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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
Sept 3, 2006
"The way I understand things, journalistic balance does not require giving equal time to those who argue, for example, that HIV does not cause AIDS, or smoking does not cause lung disease. Anyone who argues that CO2 does not cause global warming is, pretty much by definition, unqualified to pass judgment on the latest scientific findings. Why reporters have continued to quote these people as if they had a claim to scientific objectivity, I'm not sure." - Elizabeth Kolbert's (The New Yorker) thoughts on objectively reporting on climate change https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mhm7,o7l,krxp,wpe,dazy,eylb
(1) Hurricane Katrina: Small Successes Pave the Way
(2) Smart Energy Summer: Fuel Efficiency is Good for the Economy
(3) Take Action: Protect Your Drinking Water!
(4) Take Action: Fight for Clean Energy Solutions!
(1) Hurricane Katrina: Small Successes Pave the Way
A year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the area is making slow progress toward recovery. Many of the people who are returning are rebuilding smarter and greener, focusing on creating resilient, safer communities with smaller footprints. Government officials are seeing the importance of the natural environment and taking steps to reverse some of the damage already done, including restoring the protective wetlands. Although some troubling questions still go unanswered and essential tasks remain undone, the positive accomplishments seen so far give hope for the future.
Read more on the positive achievements of Gulf Coast communities. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mhm7,o7l,d1xf,l9lc,dazy,eylb
(2) Smart Energy Summer: Fuel Efficiency is Good for the Economy Increasing the fuel economy of our vehicles will save us money at the pump this Labor Day, AND create thousands of new jobs in the process. A study by Union of Concerned Scientists l found that increasing fuel economy standards would create 40,000 jobs in the auto industry alone. In addition, the money we save at the pump would be reinvested in the economy, creating another 161,000 new jobs nationwide.
Learn more about raising fuel economy standards. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mhm7,o7l,lh0w,jcav,dazy,eylb
Find out how much you could save at the pump. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mhm7,o7l,m7il,9r9j,dazy,eylb
(3) Take Action: Protect Your Drinking Water!
Massive livestock factories pose significant hazards to water quality and human health. But, the EPA has proposed a rule that would basically let them off the hook for polluting our lakes and rivers. Inadequate regulation of factory farm pollution would allow dangerous contaminants to be released into our water. To add insult to injury, the rule also revokes communities' right to know what pollution is being released in their backyard. The EPA is accepting comment until August 30th.
Tell the EPA this proposed rule is unacceptable! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mhm7,o7l,21zq,fmzl,dazy,eylb
(4) Take Action: Fight for Clean Energy Solutions!
Sacrificing America's shoreline is not what will bring down - and keep down - energy prices. Offshore drilling won't help American families struggling with prices at the pump, but it will be a billion dollar giveaway to Big Oil. Instead of drilling off our coasts, Congress could be raising the fuel economy of our cars, encouraging the use of renewable energy like wind and solar power, and adopting other, existing energy-saving technologies that cut pollution, curb global warming and create good jobs.
Tell the Senate to protect our coasts and to fight for energy solutions that will save American families money and cure our oil addiction! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mhm7,o7l,b50c,it0l,dazy,eylb
"They are in deep trouble."
Oil analyst Charles Maxwell at Weeden & Co. on BP's admission that some pipes in Prudhoe Bay had not been inspected internally for corrosion in more than a decade.
1) Sierra Club Victory: Giant Sequoia Wins Protection 2) Smart Energy Summer: Hybrids Take On E85
3) Take Action: Save Teshekpuk Lake!
4) Take Action: I want my MPG!
1) Sierra Club Victory:Giant Sequoia Wins Protection
In a giant victory for conservation, a federal judge today ruled that the Bush administration's controversial plan to allow commercial logging in Giant Sequoia National Monument Conservation is illegal. In addition to protecting the Monument- which boasts more than half of all the Sequoia redwoods in the world- from commercial logging, the judge also invalidated several individual timber sales because of their impact on endangered wildlife.
Learn more about the Monument and the defeated logging plan. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mcb3,o7l,ijwj,dp8w,dazy,eylb
2) Smart Energy Summer: Hybrids Take On E85 As gas prices soar, hybrids and biofuels are taking center stage in the energy debate. While both options sound promising, a closer look reveals that when it comes to reducing our dependence on oil and curbing global warming- not to mention saving you money, hybrids are the way to go. Though flexfuel vehicles can use expensive E85 biofuel, 99% percent of the time they run on gas. Hybrids on the other hand alternate between gas and battery power, reducing the amount of gas needed to operate the car, lowering both global warming emissions and payments at the pump.
Learn more about Hybrids and Biofuels. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mcb3,o7l,lh0w,jcav,dazy,eylb
3) Take Action: Save Teshekpuk Lake!
This week the federal government will likely charge ahead with plans to lease the environmentally sensitive Teshekpuk Lake- an area just west of Prudhoe Bay- for oil and gas drilling. The Teshekpuk Lake region is one of the most sensitive arctic wetland complexes in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to irreplaceable wildlife habitat and Native Alaska cultures.
In light of the recent revelations of corroded pipelines and leaking oil wells on Alaska's North Slope, now is not the time to expand dirty and destructive oil drilling into the fragile wildlife habitat around Teshekpuk Lake.
Stop the oil and gas lease sales around Teshukpuk Lake! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mcb3,o7l,dxkf,khl1,dazy,eylb
(4) Take Action: I want my MPG!
As the sun sets on another great summer, you might realize your wallet is a little lighter than you thought it should be. Chances are, the high prices of gas drove up the cost of getting to the beach and around town. Use our MPG calculator to find out how much you are spending on gas, and how much you could save if automakers used current technology to make smarter cars. Then take a moment to send a message to the automakers to urge them to build better cleaner cars - so you'll have some extra cash at this point next year.
I want my MPG! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,mcb3,o7l,m7il,9r9j,dazy,eylb
"Still, year after year strong mercury rules fail in Washington under pressure from corporate interests. Why? Not because the risks of mercury poisoning aren't real. No, lobbyists for the big industries just say they can't afford to make changes." - Sen. John Kerry on why the federal government continues to put public health at risk from mercury pollution
(1) Smart Energy Summer: A Dirty Deal
(2) Mercury Pollution: Scientists Confirm Health Threat
(3) Take Action: Save Puerto Rico's Northeast Ecological Corridor!
(4) Take Action: Oppose the Public Land Give-Away!
1. Smart Energy Summer: A Dirty Deal
With oil prices soaring, the coal industry is touting itself as the cheap, plentiful and "clean" solution to our energy challenge. Though it may be plentiful, coal is only cheap if you don't consider the costs to public health, the environment, the climate and miners' health and safety. Despite claims of a "clean coal" future, 84 percent of the 150 or so new coal plants on the drawing board in the U.S. are no different from the old-fashioned, low-tech, dirty coal plants that exist today. Luckily in places like Illinois, utilities and local governments are working together toward the smart energy solutions our country needs, instead of continuing to invest in dirty, outdated technology that is a bad deal for America.
Learn more about smart energy solutions. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,m6s5,o7l,b3zb,7bct,dazy,eylb
2. Mercury Pollution: Scientists Confirm Health Risks
Mercury pollution is a global threat, jeopardizing human health and wildlife everywhere, according to a declaration ratified Friday at the Eighth International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant. At the conference, scientists agreed that mercury's toxic health risks are so well-documented that women of childbearing age and children need to be cautious about the type and amount of fish they consume. While fetuses and children are most at risk, the scientists also cited new evidence showing that mercury pollution may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in adult men.
The Conference Declaration was endorsed by all of the participating scientists who have spent the last year reviewing mercury science findings from the past decade.
Read more on the Conference Declaration. https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,m6s5,o7l,42hw,9suf,dazy,eylb
3. Take Action: Save Puerto Rico's Northeast Ecological Corridor!
The Northeast Ecological Corridor (NEC), one of the most valuable ecological sites in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean is threatened by the proposed development of mega-resorts and residential complexes. Protection of this seven-mile stretch of unspoiled coastal lands is essential not only for wildlife, but also for the citizens of Puerto Rico who rely on ecotourism. The Puerto Rico Legislature should take swift action to pass legislation (HB 2105) declaring the NEC a protected nature reserve.
Save Puerto Rico's Northeast Ecological Corridor! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,m6s5,o7l,6c3l,9y6,dazy,eylb
4. Take Action: Oppose the Public Land Give-Away!
Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) and Representative Jim Matheson (D-UT) have introduced a proposal to auction off thousands of acres of public land in Southern Utah to make way for development projects like pipelines and reservoirs. The proposal not only sells off America's public land heritage, but it also shortchanges thousands of beautiful wilderness lands at the doorstep of Zion National Park. Instead of solving the region's growth concerns, this plan will fuel sprawl and set a dangerous example for public land management in Utah and throughout the West.
Oppose the Public Land Give-Away! https://info.sierraclub.org/ct.html?rtr=on&s=arz,m6s5,o7l,2whx,40r1,dazy,eylb
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