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Oct. 13, 1999
"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace." -Amelia Earhart
Contents:
1) TAKE ACTION: CLINTON TAKES HISTORIC STEP TO PROTECT AMERICA'S WILD FORESTS
2) MCCAIN AMENDMENT THREATENS GRAND CANYON NATURAL QUIET
3) OWYHEE CANYONLANDS BILLBOARDS EARN NOTICE
1) *** TAKE ACTION ***
CLINTON TAKES HISTORIC STEP TOWARD PROTECTING AMERICA'S WILD FORESTS
President Clinton took a historic step toward protecting America's forests today by announcing a new plan that could lead to a permanent ban on logging and other destructive activities in the last untouched areas of our National Forests.
"Sierra Club wholeheartedly applauds the Clinton Administration's vision to protect roadless areas in our National Forests," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope. "President Clinton is taking a great step to ensure future generations of Americans can enjoy healthy, productive forests. Our National Forests' roadless areas provide opportunities for backcountry recreation, clean drinking water, and prime habitat for wildlife like salmon and grizzly bear, but most of those areas are not protected from logging and other destruction. Roadless areas are the remaining remnants of our nation's forest heritage and deserve permanent protection."
The Clinton proposal could protect the 40 million acres of America's National Forests that remain roadless but open to logging and other destructive activities. Of the 192 million acres in America's National Forests, more than half have been damaged by decades of timber cutting, oil and gas development, mining, and other industrial uses.
Conservationists can now get to work informing the public about this historic opportunity to make a difference to our environment. There will be public comment periods on the President's proposal and we need to educate and mobilize citizens on behalf of our wild forests. More on that later...
For now, please...
**Call or e-mail President Clinton and thank him for this historic proposal. Phone: (202) 456-1414, e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov, Web: https://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Mail/html/Mail_President.html
THANK YOU
2) MCCAIN AMENDMENT THREATENS GRAND CANYON NATURAL QUIET
Remarkably, Senator John McCain, long-time champion of natural quiet at the Grand Canyon, has authored and gotten passed special provisions that actually roll back existing protections from noisy air tours at the park.
In an amendment to a large FAA authorization bill, S. 82, McCain attached an amendment which would:
* Deem all Grand Canyon tour aircraft as "quiet" if the FAA doesn't say otherwise in 9 months,
* Open up flight-free areas to "quiet" aircraft routes,
* Remove the proposed caps on air tour numbers for "quiet" aircraft, and
* Jettison the existing curfews, letting "quiet" aircraft fly from 7 am to 7 pm -- virtually dawn until dusk.
According to McCain's office, this is being done to encourage the transition to quieter aircraft. However, according to Sierra Club's Southwest Field Office Director Rob Smith, the amendment would roll back any progress made so far on restoring natural quiet to the Grand Canyon. The two most effective tools for ensuring natural quiet, moving routes and limiting numbers, are thrown out. Even the modest promise of quieter aircraft would fail to safeguard natural quiet if all planes are allowed in simply through inaction by the FAA.
McCain's amendment has a final paragraph which repeats the natural quiet goal, but there's clearly no way to achieve natural quiet if any of these specific provisions are implemented.
Please call McCain's office ASAP to ask him to pull this amendment back in conference committee with the House (the House FAA bill has no such provision).
Call McCain at (202) 224-2235 or call his committee staff, Ann Choiniere at (202) 224-4852.
Please call soon. Congress is moving quickly to wrap up this and other legislation.
3) OWYHEE CANYONLANDS BILLBOARDS EARN NOTICE
The Idaho Statesman reported this week on the Sierra Club's campaign to raise awareness around the need "to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands for wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation and wilderness." The club, working with a coalition of conservation and sportsmen's groups, has purchased billboard space in and around Boise.
According to the Statesman, "The red, white and blue signs depict bighorn sheep in a canyon setting and invite the reader to visit an informational Web site at www.owyheecanyonlands.org."
The nearly two million acres of public land in the region is administered by the BLM. Protection options could include designation of the area as a National Monument or National Conservation Area. Some parts could also receive wilderness designation. The Sierra Club has begun a citizens' wilderness inventory effort to document lands that meet the criteria for wilderness designation.
Great work, Roger Singer, Sierra Club's Idaho Chapter Staffer!
"...to say that no nation may act to protect its forests without being subject to sanctions by the WTO is outrageous and should be taken off the table in Seattle." Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
G FROM LOGGING
2) CLINTON SIGNS DIRTY TRANSPORTATION APPROPRIATIONS BILL
3) WTO = "WONDERFUL TREE OPPORTUNITY" FOR LOGGING INDUSTRY
TAKE ACTION
1) URGE CONGRESS TO DELINK EDUCATION FUNDING FROM LOGGING
Should Our Children's Education Depend On Cutting Down Our National Forests?
A 1908 law, known as the "25% Fund" or "Payments to States," requires the Forest Service to turn over 25% of logging revenues to counties for use in funding schools and roads. Given that logging revenues, and, subsequently, payments to counties, have declined steadily in recent years the Clinton Administration has proposed a responsible policy of de-linking county payments from timber revenue. This will provide increased, stable annual payments to rural counties while allowing Forest Service managers to focus their efforts on natural resource needs.
Sadly, huge logging companies are hiding behind the argument of "more money for education" to push for an increased and unsustainable logging program on federal public lands. Under their plan, if the 25% of logging revenues are less than the annual payment, the Forest Service must pay the difference out of their other programs. This simply means that if the Forest Service doesn't log as much as some rural counties want, then the Forest Service will have to take funds from vital conservation programs such as wilderness management, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and restoration to give to counties to augment their annual budgets.
To that end, Reps. Nathan Deal (R-GA) and Allen Boyd (D-FL) have introduced the "County Schools Funding Revitalization Act of 1999," HR 2389. This short-sighted legislation would create an even greater incentive for the Forest Service to log or lose non-timber funding, and puts corporate logging interests at the helm of managing America's National Forests. The timber companies win increased logging contracts of subsidized federal timber and America's schoolchildren inherit a legacy of clearcuts and degraded watersheds.
Also, in the Senate, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has teamed up with all-pro logging champion Larry Craig (R-ID) to produce S. 1608. This bill increases incentives for logging, increases funding for timber sales, and allows local control of the National Forests. All in the name of providing money for schools. This bill is such a bad idea we've dubbed it "Clearcuts for Kids."
Education funding should not be held hostage to debates over the appropriate uses of National Forests. There is a better way. The 1908 law needs to be changed to permanently decouple education and road payments from yearly logging levels. This will ensure stable, predictable payments for the future of education while allowing National Forest management activities to be decided by sound scientific and economic data and public desires. To that end, Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) has introduced HR 2868. This progressive proposal is supported by the Clinton Administration and presents a sound solution.
Mike Dombeck, Chief of the Forest Service, said it best: "Why should the education of rural schoolchildren be funded off the back of a controversial timber program?"
**CALL your Member of Congress through the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to OPPOSE HR 2389 and SUPPORT HR 2868 the responsible proposal to de-link rural education funding from National Forest logging levels.**
**CALL your SENATOR at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to OPPOSE S. 1608, the Wyden/Craig "Clearcuts for Kids" bill.**
For more information contact Sean Cosgrove, Sierra Club National Forest Policy Specialist at (202) 547-1141.
THANK YOU
2) CLINTON SIGNS DIRTY TRANSPORTATION APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Over the holiday weekend, in the dead of night, President Clinton signed the Transportation Appropriations bill with the infamous rider freezing CAFE standards. While we had a tremendous victory in the Senate on the Clean Car Resolution in September, the President failed to follow it up with strong leadership. By signing a dirty bill, the President continued to let Congress tie his hands on new miles per gallon standards for gas guzzling SUVs and other light trucks.
This is particularly bad news, since the EPA's recently released Fuel Economy Trends Report shows that:
*All of the fuel economy gains from technological improvements over the last twelve years have been more than offset by the proliferation of larger, heavier, gas-guzzling vehicles on the roads
* The average fuel economy for new vehicles in the 1999 model year was only 23.8 miles per gallon, the lowest level since 1980
* The 1999 model year average represents the steepest annual decline in fuel economy since 1975, falling .6 mpg from 1998 to 1999
Note that the EPA conveniently held release of the Trends report until AFTER the September 15th vote in the Senate.
Thanks to the help of activists across the country we successfully put gas guzzling SUVs and global warming front and center in the Senate. Forty Senators are now on record supporting action on fuel economy standards. We had a tremendous floor debate led by Senators Gorton, Bryan and Feinstein. We are disappointed that the President didn't veto the bill, but we are well poised for the fight next year!!!!!
And, this is a great opportunity to educate your neighbors and elected officials about just how bad this dirty bill is -- so please write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
3) WTO = "WONDERFUL TREE OPPORTUNITY" FOR LOGGING INDUSTRYvPresident Clinton plans to join other world leaders in signing a "free logging" agreement at the World Trade Organization (WTO) summit that starts in Seattle on Nov. 30. The "free logging" agreement would increase clearcut logging in some of the world's most fragile ancient forests to benefit a handful of giant, transnational timber corporations.
The 134-member WTO was established in 1995 to promote global trade -- but increasingly it does so at the expense of forest protection at home and around the world.
The "free logging" agreement would eliminate tariffs -- or border taxes -- on forest products worldwide. Prices for forest products would drop, increasing consumption and clearcut logging. In fact, an industry study predicts that forest products consumption will rise by 3 - 4 percent worldwide if the "free logging" agreement is signed.
As demand for wood products grows in the United States, more and more of our consumption is imported, jeopardizing the world's last, great ancient forests. For instance, British Columbia, Canada, home to much of the world's last remaining ancient temperate rainforest, now exports half of its timber to the United States. The "free logging" agreement would increase the pace of forest destruction in British Columbia -- and around the world.
For an action kit on the WTO Summit, contact Dan Seligman at (202) 547-1141 or dan.seligman@sierraclub.org
Tell Your Senators:
Support the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
CALL TODAY!
On Oct. 12, barring a deal between President Clinton and Senate leaders, the Senate will vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), an international agreement that seeks to ban nuclear weapons test explosions.
The treaty requires a two-thirds vote to prevail, and from preliminary vote counting it appears that there are not enough votes for passage. That's why it's important to call your senator today. Floor debate starts Friday.
What's this have to do with the environment?
While the environmental benefits of a test ban have not been a large part of the debate, there are strong environmental reasons to support the treaty:
1) Even underground testing causes leaks of radiation to the environment, including groundwater.
2) Nuclear weapons production at dozens of sites in the United States and Russia poses numerous risks to both workers and the environment.
3) Deployment of any nuclear weapons would pose huge environmental risks.
4) We're still cleaning up contaminated sites as a legacy of the Cold War; time has revealed far greater risks than were apparent at the time of testing, or deployment.
President Clinton submitted the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification in 1997 and now, after two years of inaction, it's scheduled for a vote on Oct. 12.
To date, 152 countries have signed the treaty including Russia, China, Great Britain and France. The treaty cannot enter into force until approved by the 44 nuclear-capable nations including the United States. So far, 22 of these nuclear-capable nations have ratified. Senate ratification is needed to provide leadership for other countries, such as India, to follow.
Why Ratify the Treaty?
Since 1945, over 2,050 nuclear tests have been conducted; an average on one test every ten days. These tests cause damage in the soil and groundwater. The CTBT would protect human health and the environment.
The treaty would also curb nuclear weapons proliferation worldwide. States with limited or nonexistent nuclear capabilities would find it difficult to create nuclear weapons and would be reluctant to deploy them without testing them first.
The CTBT would strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The NPT was extended in May 1995 with the expectation that a treaty such as the CTBT would soon be in place. Failure to ratify CTBT would result in the undermining of the NPT.
The CTBT is effectively verifiable. It would put into place an extensive, global network of 320 monitoring stations to detect and deter possible nuclear test explosions. Moreover, it would provide a means for conducting short- notice, on-site inspections when necessary. Opponents of the CTBT claim the treaty could not be adequately verified.
The CTBT is the longest-sought initiative to reduce nuclear weapons. Presidents since Dwight D. Eisenhower have pursued this treaty.
Who Supports the Treaty?
More than 80 percent of the American public, across all political divides, support ratification. The treaty is also supported by past and present U.S. presidents, the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Environmental groups endorsing the CTBT include the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, NRDC, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Defenders of Wildlife, Zero Population Growth, Environmental Working Group, Union of Concerned Scientists and others.
TAKE ACTION
BUT, despite this vast public support, not enough senators have indicated they will vote for the treaty. That's why your senators need to hear from you NOW!
Call your senators TODAY and urge them to ratify the CTBT. Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
(Thanks to Disarmament Clearinghouse for the background information. For more information, visit the organization's Web site at: https://www.disarmament.org.)
"Trying to eliminate road congestion by building new roads and bridges is like trying to relieve obesity by buying new pants. In both cases, the real issue is not being addressed." Glen Brand, Sierra Club public education campaign coordinator, Cincinnati, OH (with a great variation on a quote attributed to Mayor John Norquist of Milwaukee in the Club's report, Solving Sprawl)
Contents:
1) Sprawl report makes news, BIG news, around the country
2) Building public demand for solutions to sprawl
3) VICTORY: Big vote in House helps in fight against anti-environmental riders
1) Sprawl report makes news, BIG news, around the country
On Monday the Sierra Club released its new report, Solving Sprawl: The Sierra Club Rates the States, to some of the most intense media interest ever. More than 40 reporters and ten television cameras were eager to get a copy of the report and interview Club representatives at the national press conference in Washington, D.C.
Club activists Larry Bohlen, co-chair of the Club's national challenge to sprawl campaign and Gwen Jones, the Club's lead activist for the Restore the Core campaign in the Washington, D.C. area, joined with executive director, Carl Pope in releasing the report nationally.
But that's only half the story.
Club activists and staff in most major cities around the country released the report locally at the same time it was released nationally in Washington, D.C. Over the last several days the Sierra Club's sprawl report has been covered in papers from the New York Times to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
The local press attention has been especially strong because Club activists and staff were ready and eager to talk with local media about what the rankings showed in their state, and how the Sierra Club is working on sprawl in their area.
In addition to the breadth of the media coverage nationwide, it is very encouraging to see how much of the coverage really captured the message of the report. Here are a few representative excerps from papers around the country.
The Atlanta Constitution reported:
Georgia is getting surprizingly high marks, and a few middle-of-the-road ones, in a national Sierra Club report today rating how each of the 50 states stacks up on sprawl issues. But don't fire up the bulldozers just yet. The report, "Solving Sprawl," says Georgia still has a lot to do. . . "What you are seeing is Georgia has put a structure in place for planning, but they haven't carried through," said Bryan Hager, chairman of the environmental advocacy group's Georgia chapter.(Mon., Oct. 4, 1999)
The New Orleans Times-Picayune also picked up on the report's key theme that there are solutions to sprawl:
Louisiana generally has done a poor job of controlling urban sprawl and could learn from regulatory tools used in states such as Oregon, Maryland and Vermont, the Sierra Club environmental advocacy group said Tuesday. During a news conference held in front of the historic St. Roch Market on St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans, Sierra Club officials and their allies highlighted myriad government tools -- from protective zoning for farm lands to increased use of mass transit to stronger regional planning controls -- they say could help restrain wasteful development at the fringes of metropolitan areas. "The good news is we're not doomed to a future of traffic congestion, air pollution, overcrowded schools, abandoned city centers and lost open space and farm land," said Sarah Craven, a Sierra Club regional spokeswoman. "We can manage suburban sprawl by implementing common-sense smart growth solutions." (Tues., Oct. 5, 1999)
And from the Austin American-Statesman:
Continuing its yearlong attack on sprawling, uncontrolled growth, the Sierra Club on Monday admonished Texas for poor transportation and development planning. Texas also received low marks for preserving open space from development, ranking among the bottom five states in a national report issued Monday by the environmental group. And although Texas rated relatively high in efforts to revitalize older neighborhoods, the report titled Solving Sprawl found little to celebrate in the Lone Star State. "Everyone wants safe water, clean air and not to be sitting in traffic," said Karin Ascot of the Sierra Club's Austin chapter. "As they're sitting in traffic, everyone knows that what we're doing now is not working." (Tues., Oct. 5, 1999)
You can find the Club's sprawl report with ratings for all 50 states on the Web at www.sierraclub.org.
2) Building public demand for solutions to sprawl v Now that the Club's sprawl report is on the street and in the news, what does a Sierra Club grassroots activist do next? Hit the streets with sprawl postcards!
In 24 cities, Club environmental public education campaign(EPEC) staff and volunteers are armed with coloful postcards for people to sign and send to key public officials. Message: Sprawl is not inevitable, support smart growth.
Each postcard is tailored to the specific city where it is being distributed, and contains information about how sprawl is affecting the environment and quality of life there, as well as key solutions that need to be implemented in that area. These postcards provide an important way for local residents to let public offcials know just how frustrated they are with sprawl, and that they want solutions!
3) VICTORY: Big vote in House helps in fight against anti-environmental riders
The Club's effort to strip out the host of anti-environmental riders now latched to the Interior Department Appropriations bill got a big boost from an important vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. Just moments after Monday's SC-Action went out, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Dicks' "motion to instruct" that was the subject of Friday's SC-Action.
This is fabulous news! The House is now on record, 218-199 calling for the final Interior Appropriations bill to be stripped of riders that would undermine efforts to protect our natural resources. THANK YOU so much for your calls into House offices.
While this vote is "non-binding," it sends a strong signal to the members who are negotiating the final bill to fight to remove the anti-environmental riders. Perhaps even more importantly, it sends President Clinton the message: the congress will uphold your veto, so stand firm and just say no to anti-environmental riders!
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