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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
August 2, 2000
"The race for cleaner vehicles is about the future, not the past.....That's why we look forward to seeing action from automakers rather than squabbles about numbers." Daniel Becker, director of the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Program
Table of Contents:
1. Sierra Club Welcomes GM Announcement, Looks Forward to Details
2. In New Ad, Texas Republicans Tell Bush: "No More"
3. When (Rock) Stars Shine Brightly
1. SIERRA CLUB WELCOMES GM ANNOUNCEMENT, LOOKS FORWARD TO DETAILS
On the heels of Ford's announcement that it would improve the gas mileage of its sports utility vehicles by 25 percent over the next five years, General Motors Corporation made a similar pledge. While the Sierra Club appreciates GM's interest in joining the race for increased fuel economy, this optimism is tempered by the lack of specifics in the announcement.
"While we welcome GM's recognition that Americans want to improve fuel economy and curb global warming pollution, the company's announcement is underwhelming," said Daniel Becker, Director of the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Program. "In recent years, Ford followed through on a promise to curb smog pollution, while GM has promised little and delivered even less," said Becker.
The Sierra Club looks forward to GM revealing the rest of its plan and hopes to work with the company to create cleaner vehicles for consumers. One missing element of GM's plan is the number of vehicles that they will make with improved fuel economy.
"The race for cleaner vehicles is about the future, not the past," said Becker. "That's why we look forward to seeing action from automakers rather than squabbles about numbers. We urge DaimlerChrysler to join the race before they're left in the dust."
The Club also hopes GM will match Ford's commitment to achieve this goal without relying on loopholes in the law or using diesel engines which increase smog and carcinogenic particulates in the air.
2. IN NEW AD, TEXAS REPUBLICANS TELL BUSH: `NO MORE'
In a new ad airing in Philadelphia during the Republican National Convention, Texas Republicans ask Gov. George W. Bush to improve air quality. The ad urges Philadelphians to call on Bush to heed three women's pleas for cleaner air.
The ad, titled "No More," features three women from suburban Houston: Lucille Griffth, Diane Kemetz, and Tamara Maschino. Griffith and Kemetz are registered Republicans, Maschino is an Independent.
"I'm a registered Republican. I actively campaigned for Gov. Bush's father and I'm really disappointed in our air quality here in Houston, Texas," says Kemetz in the ad.
Although Houston has the worst air quality in the nation, Bush has not opposed a proposed American Acryl plant that would add to the pollution in the region. When these women asked Bush to protect their community from the 1,500 pounds of nitrogen oxides that would be emitted by the plant daily, his office turned a deaf ear.
3. WHEN (ROCK) STARS SHINE BRIGHTLY
The good news was that a judge decided to halt the logging of redwood trees on private land adjacent to the Headwaters Preserve in California while he considered a challenge by the Sierra Club and the Environmental Protection Information Center.
The bad news was that to keep the injunction in place until trial, Judge Quentin Kopp ordered the environmental groups to post a $250,000 bond that would go to the timber company if the 705-acre logging plan was eventually approved.
The groups were stunned, but went into high gear to raise the money for the bond.
"It took a Herculean fundraising effort, the high profile of the Headwaters forest and the extreme generosity of people like Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt and James Garner for us to raise this bond in such a short period of time," said Club activist Kathy Bailey. Rock Musician and environmentalist Henley donated all of the proceeds from a concert in Berkeley to help raise more than half of the money.
"This extreme generosity in the name of justice and protection of the forests is truly inspiring," said Bailey. "EPIC and the Sierra Club never would have been able to bring the dozens of successful cases in the public interest if we regularly had to post such bonds," said Alex Levinson, the Club's Environmental Law Program Director. If we continue to be called upon to post such large bonds, we will face a huge obstacle to citizen enforcement of public interest environmental laws."
"Sound science supports it, the American people want it, our treaty obligations commit us to it and the courts are going to demand it," Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director, speaking on dam breaches of the Snake River.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURED ACTION ITEM: CARA Adopted by Senate Committee, But Still In Need of Repair
1) TAKE ACTION: URGE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SIGN ON TO REP. PELOSI'S LETTER TO MEXICAN JUDGE ON BEHALF OF RODOLFO MONTIEL AND TEODORO CABRERA
2) TAKE ACTION: IN A SHOCKING NEW DEVELOPMENT, RUSSIA'S PROSECUTOR GENERAL APPEALS NIKITIN'S ACQUITTAL AGAIN
3) TAKE ACTION: FORD TO IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY OF SUVs.
4) TAKE ACTION: PROTECT OUR WILD HERITAGE - STOP LOGGING OUR NATIONAL FORESTS
5) TAKE ACTION: PROTECT OUR WATER FROM ANIMAL FACTORIES
6) TAKE ACTION: Help Curb Sprawling Development
FEATURED ACTION ITEM: CARA Adopted by Senate Committee, But Still In Need of Repair
On Tuesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed a major conservation funding bill, the "Conservation and Reinvestment Act," or "CARA." Over the course of a week, the committee considered several amendments, adopting several less controversial changes by voice vote, and rejecting amendments that would have further weakened this already shaky legislation.
Background on the new Senate bill:
The bill adopted by the committee was a compromise version of CARA, agreed to several weeks ago by Committee Chairman Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). It was crafted as a substitute to H.R. 701, the CARA bill passed by the House last May. In some regards, the compromise bill passed in the Senate committee represents an improvement over the original CARA bill, but it also takes a few steps back in comparison to the bill approved by the House of Representatives.
Since CARA's introduction, we have maintained serious concerns that it creates incentives for new offshore oil and gas leasing in sensitive coastal areas, could provide hundreds of millions of dollars for damaging infrastructure projects, and could actually weaken the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. We made progress in the House last May in largely removing the incentives for new offshore leasing; but unfortunately Senate leaders on this bill chose not to follow that lead. While the incentives are reduced under the new substitute bill, some states and local communities still stand to gain a lot if the amount of oil and gas leasing and production off their coasts is increased, particularly in Alaska. In addition, under the new compromise bill, close to $100 million could be spent each year on infrastructure projects that could actually be harmful to our fragile coastlines.
On the other hand, the Murkowski/Bingaman compromise adds a new "trigger" mechanism to help guarantee that federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money is spent. The new bill requires that the entire $450 million for federal LWCF projects (those are the land acquisition projects that are crucial for the protection and improvement of our National Parks, Forests, Refuges and other protected areas) is approved for spending by Congress each year before ANY of the almost $3 billion provided under the bill is made available.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Today the Senate will begin a recess for the month of August. This is a good time to see if you can visit with your Senators while they are making the rounds in their home state. See if you can get an appointment, or find out where they will be holding town hall meetings. Then urge them to support vital improvements to CARA (HR 701), including:
- eliminating incentives in the bill for new offshore oil drilling in sensitive coastal areas
- ensuring that funding under the bill is used only for environmentally beneficial projects and programs, and not on damaging infrastructure projects
Dedicated funding for the LWCF and other valuable conservation programs is vital for the long-term protection of America's special places and open spaces. But it should not come at the expense of our unique and fragile coastlines.
1) TAKE ACTION: URGE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SIGN ON TO REP. PELOSI'S LETTER TO MEXICAN JUDGE ON BEHALF OF RODOLFO MONTIEL AND TEODORO CABRERA
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is circulating a letter addressed to Judge Maclovio Murillo Chavez on behalf of Mexican environmental defenders Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera. Montiel and Cabrera have been imprisoned since May 1999 for their efforts to stop forest destruction in Mexico's Southern Sierra Madre. Montiel and Cabrera were detained by soldiers in Mexico's 40th Infantry Battalion and were subsequently beaten and tortured, a charge confirmed in a news report by the Mexican National Commission on Human Rights.
Judge Murillo is expected to rule on Montiel and Cabrera's case in late August. Rep. Pelosi's letter expresses concern about the arrest and the legal proceedings against Montiel and Cabrera and urges Judge Murillo to remain impartial in rendering his judgment in the case. Please take a moment to contact your Congressional Representative to urge him/her to sign on to Rep. Pelosi's letter. The deadline for signing on has been extended to Friday, July 28, at 5:00 p.m. Please have your Representative contact Jonathan Stivers in Rep. Pelosi's office at (202) 225-4965.
For more information, please contact Sam Parry at (202) 675-7907, or sam.parry@sierraclub.org. You can also visit our Web site at www.sierraclub.org/human-rights.
2) TAKE ACTION: Human Rights and the Environment II
IN A SHOCKING NEW DEVELOPMENT, RUSSIA'S PROSECUTOR GENERAL APPEALS NIKITIN'S ACQUITTAL AGAIN
Former Russian navy captain, Aleksandr Nikitin, whose contributions to a groundbreaking report documenting the risks of radioactive contamination of the Arctic Ocean from decaying Russian nuclear submarines made him a target of Russia's secret police, will have to defend himself again before the Russian Supreme Court.
In a Kafkaesque tactic, the Russian Prosecutor General has appealed the decision of a three judge panel of Russia's Supreme Court to uphold Nikitin's acquittal citing, among other issues, the absurd notion that Nikitin's human rights have been so harshly violated that his trial was not a fair one. The full Russian Supreme Court will review Nikitin's case on August 2, 2000.
Please take a moment to write to Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing your support for Nikitin and criticizing the obvious scare tactics employed by the Prosecutor General. Send your letters to the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC.
President Vladimir Putin c/o Ambassador Yuri V. Ushakov Embassy of the Russian Federation 2650 Wisconsin Ave, NW Washington, DC 20007 p: (202) 298-5700 f: (202) 298-5735
3) TAKE ACTION: FORD TO IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY OF SUVs.
Ford Motor Company announced that they have committed to a 25% improvement to the fuel efficiency of their SUVs by 2005. This is the first real change in the fuel economy standards since CAFE was first passed in 1975.
Activist pressure can pay some unusual dividends. Who would have thought that the "Valdez" campaign would lead to Ford pledging a 25% fuel efficiency improvement for their SUVs before Congress required it. It shows that we were right: if a car company really wants to make their vehicles get better gas mileage, they can do it. This is a direct result of the relentless pressure we brought upon Ford and your continual efforts to convince them to improve the fuel efficiency of their SUVs.
TAKE ACTION: Write letters-to-the-editor applauding Ford Motor Company for recognizing that they can indeed improve the fuel efficiency of the SUVs. Ford's actions are now a challenge to GM and DaimlerChrysler to do the same.
4) TAKE ACTION: PROTECT OUR WILD HERITAGE - STOP LOGGING OUR NATIONAL FORESTS
Protecting forests make environmental and economic sense. The Forest Service predicts that in the year 2000, recreation, hunting and fishing in National Forests will contribute 38 times more income to the nation's economy than logging, and will create 31 times more jobs. More than 3,000 species of fish and wildlife and 10,000 plant species
-- including 230 endangered plant and animal species -- rely on National Forests for habitat.
The National Forest Protection and Restoration Act would eliminate the commercial logging program on federal public lands, promote restoration, and help communities that receive logging revenue develop a more diverse and stable economy.
** Call your Member of Congress through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to cosponsor HR 1396, the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act. **
5) TAKE ACTION: PROTECT OUR WATER FROM ANIMAL FACTORIES
The EPA is in the process of developing a "Guidance Document" for a permitting system for large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These massive animal factories have fouled America's water and air from coast to coast, and have run family farmers off the land. Several court cases have clearly found that these facilities, including land application of wastes, are to be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act.
But the US EPA seems not to understand the import of the court decisions or the impact of the CAFOs on water quality. There are three major positions that the Sierra Club (and allied groups) have been asserting:
1) Every CAFO with more than 1000 "animal units" (2500 hogs, 30,000 chickens, and 750 dairy cows) must OBTAIN a federal wastewater discharge permit.
2) The permits must contain binding, enforceable and water-quality protective conditions.
3) CAFOs must land apply wastes at agronomic rates, as determined by a soil test and the optimal rate of growth (or production) of the specific crop. (EPA is proposing to allow rates of application based on "soil assimilation" which essentially means wastes can be applied right up to the point where runoff occurs).
Please call EPA Administrator Carol Browner at 202-564-4700 (FAX - 202-501-1450) and urge her to issue a Guidance Document incorporating the above points.
6) TAKE ACTION: Help Curb Sprawling Development
Call, write, or email your Senators and tell them to cosponsor S. 1558, the Community Open Space Bonds Act.
On Tuesday, July 25th the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on the Community Open Space Bonds Act. This bill, introduced by Senators Baucus (D-MT) and Hatch (R-UT) will help local communities by financing smart growth measures, revitalizing urban areas and removing open space from the path of development. Tell your Senator their support is needed so that communities can participate in a voluntary program allowing them to carry out their own conservation priorities by using zero interest bonds to purchase open space, protect water quality, improve access to parks, and redevelop abandoned industrial city centers.
For more information on this bill as well as a sample letter and email visit https://www.sierraclub.org/takeaction/sprawl/
"Calling sand bar removal a way to prevent pollution 'is like trying to solve a weight problem by buying a bigger pair of pants.'"
Dan Farough, Associated Press story on Ads about Senator Abraham's record
Table of Contents:
1. Take Action!: Our Children Need Good Schools AND Healthy National Forests
2. From the Field: Michigan Runs EVEC Ads on Abraham
3. From the Field: North Carolina-Smithfield Foods Phases out Lagoons
4. From the Field: Folks in MN and CA get creative to get the word out!
1. TAKE ACTION! :Our Children Need Good Schools AND Healthy National Forests
Almost a century ago, Congress passed a law requiring the U.S. Forest Service to turn over 25 percent of its logging revenues to rural counties to fund schools and roads. In recent years payments to counties have declined due to reliance on an unsustainable logging program. Rural schools deserve steady education funding, but funding should not be tied to logging our National Forests.
Unfortunately, Senator Wyden has teamed up with Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) to introduce a bill known as S. 1608, the "Secure Rural Counties and Community Self-Determination Act," that would increase logging incentives and give control of National Forest lands to local interests.
Oppose S. 1608. Clearly schoolchildren should not be held hostage by an unsustainable logging program.
The bill ignores the contributions of National Forests to recreation, wildlife, fishing and water quality. Nationally, recreation generates nearly $40 to the economy for every dollar generated by logging, and creates more than 30 times as many jobs. And increased logging destroys recreation opportunities. Rural communities rely on National Forests for clean drinking water and logging can clog streams with silt and run-off. Communities should not have to sacrifice clean drinking water, jobs and wildlife habitat to fund their children's education.
** Call your Senators TODAY and ALL WEEK at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to OPPOSE S. 1608. **
For more information call Sean Cosgrove at (202) 547-1141.
2. FROM DAN FAROUGH, MI EVEC ORGANIZER
The Associate Press ran an analysis of the new EVEC ads about Senator Abraham's record on cleaning up Lake St. Clair. The article quoted EVEC organizer Dan Farough:
"Dan Farough of the Sierra Club said Monday that calling sand bar removal a way to prevent pollution 'is like trying to solve a weight problem by buying a bigger pair of pants.' 'The solution is really fixing these problems at the source,' he said."
3. From North Carolina:
The Associate Press reports that "Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, owner of the bulk of the hog industry in North Carolina, entered into an agreement with the state Tuesday to phase out open-air hog lagoons on its farms within five years."
"We're hoping with this agreement we've turned a corner. Mike Easley has taken the most concrete step yet toward phasing out spray fields and hog lagoons," said Molly Diggins, director of the state chapter of the Sierra Club . "We hope the General Assembly will follow his lead."
Congratulations to everyone who has worked on this issue!
4. GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT--ANY WAY YOU CAN!
* From Jill Walker, MN EPEC Organizer:
Esteemed Minnesota transit activist Mat Hollinshead was being interviewed on KARE-11 News (Twin Cities) about a poorly-planned golf course that would slice into a forested natural area. On his jacket, and shown in close up (zoomed in!) was the button he was wearing: Stop Logging Our National Forests. Sierra Club. Way to go, Mat!
* CA field staffer, Erin Duffy received this note from James Studarus:
Erin,
Just wanted to let you know that I got a little free publicity for the Sierra Club on ESPN2. I participated in an event for Athletes in Motion for ESPN2 about Goaltimate (spin off sport of ultimate frisbee). I wore the sierra club protect our wild forests hat that you brought to the roadless hearings. The show will be aired August 7th; it is a half our program. Go SIERRA CLUB!
Great work James!
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