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July 30, 1999
"They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot." - Joni Mitchell
Friday is the ALL ACTION edition of the SC-ACTION, including actions that you can take on each of the Sierra Club's priority campaigns. The featured campaign this week is the Sierra Club's Clean Air Campaign.
But please be sure to check out the rest of the campaigns to find out what else you can do to defend the environment. Current action items follow on: Global Warming, Wilderness, Sprawl, Human Rights, Ending Commercial Logging, Responsible Trade and Population.
ACT NOW: COMMENT ON AUTO POLLUTION AND CLEAN GASOLINE STANDARDS
DON'T LET YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SUPPORT CLEAN AIR SLIP AWAY!!vTHE TIER 2 COMMENT PERIOD ENDS MONDAY, AUGUST 2
You've probably noticed that summer is upon us, and for too many Americans that means not only hot days, but days when it's actually unhealthy to breathe. Preliminary data collected by the Clean Air Network from 26 states shows that all 26 had at least 1 bad air day between March 12 and June 28 this summer; 15 of the states have had at least 10 bad air days already this summer. Pennsylvania is leading the nation at 21 days when the air has been unhealthy to breathe because of high smog pollution levels. Other "leading states" are Michigan (19), Ohio (18), Texas (18) and Georgia (17). The summer is far from over, and these numbers are sure to climb.
YOU can help make sure that we all have cleaner air to breathe in the future.
THE DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NEW AUTO POLLUTION AND CLEAN GASOLINE STANDARDS IS THIS MONDAY, AUGUST 2 (close of business).
Cars and light trucks (SUVs, minivans and pickups) spew out about 30% of the pollution that causes smog. The new auto pollution standards, called Tier 2, would close the loophole that allows light trucks (SUVs and pick-ups and minivans) to pollute 3-5 time more than cars and set tough new standards for cars and light trucks.
The proposed standards would also clean our gasoline by establishing a national sulfur standard of 30 parts per million (ppm)--that's 300 parts per million less than the current national average! (Sulfur in gasoline clogs catalytic converters in vehicles which in turn allows for more auto pollution.)
If implemented, these new standards would have the same effect as taking 166 million cars off the road! This is quite significant, considering that there are approximately 207 million cars and light trucks on the road today.
The EPA needs to hear from concerned citizens! The powerful auto and oil industries are opposed to many aspects of the EPA's plan. We need to be sure that EPA doesn't weaken the standards and we must work hard to make them stronger. If people don't speak up, the proposed standards could be weakened, putting polluters' profits ahead of our health.
YOU CAN CONTACT EPA BY CALLING 1-888-TELL-EPA or E-MAILING comments to tier2.comments@epa.gov
TELL THEM THAT YOU SUPPORT THESE AUTO POLLUTION AND GASOLINE STANDARDS AND ASK THEM TO MAKE THE PROPOSAL EVEN STRONGER BY ADDRESSING THE FOLLOWING POINTS:
*The EPA should not give a break to big SUVs, all light trucks intended for passenger use must be as clean as cars by 2007 regardless of weight.
*The proposal shouldn't pave the way for diesel engines that will pollute more than cars. Diesel exhaust is a possible carcinogen.
*The proposal must ensure a NATIONAL low sulfur standard.
*The EPA should eliminate a "technology review" that would allow the auto industry to delay cleaning up their biggest SUVs (see detailed talking points at the end of this message).
You can find more detailed information on Tier 2 below or by visiting www.toowarm.com/tier2 (you can comment directly to EPA from our website).
1. TAKE ACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING
Raising miles-per-gallon standards for cars and trucks would slash global warming and help protect our environment. It would also reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, reduce pressure to drill for oil in sensitive wilderness areas, and strengthen our economy. After years of ducking the issue through anti-environmental riders in the Transportation Appropriations bills, the U.S. Senate will soon vote on a Clean Car Resolution. Sens. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Richard Bryan (D-Nev.) will be offering a resolution urging that the anti-environmental CAFE- freeze rider be dropped from the Transportation Appropriations bill. Calls are pouring in to Senate offices, but there is more to be done! Please write, phone, or fax your senators and urge them to support the upcoming Gorton/Feinstein/Bryan Clean Car Resolution! Tell them that sport-utility vehicles and other gas guzzlers should meet the same fuel-efficiency standards as cars. Remind them that raising miles-per-gallon standards is the biggest single step we can take to curb global warming!
2. TAKE ACTION ON FAMILY PLANNING
Please call your Senators and Representatives and tell them to co-sponsor the Equity in Prescription Insurance Contraceptive Coverage Act (EPICC). This bill requires health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to also cover the five FDA-approved methods of prescription contraceptives. Giving women access to voluntary family planning and empowering women and girls stabilizes population and protects the environment. Fore more information contact Jennifer Kurz at jennifer.kurz@sierraclub.org or 202.547.1141 or visit our website at www.sierraclub.org/population.
3. TAKE ACTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Former Russian navy captain Alexandr Nikitin was on July 12 officially charged with state treason for the eighth time by Russian Federal Security Service, FSB, for contributing to an environmental report on the pollution of decaying Russian nuclear submarines. Russia's Social Ecological Union, the umbrella organization for most Russian environmental groups, believes the FSB is targeting environmentalists for harassment. Let the Russian Embassy know that the persecution of environmentalists is wrong. Remind the Russian's that their own constitution provides protections for environmental whistleblowers. Please write to the Russian Ambassador, His Excellency Yuri V. Ushakov, Embassy of the Russian Federation, 2650 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007, or send an e-mail: russ-amb@cerfnet.com. For more information, visit our Web site, www.sierraclub.org/human-rights
4. TAKE ACTION ON RESPONSIBLE TRADE
Stop the Beetle Invaders. Order your copy of the Responsible Trade Program's new action kit to stop the invasive tree pests that threaten America's forests, parks, and neighborhoods. As imports grows, so do the number of beetles, fungi, and other imported pathogens that threaten America's natural heritage. For instance, the Asian long-horned beetle has destroyed thousands of trees in New York City and Chicago. If it spreads, it could destroy more hardwood forests across the country than Dutch Elm disease, gypsy moth, and chestnut blight combined. To stop more such dangerous critters from entering the country, we must change international trade rules that block strong preventive action. The kit contains everything you will need to stage a "Last Great Maple Syrup Pancake Breakfast" to draw attention to the Asian beetle's special love for Sugar Maple trees and to draw media attention to the urgent need for a new, clean, and green approach to trade. Contact Dan Seligman at (202)547-1141 or dan.seligman@sierraclub.org
5. TAKE ACTION ON SPRAWL
The Clinton administration's Better America Bonds program would help communities preserve open space and clean up abandoned industrial sites. This sprawl-busting program would allow communities to get tax-free, 15-year bonds for actions like land acquisition and clean up. Recently, key Democrats in the House, including Robert Matsui (D-Calif.) and Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) introduced legislation to fund the Better America Bonds! They're looking for other representatives to join them, and this is the time to call yours. Ask him or her to co-sponsor this important legislation. For more information contact Kathryn Hohmann (202) 547-1141.
6. TAKE ACTION TO END COMMERCIAL LOGGING
The Interior Appropriations bill holds two great opportunities to protect and restore our National Forests. Pro-logging forces have not only added a rider on the Senate Interior Appropriations bill that will increase logging, they've left vital fish and wildlife programs underfunded. The Senate will have an opportunity next week to fix this. Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to support two amendments to the Interior bill -- BOTH the Robb amendment to remove a pro-logging rider AND the Bryan amendment to shift money from timber sales and into programs that benefit fish and wildlife! For more information contact Sean Cosgrove at sean.cosgrove@sierraclub.org
7. TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT UTAH WILDERNESS As if fighting anti-environmental riders in appropriations bills weren't enough. Now Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Utah) has slipped into the Defense authorization bill an anti-wilderness rider that would derail the Department of Interior's process for designating Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Utah! Hansen's ticking time bomb would paralyze Interior's ability to protect Utah's wildlands until the Department of Defense delivers a study to Congress on the impact of wilderness on military readiness. But the Air Force itself has said the study is an unnecessary and unwelcome burden -- there is no conflict between wilderness and military readiness. The House and Senate have both approved this massive, must-pass defense bill, but conference committee members can still remove this damaging provision. Please contact Sen. John Warner (R-VA), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and urge him to reconsider this issue and remove section 2814 -- the Hansen anti-Utah wilderness rider. Sen. Warner's office can be reached at (202) 224-2023.
"Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment." - Richard Buckminster Fuller
Contents:
INTERIOR UPDATE: Senate votes to allow mining pollution, more votes coming!
1. OPENING THE "SAFE"
2. BIG WIN FOR MO RURAL OUTREACH EFFORT!!!
3. Where's Lance Armstrong? Sierra Club Bike "Tour de Sprawl"
Interior Update: Senate votes to allow mining pollution, more votes coming!
Last night, the Senate stripped out four anti-environmental riders from the Interior Department appropriations bill:
- a rider that would halt the reintroduction of grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies
- a rider to prevent the Department of Interior from stopping destructive lead mining activities in sensitive watersheds in the Mark Twain National Forest in the Missouri Ozarks
- a rider that extends the moratorium on regulations to ensure a fair return to the federal treasury of royalties derived from oil drilling on our public and Native American land
- an attack on energy efficiency programs
But there are still more riders that need to be stripped, and those stripped yesterday may be back:
- a rider that threatens America's National Forests, public lands and wildlife. This rider (referred to as "section 329") would allow the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to ignore new scientific information about wildlife. They could revise land management plans and issue leases without taking into account important consequences for wildlife. Sen. Durbin will offer an amendment to strip this rider.
- a rider that would require that livestock grazing leases on public lands be extended indefinitely without taking into account environmental damage or public input. Senators Robb and Cleland will offer an amendment to strip this rider.
Meanwhile, a vote to strip the mining rider from the bill lost. The mining rider, slipped into the bill by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), would allow the dumping of unlimited amounts of mining waste on public lands. A motion to table Sen. Murray's (D-WA) amendment passed 55-41, and so this environmentally destructive rider remains in the bill.
Final consideration of the bill is expected soon. Please call your Senator and ask them to strip out ALL remaining anti-environmental riders!
OPENING THE "SAFE"
Here's Northwest Field Staffer Jim Young's report:
Much to Senator Slade Gorton's (R-WA) chagrin, a veteran team of Sierra Club volunteers/staff was on hand to celebrate the opening of Seattle's new $517 million "Safe" -- the Mariners brand-new outdoor baseball park, Safeco Field. But Sierra Club's Opening Night Celebration involved a little more than hot dogs and crackerjacks. Like 6,000 collectors' edition Slade Gorton baseball trading cards.
Inspired by the Mariners selection of Sen. Gorton to toss out the ceremonial first pitch (to, ironically, former Speaker Tom Foley), the Northwest Sierra Club farm team devised a limited edition Gorton baseball card to appropriately honor the occasion. The classic 70s-style card includes important statistics such as Slade's year-by-year environmental batting average and key personal notes like: Throws -- Curveballs on saving endangered salmon; Bats -- Switch-hitter on environment ... says he's concerned about our quality of life but votes against it; Steals -- Leads Congress in sneaking anti-environment "riders" into unrelated spending bills.
The manager of Sierra Club's major league ballclub (Muir's Marauders) -- Carl "Senator" Pope -- visited his Seattle minor league affiliate to officially unveil the card at a press conference next to the already legendary "Bronze Mitt" at the northwest gate of the Safe. Seattle's top-rated local TV news station covered the event even though the Mariner Moose failed to make an appearance. A cousin of his is depicted in a hand-drawn cartoon on the back of the card however. Noting that Slade's campaign contributors from the mining and timber industries wrote his bill to gut the Endangered Species Act, cousin Bullwinkle says: "Please stop hurting my forest friends."
The top-rated AM news/talk Puget Sound radio station (as well as its FM sister) gave the card's release and distribution great play. So much in fact that our team was surprised that a number of fans seemed to already know about the cards and sought them out. Turns out that KIRO was leading its every half-hour local news report with a teaser about the Sierra Club issuing a special Slade Gorton card all afternoon in drive time before the evening game. Seattle's NPR affiliate's story the next morning is alleged to have included a sound bite from one Deborah Arthur.
A grand time was had by all -- except Slade himself. For reasons that have been the subject of much speculation and rumor (no comment from this peanut gallery), the Senator put himself on the disabled list and declined the honor of throwing the first pitch. The Ms radio play-by-play broadcaster from Day 1 in 1977 was a widely popular choice out of the bullpen and sailed one high over Foley's head (any symbolism in that?)
A final note: Larry "Twinky" Mehlhaff, manager of the Sheridan AA club, was also in town for the big event and passed out hundreds of cards personally in exchange for the privilege of attending the game (whose place he went in is a story for another time). One woman in particular like the card so much after studying it for a few moments that she came back and asked for more. At which time she said, "I'm running against Slade Gorton for the Senate." To which Mr. Mehlhaff replied, "Oh yeah, well who are you?" "Deborah Senn" came the answer -- WA State Insurance Commissioner and the only Democrat officially in the race at this point.
Fortunately for all, some alert Seattle volunteers rode to the rescue before any permanent damage was done. Which only goes to show something I've long suspected -- there's the big city way of doing things and then there's the "cowboy way."
BIG WIN FOR MO RURAL OUTREACH EFFORT!!!
EPA announces review of hog producer's actions in Missouri
Premium Standard Farms is one of the biggest hog producers in the nation - raising more than 2.5 million hogs in three northern Missouri counties alone. Those hogs produce LOTS of waste - more than 750 million gallons a year. Well, it seems that Premium Standard has had some problems keeping that waste out of the environment. Just this month, an operator left a spray valve open, spilling 2,000 gallons of pig poop into a creek.
Federal officials have said "enough is enough." Even though they have only just begun their investigation, the EPA "has already revealed significant violations of the Clean Water Act," according to a recent Kansas City Star article. The EPA and Department of Justice have filed legal motions against the company because of a lawsuit filed by the residents of north Missouri who have to deal with this poop every day.
The Star article sums it up well: "'We're not aware of any violations,' Charlie Arnot, a spokesman for Premium Standard Farms, said Friday."
"The Ozark chapter of the Sierra Club, which has worked closely with the citizens network in its legal actions against Premium Standard Farms, welcomed the federal intervention efforts, as well as the new investigation."
"'Thankfully, the federal government has stepped in to save Missouri from itself,' said Ken Midkiff, program director for the Sierra Club in Missouri. `The settlement negotiations appeared to provide more protection for the polluter than the public health and welfare.'"vAs our Missouri Rural EPEC Organizer Scott Dye said, "We've been talking to them for years, and it doesn't smell any better today in north Missouri."
Congratulations!
Where's Lance Armstrong? Sierra Club Bike "Tour de Sprawl"
Nearly 100 people hoped on bikes and toured Cottage Grove, a St. Paul suburb, to raise awareness about urban sprawl. This is the fourth year the Sierra Club has done the tour, which focuses on development and land-use issues in the area.
One stop on the tour was Gene Smallidge's farm. His family has been in Cottage Grove since 1916, and he began building farm fields on his ancestors' tiny land in 1960. Think Gene is feeling sprawl pressure? Surrounding his farm is a highway, a housing development, two golf courses and two industrial plants. Gene is in a constant battle to save his farm.
From the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "Sprawl makes acquisition of land more expensive and more impossible," Smallidge said. "Farmers have a very week voice in Congress. Unless groups like the Sierra Club understand and support us, we have little hope."
Great job!
"I hold it, that a little rebellion now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical." - Thomas Jefferson
Contents:
TAKE ACTION: UNFPA and International Family Planning Assistance
FOLLOW THE BOUNCING HAZARDOUS WASTE!
TAKE ACTION
URGENT ACTION NEEDED: UNFPA and International Family Planning Assistance
The fight for UNFPA isn't over yet. The House of Representatives is expected to vote this Thursday on the FY2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which would allocate $385 million for international family planning funding and $25 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (Last week's vote on UNFPA authorized the existence of UNFPA but not funding for it.)
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and other family planning opponents in the House are likely to try to reduce or restrict family planning aid and eliminate funding for UNFPA. It is possible Smith will offer his Global Gag Rule.
The Global Gag Rule seeks to tell other international organizations what they can do with their own funds. The "Global Gag Rule" would bar foreign and nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. international family planning funds -- if with their own funds -- they provide legal abortion services or participate in public debates on abortion policies.
Please contact your Representative and tell them to support full U.S. funding for international family planning programs --- without restrictions.
Members can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121.
For more information contact Jennifer Kurz at 202.547.1141 or at mailto:jennifer.kurz@sierraclub.org or visit our webpage at https://www.sierraclub.org/population.
Thank You!
FOLLOW THE BOUNCING HAZARDOUS WASTE!
Seems Formosa Plastics has a bit of a problem on their hands. Formosa, an international petrochemical company in Taiwan, was manufacturing PVC pipe, and ended up with a mess of hazardous waste. Looking to get ride of it, they hired another company to dispose of the waste. The dump? An open field near the Cambodian port of Sihanoukeville.
When a dock worker who handled the nearly 3,000 tons of toxic waste died, a local human-rights group called Licadho demonstrated against the secret dumping. The demonstration turned violent, and two human rights workers were arrested and accused of inciting a riot.
The good news?
Under severe diplomatic pressure from Cambodia, Formosa Plastics agreed to take the toxic material back. And last week, the human rights workers charges were dropped.
The bad news?
This waste is U.S. bound!
It seems that American companies are lining up to get this waste to a port in Tacoma, Washington, and then on to their dumps. But all is not lost yet. A coalition of dockworkers and environmentalists have teamed up to stop this shipment - with an assist from the federal government.
Normally, the Environmental Protection Agency wouldn't have a say over whether or not this waste can be imported. There are no limitations on the importation of toxic waste into this country. But Taiwanese officials have learned from the Cambodian disaster, and want official approval before shipment occurs.
The EPA hasn't done that yet. "The EPA's concern, as well as the environmentalists' concern, has been, `what is in this waste?', said EPA spokesman Bill Dunbar in a Seattle Post-Intelligencer story. "We've had some trouble getting to the bottom of that."
But EPA acknowledges that it has no power to stop toxic material coming over the borders, so long as it meets requirements that U.S. companies have to satisfy for safe transportation and disposal. Union workers, worried about the waste's toxicity, might refuse to unload the material once it arrived. And environmentalists are fighting it all the way! Keep your eyes on the news, the waste is sure to end up somewhere.
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| * * * COMPANIES & PRODUCTS * * * |
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| * * * IN-HOUSE RESOURCES * * * |
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