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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
September 11, 2000
"In what has become an annual game of legislative cat and mouse, congressional Republicans, frustrated at not being able to enact their conservative agenda in the environmental arena, are once again loading budget bills with dozens of riders aimed at undercutting Clinton Administration initiatives." - National Journal article on anti-environmental riders, Sept 9-00
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
GLOBAL WARMING TREATY AT RISK
CONGRESS TAKES AIM AT NATIONAL FORESTS
VIRGINIA VOTER GUIDE SCORES BIG IN THE PRESS
U.S. NEGOTIATING TO WEAKEN GLOBAL WARMING TREATY
International negotiators are currently deciding how strong the Kyoto Global Warming Protocol will be. While countries such as Great Britain are actually finding ways to reduce their emissions (oh by the way, U.S. autos emit more CO2 than every source in Great Britain combined!) negotiators for the U.S. are trying to avoid making any real reductions in our own emissions. Instead, the U.S. is promoting a system of pollution permit trading which would allow U.S. polluters to continue polluting as usual domestically while placing the burden of making real reductions upon other countries. The U.S. would then buy the "credits" earned by those countries making reductions.
Negotiators are trying to take advantage of every possible loophole and even create new ones. For example, the U.S. is trying to ensure that U.S. polluters will be able to continue to pollute, so long as they buy emissions reductions that have already occurred in Russia, which has shut down many polluting plants since 1990. This "Hot Air" loophole would mean that pollution that didn't come out of Russian tailpipes and smokestacks could come out of ours. The Administration is also seeking to allow the U.S. to get pollution reduction credits for merely keeping existing forests standing. And the nuclear industry is absolutely salivating at the US proposal that polluters could earn pollution credits from new nuclear power plants abroad.
The Sierra Club has taken a position against these risky trading schemes and opposes the use of "credits" as a right to pollute. Instead of passing the responsibility on to others and delaying any action, we're pressing for real reductions in domestic emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. We should be making our cars, powerplants and factories pollute less, not rely on less developed countries to clean up our mess.
TAKE ACTION. Contact the White House (phone: 202-456-1111, or email: president@whitehouse.gov). Urge President Clinton to instruct U.S. negotiators to stop weakening the Kyoto Protocol with loopholes designed to avoid making real reductions. We should take World leadership by cutting our own global warming emissions.
II. CONGRESS TAKES AIM AT OUR NATIONAL FORESTS
Action is heating up on S.1608, the bill that forces communities to choose between healthy forests and good schools. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) are trying to get the bill -- known as the "Secure Rural Counties and Community Self-Determination Act" -- to the Senate floor this week!
Under an outdated law, the U.S. Forest Service is required 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. Instead of addressing this problem in a useful manner, S. 1608 would instead increase logging incentives and give control of National Forest lands to local interests. Rural schools deserve steady education funding, but funding should not be tied to logging our National Forests.
Senators should be strongly urged to oppose S. 1608. Clearly school children should not be held hostage by an unsustainable logging program.
- Over 85% of teachers around the nation want guaranteed funding for schools that is "not connected to logging in any way."
- S. 1608 would force counties to spend 15%-20% for "investments in resource management and restoration." Education payments should go towards education, not to an unsustainable logging program. Counties should have the choice to keep their full payment for education.
- S. 1608 keeps the traditional tie between timber receipts and payments to counties. Payments to counties would come from Forest Service logging revenues and fees and then from the general Treasury if Forest Service funds are insufficient. Counties would continue to have an incentive to advocate for more logging on federal lands. With budget shortfalls Congress would likely take funding from environmentally beneficial activities such as wilderness management, fish and wildlife habitat restoration and recreation.
- S. 1608 would create special "local advisory committees" to approve "resource management projects." This would give county officials and local interests the ability to allocate millions of dollars of federal funds and would increase local control over National Forest management. The National Environmental Policy Act allows for ample citizen input into federal management decisions and has worked for decades.
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. For more information call Sean Cosgrove at (202) 547-1141.
SIERRA CLUB PRESIDENT ROBBIE COX DRAWS A CROWD IN VIRGINIA
Sunday's "BIG PICNIC" for environmentalists and a Monday press conference in Richmond were the backdrops for the release of Sierra Club's Voter Guide in a US Senate race pitting incumbent Senator Chuck Robb against former Governor George Allen.
More than 75 volunteers gathered on the shore of the Potomac River at Leesylvania State Park to join Sierra Club President Robbie Cox in releasing the Voter Guide.
Media coverage was impressive. Two major news stations in metro Washington, DC ran the story, and a local Northern Virginia paper sent a reporter and photographer to the picnic. A great time was had by all.
The Monday press conference attracted 6 media outlets: four print, one radio and one TV. They were: Wash. Post, Daily Press (Newport News), Richmond Times Dispatch, Charlottesville Daily Progress, WRVA radio and TV 7 of Roanoke (a CBS affiliate that regularly shares its news cast with other affiliates around the state. And as we drove Robbie Cox to the airport on Monday afternoon we managed to squeeze one more TV interview in with TV8 in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia.
One interesting note. Attending our press conference on Monday was a spokesperson for the Allen campaign (Tim Murtagh) which is obviously defensive about candidate Allen's "dismal" record on the environment.
WE NEED YOUR HELP IMMEDIATELY! URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO CO-SPONSOR H.R. 4879, THE ARMY CORPS REFORM ACT OF 2000.!
TELL THEM TO REQUEST THAT REFORMS BE INCLUDED IN THE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT (WRDA)
On July 18, Representatives Ron Kind (D- WI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the Army Corps Reform Act of 2000 (H.R. 4879), which would make long-awaited reforms to the Army Corps of Engineers. Highlighting the need for reforms are several Corps projects that have come under scrutiny, including lock expansion, channel and harbor deepening, and brownfield remediation projects, in recent months. In particular, top Corps officials allegedly developed a "secret plan" to expand the agency's budget by 50 percent.
Key reforms in the bill include a requirement for independent, outside expert review of all large or controversial projects; increased public involvement; making environmental protection an equal purpose of future Corps projects; and requiring adequate mitigation for Corps levees and dams that harm rivers and wildlife.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY! Encourage your Representative to cosponsor the Army Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2000 and to support Corps reform measures in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2000!
CONTACT your member, call the Congressional switchboard AT 202-224-3121.
Please write a letter to your representative highlighting the issues below.
* urge your representative to co-sponsor the Army Corps Reform Act of 2000 (H.R. 4879), introduced by Representatives Kind (D-WI), Baldwin (D-WI) and Blumenauer (D-OR).
*Too many Corps projects continue to be economically suspect and environmentally unacceptable and serve primarily private interests.
*There is compelling evidence that some Corps planners -- anxious to increase the agency's budget -- have bent the rules of project planning to support economically questionable projects.
*Many Corps flood control and navigation projects have failed to produce predicted benefits or have resulted in unacceptably high environmental costs.
*Despite a growing backlog of authorized projects, an increasing number of Corps projects primarily benefit private interests -- including many projects that lie outside the Corps' traditional missions, such as wastewater treatment, water supply and irrigation projects. The Corps frequently treats local cost-sharing partners - rather than affected stakeholders - as their clients.
*In many cases, the Corps only replaces a fraction of the habitat their projects destroy.
*In some cases, the Corps has simply failed to mitigate for the environmental impacts of levees, dams and channels, or mitigation projects have failed to produce promised benefits.
*Some flood control and navigation projects are constructed even when there is ample evidence that project impacts cannot be cost-effectively or successfully mitigated.
*Congress must act now to ensure that future Corps projects are economically justified, environmentally sound, and serve the national interest.
"Americans care about protecting clean water, stopping sprawl and other environmental issues, and they want to know whether their public officials measure up on the environment." -- Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURED ITEM: Sierra Club's Voter Education Web site
1. TAKE ACTION: Free Mexican Anti-Logging Acvitists
2. TAKE ACTION: Protect our Streams and Wetlands
3. TAKE ACTION: Tell the BLM to Properly Manage Off-Road Vehicles
4. TAKE ACTION: Support United Nations Population Fund -- No "Global Gag Rule"
5. TAKE ACTION: Protect Our Wild Heritage -- Stop Logging Our National Forests
FEATURED ITEM: Sierra Club's Voter Education Web site
www.sierraclub.org/voter_education
The Sierra Club's Environmental Voter Education Campaign (EVEC) is a grassroots effort to hold policy-makers accountable for their environmental positions. Our goal is to educate the American public about the importance of environmental issues, the voting records of our elected officials and candidates, to create demand for environmentally responsible leaders and urge the public to contact legislators to vote to support upcoming environmental measures. Our 2000 campaign will focus on the United States Congress and the presidency.
"Americans care about protecting clean water, stopping sprawl and other environmental issues, and they want to know whether their public officials measure up on the environment," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope. "In the 30 years since the first Earth Day, we've cleaned up pollution in some very tangible ways -- the Cuyahoga River no longer burns, smog no longer chokes Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Congress refuses to tackle the insidious but less tangible problems still looming over our environment and our families' health. Our ads tell Americans whether their public officials are making progress on the environment or blocking it."
The EVEC Web site includes information about the Presidential election and officials from the following states:
Colorado Connecticut Delaware Illinois Kansas Michigan Montana Nevada New Jersey Pennsylvania Virginia Washington
The materials on the site include:
- Our Presidential Voter Guide, comparing the environmental records of Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore
- Digital versions of our TV and radio ads designed to educate the public about their senators' and representatives' environmental positions
- Voting charts showing how each featured elected official has voted on the environment
- "Slade dollars" showing how much special-interest money Sen. Slade Gorton (Washington) has received from corporate polluters
- Contact information for each EVEC organizer.
This year's efforts build on the experience of the Sierra Club's past voter education campaigns in 1996 and 1998. In addition to launching TV and radio ads, in the coming months Sierra Club members in the EVEC sites will conduct a variety of activities including grassroots lobbying, distributing voting charts and voter guides door-to-door, posting signs, holding rallies and conducting other creative actions.
If you have questions, comments, or concerns about this Web site, contact eli.levitt@sierraclub.org or alex.veitch@sierraclub.org
1. TAKE ACTION: Urge Mexico's President-Elect to Work to Free Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera
In a stunning decision, a judge convicted Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera, two anti-logging environmentalists from the Southern Sierra Madre region, of crimes they confessed to under duress of torture, including possession of illegal weapons and drug trafficking. Montiel was convicted on three counts and sentenced to nearly seven years. Curiously, Cabrera, who was only convicted on one count, was sentenced to ten years.
The evidence is overwhelming, however, that both men were targeted because they successfully protested and eventually stopped excessive and possibly illegal logging of old-growth forests in their community. A little more than one month ago, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), a governmental organization, concluded that the evidence that Montiel and Cabrera were in possession of guns was fabricated. The CNDH also found that drug charges were untrue, since the Public Ministry never registered the existence of a marijuana plot and the soldiers could never determine its location.
Mexico's record on human rights and environmental protection is deeply scarred by this ruling. We are asking all concerned write a letter to President-Elect Vicente Fox urging him to do everything in his power to assure the prompt release of Montiel and Cabrera.
Please send letters to: President-Elect Vicente Fox c/o Ambassador Jesus Reyes-Heroles Embassy of Mexico 1911 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20006
For a sample letter, go to our Web site at: www.sierraclub.org/human-rights/Mexico/action.asp
Any other questions should be directed to: Sam Parry (202) 675-7907 sam.parry@sierraclub.org
2. TAKE ACTION: Our Streams and Wetlands Need Protection from Sprawl
Developers are exacerbating sprawl by turning wetlands into strip malls, tract housing and golf courses -- all without any environmental review. Why? They are exploiting a 1998 court ruling that struck down the "Tulloch Rule" and opened a loophole in the Clean Water Act enabling developers and others to do various ditching, draining and excavating projects without public notice or a permit.
Destroying these wetlands and streams harms the quality of our nation's water, aggravates flooding, robs a wide array of birds, fish and wildlife of critical habitat and invites sprawling development in sensitive ecosystems.
You can help protect our streams and wetlands by supporting a rule the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers proposed to limit the destructiveness of this loophole and by urging these agencies to do more to stop sprawl from invading sensitive ecosystems.
The comment period on this rule ends on Oct. 16, 2000, so urgent action is necessary. Please write a personal letter including the bullet points below. If you want to do more to help with this campaign or need further details, call the Sierra Club at (202) 547-1141 or visit our Web site at www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/tulloch.
- Provide clarity in the rule that specific activities -- such as sidecasting, stockpiling, clearing, grading, leveling and backfilling -- always require environmental review to ensure that developers are not able to exploit any vagueness within the rule;
- Develop stronger language to protect our streams from toxics, heavy metals and other pollutants that are sent downstream by ditching and dredging.
The Army Corps must seize this opportunity to protect our nation's streams and wetlands from the widespread destruction this loophole has created. I urge you to finalize the rule with the above revisions as soon as possible. Please count this as my formal comment in support of the proposed rulemaking for limiting the Tulloch loophole.
Mail to: Mr. Mike Smith Office of the Chief of Engineers ATTN CECW-OR (3 F73) Further Revisions to Definition of Discharge or Dredge Material 441 G Street NW Washington, DC 20314-1000
Email to: CECWOR@HQ02.USACE.Army.Mil
3. TAKE ACTION: Tell the BLM to Properly Manage Off-Road Vehicles
Unrestrained use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is causing severe damage to some of the nation's most sensitive wildlife habitat areas. The BLM announced earlier this year the development of a national strategy to ensure "environmentally responsible off- highway vehicle use" on BLM lands. The agency will be gathering public input for the strategy through "listening sessions" held this summer throughout the West, as well as accepting written comments.
The BLM must develop a uniform policy that gives specific direction on how ORVs should be managed to protect resources and eliminate user conflicts. The BLM should adopt five basic changes to the current ORV management framework:
- ORV use should be prohibited in roadless areas and wilderness study areas.
- All BLM lands should be specifically designated, mapped, and signed as open, limited, or closed to ORV traffic. The BLM should adopt a "closed unless open" policy, to allow ORV use only on roads, trails, and routes designated and posted as "open." Cross-country ORV travel should be prohibited.
- Designation of ORV routes should only occur where the agency has shown that ORV use will not cause adverse environmental impacts.
- The BLM should follow the National Environmental Policy Act when designating ORV routes, constructing new ORV routes, upgrading existing routes for new or additional ORV use, and constructing or upgrading facilities for ORV use.
- ORV use should be prohibited unless adequate monitoring and enforcement of the use and impacts are fully funded and implemented.
For a list of hearings and more info. on the impact of ORV's visit https://www.sierraclub.org.wilderness/ORV
Written comments should be sent by August 31 to: Comment Manager, Bureau of Land Management 1849 C St NW, LSB 406-C Washington, DC 20240
or through the BLM web site: https://www.blm.gov/ohv/ohvstrategy.htm
4) TAKE ACTION: Support the United Nations Population Fund With No "Global Gag Rule"
The fate of international family planning funding and policy will be determined in September when a conference committee, comprised of House and Senate members, will forge a joint document to be sent to the president.
The House version (H.R. 4811) passed with funding levels of $385 million for international family planning assistance and $25 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). These represent no increase from the funding levels of last year. The House also voted to retain the Global Gag Rule which disqualifies overseas family planning associations from receiving U.S. funds if they, with their own money, lobby to change laws on abortion or legally provide abortion services in their own countries.
The Senate passed their act (S. 2522) with increased funding levels and removed the Global Gag Rule restrictions from the legislation. The Senate requested $425 million for international family planning assistance and $25 million for UNFPA.
President Clinton has threatened a veto if the Global Gag Rule restrictions and low funding levels remain. Therefore, difficult negotiations will have to be made to produce a bill that the President will sign.
TAKE ACTION:
The following Senators are key players for successful negotiations:
Specter (Pa.), Leahy (Vt.), Inouye (Hawaii), Lautenberg (N.Jj), Harkin (Iowa), Mikulski (Md.), and Murray (Wash.).
If you live in one of these states, please contact your senator and ask him or her to stay in strong support of the Senate language and funding levels.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
5) 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 H.R. 1396, the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act.
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