildlife habitat by cutting meaningful environmental review and excluding the public from the decision making processes. This harmful bill has passed the House Resources and Agriculture committees and could see a full House vote in early May.
Ask your representative to oppose Rep. Walden's efforts to eliminate environmental protections and public involvement in logging decisions after normal disturbance events. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jray,o7l,c47f,cve9,dazy,eylb
"The astonishing fact is that each of us can have an immediate impact on the production of greenhouse gases, and if enough of us act together in these minor ways, the cumulative effect will be dramatic. And they all save money, which is one of the rather striking things about reducing your carbon footprint -- the standard way of measuring the CO2 emissions each person is responsible for...Ladies and gentlemen, this little booklet is the future -- a more ingenious, more satisfying, and less wasteful future. Welcome to it." - From "Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet" in Vanity Fair's first-ever Green Issue. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jlfn,o7l,2ffi,i8cv,dazy,eylb
(1) DO IT YOURSELF: How Cool is Your Home? (2) COOL CITIES: Is Your Mayor On Board? (3) TAKE ACTION: We Need Clean Energy Solutions
1. DO IT YOURSELF: How Cool is Your Home? It doesn't look like the feds are going to take serious steps anytime soon to curb global warming. But you can do your part by making sure your home and lifestyle are as energy-efficient as possible. Take the Sierra Club's new Cool Home Tour and find out how. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jlfn,o7l,1hnl,l1h2,dazy,eylb Sierra magazine's Mr. Green will walk you through a real American home, pointing out what its inhabitants are doing right, and where there's room for improvement. You can do the walk-through in your own abode with Mr. Green's checklist (.pdf). https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jlfn,o7l,csmv,i99,dazy,eylb
After you give the planet an Earth Day gift by making your home more energy-efficient, reward yourself by entering our Housecooling Sweepstakes. Take a chance on winning a $400 gift basket of green goods for your home! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jlfn,o7l,6j80,bvdt,dazy,eylb
2. COOL CITIES: Is Your Mayor On Board? Now that your home is cool, check up on your city. Across the country, 220 mayors representing more than 43 million Americans have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing to significantly cut their cities' global warming emissions by putting smart energy solutions to work. Signing this agreement is the first step to becoming a Sierra Club "Cool City."
Use our clickable map to find out if you live in a Cool City. Then you can help your mayor keep his or her smart energy commitment or encourage him or her to sign on! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jlfn,o7l,6xn9,ff7p,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: We Need Clean Energy Solutions America deserves a better energy future, one that relies on clean 21st century technology. Smart energy solutions will not only curb global warming and cut the country's dependence on fossil fuels, but it will spur economic growth. While you can make changes in your own home and work with your city and county to make sure they're doing their part, the country must attack the threat of global warming at all levels. Our leaders in Washington, D.C. must move us forward.
Sign our Energy Solutions petition and tell the chairs of the House and Senate committees on energy to support efforts to create a new energy policy for America-one that harnesses the power of smart energy solutions to curb global warming, cut our oil dependence, and create a stronger economy. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jlfn,o7l,jeze,ixnx,dazy,eylb
"While I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water." - Harry Taylor (thankyouharrytaylor.org), a citizen of Charlotte, NC and a Sierra Club member, who made headlines recently when he stood up at a town hall meeting and told President Bush he has "never felt more ashamed of [his] leadership in Washington."
(1) SIERRA CLUB CHRONICLES: Range Wars Rage On
(2) TRIP GIVEAWAY: Better Escalade Than Never
(3) TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to Protect All of Our Nation's Waters
(4) TAKE ACTION: Stop Rep. Walden's Destructive Salvage Logging Bill
1. SIERRA CLUB CHRONICLES: Range Wars Rage On
Bush supporters and environmentalists working together? It's happening in the fourth episode of Sierra Club Chronicles. "Range Wars Rage On" tells the story of the ranchers whose livelihoods are threatened by increased drilling on the public land where their cattle graze. The Bureau of Land Management has been leasing more and more of this land to oil and natural gas companies -- and the chemical waste spilled by these companies is killing their cattle. An unlikely coalition is fighting back.
"Range Wars" will air Thursday, April 13 at 8:30 PM EST/PST on Link TV. Download it now for your video iPod at www.sierraclubtv.org.
2. TRIP GIVEAWAY: Better Escalade Than Never
The good news is that hulking SUVs like the Hummer H2 and Chevy Suburban will for the first time have to meet gas- mileage standards. The not-so-good news: those standards are, to put it charitably, not terribly ambitious. The Bush administration's recently released fuel-economy plan would also raise mileage standards for other SUVs, plus minivans and many pickup trucks, but not by a lot. Grist's Amanda Griscom Little gauges reaction from industry and enviros, including Sierra Club's David Becker. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jg4p,o7l,bj7h,wi0,dazy,eylb
While you're there, don't forget to sign up for Grist's free, award-winning environmental news and humor by email and (until May 5th) get a chance to win a free eco-trip for 2 to Peru. You can choose from irreverent news, cheeky green advice, quick hits on pop culture, eco business trends, and political muckraking. What's not to love? https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jg4p,o7l,eyyu,8u5w,dazy,eylb
3. TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to Protect All of Our Nation's Waters
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in two cases in which polluters are trying to radically change the Clean Water Act so that it would only protect waters large enough for commercial navigation. Such a drastic reduction in the scope of clean water safeguards would leave a vast majority of the nation's streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands without any federal protections from pollution. According to the EPA these challenges place at risk surface waters used as drinking water supplies for more than 110 million Americans.
Tell your representative to co-sponsor the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act to keep ALL of our nation's waters healthy and safe. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,jg4p,o7l,dpz7,e8pl,dazy,eylb
4. TAKE ACTION: Stop Rep. Walden's Destructive Salvage Logging Bill
Under the guise of "forest health," Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) has introduced a bill which would fast track destructive logging projects in National Forests impacted by natural disturbances such as fires, droughts, or windstorms. The Walden logging bill, HR 4200, would remove basic protections for clean water and wildlife habitat by cutting meaningful environmental review and excluding the public from the decision making processes. This harmful bill has passed the House Resources and Agriculture committees and could see a vote in early May.
Ask your Representative to oppose Rep. Walden's efforts to eliminate environmental protections and public involvement in logging decisions after normal disturbance events. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative. (Don't know who your Representative is? Find out at: www.house.gov)
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