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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
December 6, 2000
"Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change." --Jesse Jackson
ITEMS:
1. GE-HUDSON RIVER CAMPAIGN MOVING TOWARD VICTORY
2. CHICAGO SUN TIMES PROFILES CLUB LEADER
3. NOTE FROM SIERRA STUDENT COALITION NATIONAL DIRECTOR CAMILLA FEIBELMAN ON SSC'S ELECTION 2000 ACTIVITIES
1. GE-HUDSON RIVER CAMPAIGN MOVING TOWARD VICTORY
JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM ARBOR HILL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CORPORATION, ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES, SIERRA CLUB
SIERRA CLUB CONTACT: Baret Pinyoun, 518-587-9166
UPSTATE NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTALISTS RESPOND TO EPA PCB PLAN
Albany, N.Y.--Three environmental groups that have fought for a cleanup of Hudson River PCB's today expressed cautious optimism that New York is finally moving in the right direction to get toxic PCBs out of our environment. The comments came in response to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement today that they will order General Electric (GE) - the corporation responsible for this environmental disaster -- to remove, primarily by dredging, some 100,000 pounds of the suspected cancer causing chemicals from the river. The World Health Organization has identified PCBs as one of a handful of the most persistent and dangerous chemicals on earth; once they enter the environment they can remain for decades, traveling the globe and causing a host of serious ailments.
"We still don't know when the first of the PCBs will actually be removed from the river, but we are pleased that the EPA stuck to its schedule," said David Higby of Environmental Advocates. "This is the most thoroughly studied Superfund site in the nation's history. And the scientific evidence says that at the very least, these PCB concentration should come out of the river. Remember, this is barely a tenth of the total amount of PCBs GE dumped into the river over the course of this environmental nightmare."
"The EPA has listened to our concerns about the health of people living along the river, especially the poor, people of color and immigrants who are most likely to be feeding contaminated fish to their families as part of their diets," said Aaron Mair of the Environmental Hill Environmental Justice Corporation. "To reduce the health risks to people living in the Hudson Valley by reducing PCB levels in fish, the EPA has correctly concluded that the chemicals must be removed from the sediments."
Commenting on the multi-million dollar ad campaign that GE has waged in the Hudson Valley against a river cleanup, the Sierra Club's Baret Pinyoun said: "It's good to know that GE can't buy public opinion. Instead of investing more money to mislead the public, GE should begin making plans to help clean up the river." She was echoed by the Sierra Club's Chris Ballantyne who added: "GE, with its wealth of technical know-how and expertise, should accept its responsibility as a polluter, and put its efforts to work on the most thorough and efficient cleanup possible. That would go a long way to restoring GE's reputation among those who love the Hudson River."
Jeff Jones, of Environmental Advocates, called on GE to drop its lawsuit against the federal Superfund, filed in Washington, D.C. federal district court last week. "It's shameful that General Electric would rather destroy one of the nation's most important environmental laws than help restore the Hudson River. It's time for them to stop obstructing a clean Hudson and get to work on the cleanup."
2. CHICAGO SUN TIMES PROFILES CLUB LEADER
It's not every day that a Sierra Club leader is the subject of an article in a major paper like the Chicago Sun Times. Then again, Chuck Frank is not your everyday activist. As well as serving as a Sierra Club Foundation Trustee, Chuck is President of one of Chicago's most storied car franchises, Z Frank Chevrolet, the World's largest Chevrolet dealer.
With his feet in the auto world and his heart in the Sierra Club, Chuck has unique insights into the changing interactions between the auto industry and the environmental movement. Chuck is confident that auto companies will adapt to a marketplace increasingly driven by environmental concerns. He lobbies fellow car dealers to support cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars. As Chuck told the Sun Times, "studies show that being environmentally right is good for the economy and in almost every case, it's good for the companies that do it."
However, Chuck is aware that the auto industry needs a push in the right direction. Chuck claims to be "a free-market guy" but argues that by the time the broad customer base demands environmentally sensible products, it's often too late: The damage to the ecosystem has been done. "It's nice to think that the free markets will work perfectly, but in some circumstances, like the environment, it doesn't," he says. "We want our government to provide the leadership and force us to do the right thing." This summer, Chuck wrote letters to every Senator saying that after spending his life in the auto industry, he knew that the government needs to raise CAFE standards and that the industry needed the push.
"He has little patience for car companies when it comes to environmental concerns. They 'squeak and squeal' about such regulations, complaining that they'll cost too much money and destroy their business--the same thing they did when the first government-mandated mileage requirements went into effect in the mid-1970s, says Frank. 'Well, we're going to sell more cars and light-duty trucks this year than ever before in the history of the country. So you tell me: How credible are the manufacturers when they say they can't do it?'"
Chuck says that "There's no doubt automobiles are one of the major problems when it comes to the environment. But that doesn't mean that it should or will always be that way...Given the right circumstances, being an environmentalist is like being an American--you know, baseball, apple pie, Chevrolet.
See the full article by Andrew Herrmann in the Chicago Sun Times, December 6, 2000 https://www.suntimes.com/output/herrmann/herm06.html
3. NOTE FROM SIERRA STUDENT COALITION NATIONAL DIRECTOR CAMILLA FEIBELMAN ON SSC'S ELECTION 2000 ACTIVITIES
This election cycle has been an important one for the Sierra Student Coalition. We did a ton of work on local and national campaigns throughout the country. The SSC was able to hire its first EVEC organizer ever. We partnered with organizations like Campus Green Vote to do major voter registration. Our regional coordinators organized GOTV calls to student members in swing states. We also developed an important relationship with the Young Democrats of America. The Executive Director invited me to spend several weeks speaking on behalf of Gore in Oregon and New Mexico. Being new to politics I didn't know that a little hard work for the right people would get me into the White House for the first time since my eighth grade trip to DC. Since I was in town for the Airlee Conference the Young Democrats invited me to a holiday party at the White House. I've never seen anything like the decorations, uniformed choirs, desserts, and portraits in my life. The receiving line was by far the best part of the evening (besides my carefully planned outfit). I got to shake Bill Clinton's hand and tell him how much the SSC and Sierra Club appreciate his work on Public Lands. I said that I hoped he wouldn't forget Alaska. He smiled and then launched into a story about all the worked he'd done on Coral yesterday. As Mike Newman in the DC office said today, "You can't hike in coral," which is true, but I still think he got the message.
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394 Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-977-5500 Sierra Club World Wide Web - https://www.sierraclub.org Sierra Club Vote Watch Website - https://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/ White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111 White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461 Clinton's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov Gore's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500 US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121 To contact your senators - https://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative - https://www.house.gov/writerep/
"My soul, sit thou a patient looker-on; Judge not the play before the play is done: Her plot hath many changes; every day Speaks a new scene; the last act crowns the play." Epigram, "Repice Finem" Francis Quarles
ACTION ITEMS:
1. RESPONSIBLE TRADE: Celebrate a year since WTO in Seattle
2. FACTORY FARMS: Safeguard the use of antiobiotics
3. END COMMERCIAL LOGGING ON FEDERAL LANDS: Say it to the Forest Service
4: GLOBAL WARMING: Decry U.S. Apathy at The Hague Summit
RESPONSIBLE TRADE: Commemorate 1st Anniversary of Seattle WTO Summit
On Nov. 30 of last year, the Seattle Summit of the World Trade Organization opened to massive street protests organized by trade unions, environmentalists and students. Under pressure from the demonstrators, the trade talks collapsed on Dec. 3.
The Sierra Club protested the WTO to "make trade clean, green, and fair." While we do not oppose trade, we oppose WTO rules that regard our laws to protect environmental, health and safety as "barriers to trade." Already under the WTO and NAFTA -- the North American Free Trade Agreement -- food safety, clean water, clean air,and wildlife protections have been undermined as "trade barriers."
The next American President, regardless of who he is, should focus on fixing the WTO, not expanding its powers.
TAKE ACTION: 1. Write letters to the editor!
2. Call into talk radio shows! You may borrow statements and information from the joint Sierra Club/FAL-CIO press release below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2000
Washington, DC: John J. Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, and Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, today jointly declared plans to carry on the fight for global fairness launched last year during the Seattle Summit of the World Trade Organization (WTO). November 30th marks the one-year anniversary of the coalition of "turtles and teamsters" formed to protest the WTO's neglect of labor and environmental concerns in global trade pacts.
"Together with our coalition partners in the religious, student, consumer, and family farm organizations, we have put the issues of workers' rights, environmental protection, sustainable development, and democracy on the table of the globalization debate," said John Sweeney. "The tens of thousands of people who came together peacefully on the streets of Seattle one year ago signaled the beginning of an international movement that is gaining strength and momentum as it moves forward."
"We have only just begun to fight for global fairness," said Carl Pope. "The Sierra Club pledges to work with our labor allies to carry the spirit of Seattle to America's main streets. In the coming year, we will organize citizens across the country to join the effort to make trade clean, green, and fair."
The two organizations plan to deepen their cooperation by organizing joint town hall meetings, visits with elected officials, and other activities over the next year.
Sweeney and Pope also celebrated concrete achievements, including development of guidelines for environmental review of trade agreements, negotiation of a trade pact with Jordan that includes enforceable environmental standards and workers' rights in its core provisions, funding of debt relief for some of the world's poorest countries, and deepened dialogue and debate at the WTO, IMF, World Bank, and ILO over how best to address the issues raised by the Seattle protesters.
"During the past year, we have provided education to our own members, taken our concerns to our government, and worked directly with trade unions and civil society organizations from developing countries to insist that global economic policy address the concerns of workers and communities, as well as those of multinational corporations," said John Sweeney. "We are building a new consensus that trade and investment agreements can no longer merely ignore citizens' concerns, but we have a tremendous amount of work still to do.'
"We need to move trade off the "fast track" onto a "right track" that puts workers' rights and the environment on a par with commercial concerns," said Pope.
2. FACTORY FARMS: Safeguard the Effectiveness of Antiobiotics
Imagine getting a really nasty case of food poisoning. You drag yourself to the doctor, who prescribes an antibiotic known as a fluoroquinolone that works against many of the bacteria that cause this kind of illness. However, what if the drug doesn't work because the bacteria have become immune to it?
These drugs are starting to lose their effectiveness against certain types of bacteria, largely because a closely related drug known as Baytril is used on immense "factory farms" that raise chickens and turkeys. While these poultry farms produce food for your table, they are also a breeding ground for bacteria that are immune to medicine that you may need some day. To ensure that doctors don't come up empty-handed when they need to treat foodborne illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration has just proposed to ban Baytril, which is produced by Bayer, the maker of Bayer aspirin, One-a-Day vitamins, and a host of other consumer products and medicines. Bayer has until the end of November to decide whether to voluntarily comply with the proposed ban. If Bayer refuses, months or even years will pass before the matter is resolved. Meanwhile, Baytril will stay on the market and human-use fluoroquinolones will become less and less effective. Let the CEO of Bayer know you don't want his company to play chicken with your health. Please send a letter asking Bayer to end the use of Baytril in poultry.
Helge H. Wehmeier, President and CEO The Bayer Corporation 100 Bayer Road Pittsburgh, PA 15205-9741
WILD FORESTS: Roadless Policy Can be Even Better!
The U.S. Forest Service has released the environmental impact statement for the roadless initiative. You can read it on-line at https://roadless.fs.fed.us/. The good news is that the new preferred alternative bans commercial logging as well as roadbuilding in roadless areas and provides a framework for including the Tongass! However, the plan does crack the door open for logging in roadless areas under the guise of "stewardship" and delays protection of the Tongass National Forest until April 2004.
The Final EIS can still be improved between now and President Clinton's signing of the Record of Decision which will be at least 30 days from today. We are calling on the President to strengthen the Final EIS by restricting salvage logging to only that truly needed to restore forests or protect communities from uncharacteristically intense fires and providing immediate protection to the wild areas in the Tongass from all logging and roadbuilding.
Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
GLOBAL WARMING: U.S. Inaction Leads to Failure at Climate Change Talks
Instead of heading to The Hague Summit armed with emissions reductions, the U.S. position was brimming with loopholes and risky pollution-trading schemes that would have caused the Kyoto Protocol to lose any and all environmental integrity. The recent climate change negotiations broke down because the U.S. - the world's largest global warming polluter - failed to be a leader in reducing its global warming pollution. Instead of working with other nations to reduce the pollution that causes global warming, the United States continually pushed bogus "emissions trading" schemes which would substitute delay for action.
In a recent Washington Post article, Sierra Club Executive Director, Carl Pope said, "As the world's biggest global-warming polluter, we should be taking the lead in cutting our production of greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, America is shirking its responsibilities by promoting a risky system to trade pollution instead of reducing it. This leadership by inaction approach is indefensible." Full text of the article can be seen at: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52927-2000Nov22.html
The U.S. committed to reducing its global warming pollution and we must meet this obligation by cutting our domestic emissions, not with smoke and mirrors. The United States bears the greatest responsibility for solving the global warming problem because it is the world's top polluter.
Please: Write letters-to-the-editor bemoaning U.S. apathy towards reducing global warming pollution.
FEATURED TAKE ACTION ITEM
GLOBAL WARMING: U.S. INACTION LED TO FAILURE AT CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS
TAKE ACTION: Write letters-to-the-editor bemoaning U.S. apathy
towards reducing global warming pollution. Rather than requiring verifiable action, the loopholes pushed by the U.S. would have allowed unenforceable pollution trading deals. Instead of producing cleaner cars, these loopholes would have allowed polluters to plant forests of saplings abroad. Instead of cuts in power plant emissions, they would have allowed credit for past pollution reductions.
Instead of heading to The Hague Summit armed with emissions reductions, the U.S. position was brimming with loopholes and risky pollution trading schemes that would have caused the Kyoto Protocol to lose any and all environmental integrity. The recent climate change negotiations broke down because the U.S. - the world's largest global warming polluter - failed to be a leader in reducing it's global warming pollution. Instead of working with other nations to reduce the pollution that causes global warming, the United States continually pushed bogus "emissions trading" schemes which would substitute delay for action.
The trading loopholes in the Kyoto Protocol would have allowed the biggest polluters to do little to reduce global warming pollution. These loopholes ran the risk of undermining real progress: instead of picking low-hanging fruit, like promoting efficient cars and buildings, the U.S. promoted scavenging the rotten fruit on the ground.
In a recent Washington Post article, Sierra Club Executive Director, Carl Pope said, "As the world's biggest global-warming polluter, we should be taking the lead in cutting our production of greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, America is shirking its responsibilities by promoting a risky system to trade pollution instead of reducing it. This leadership by inaction approach is indefensible." Full text of the article can be seen at: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52927-2000Nov22.html The U.S. committed to reducing its global warming pollution and we must meet this obligation by cutting our domestic emissions, not with smoke and mirrors. The United States bears the greatest responsibility for solving the global warming problem because it is the world's top polluter.
Sanjay Ranchod, Chair of the Sierra Club's Global Warming Committee attended The Hague Summit and pointed to the Club's latest global warming map as evidence that, "the U.S. emits almost a quarter of global warming pollution despite having only four percent of the world's population. While other countries are not blameless, the U.S. deserves special recognition as the world's only superpower and biggest polluter."
ACTION ITEMS:
1. ACT NOW TO HELP SAVE WETLANDS FROM "YAZOO PUMPS"
2. COPY AND SIGN ONTO E-PETITION TO FLORIDA ELECTION DIRECTOR CLAY ROBERTS
1. ACT NOW TO HELP SAVE WETLANDS FROM "YAZOO PUMPS"
Comments Are Needed By December 8, 2000 Help is needed to stop an outrageous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' project. The Corps wants to spend $181 million of your tax dollars to drain and damage over 200,000 acres of wetlands in the Mississippi Delta. Draining wetlands to increase agriculture production will add even more pesticides to a region already suffering from toxic contamination due to the heaviest use of pesticides in any watershed in the nation.
Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt has called the Yazoo Pumps the "most cockamamie" project he has ever heard of. EPA and Fish and Wildlife have told the Corps that the project must not proceed. Tell the Corps that you are fed up with projects that destroy entire ecosystems while wasting huge sums of tax money. Why should the taxpayers spend $181 million for a project with maintenance costs of $14.9 million a year and maximum benefits of only $20 million per year?
Please take a few seconds to help on this important environmental justice issue. The web site listed below makes it easy to take action and contains a lot of important information about Corps of Engineers projects nationwide. But if you have time, original letters are even more valuable Click on this fun graphic to take action: https://www.freerangegraphics.com/clients/dumpthepumps/flash.html Or go directly to www.dumpthepumps.org and tell President Clinton, Vice President Gore and the Army Corps of Engineers to Dump the Pumps!
2. COPY AND SIGN ONTO E-PETITION TO FLORIDA ELECTION DIRECTOR CLAY ROBERTS
We have all heard about the ballot problems in Florida and especially in Palm Beach County. There's overwhelming evidence that over 20,000 Gore voters either accidentally voted for Buchanan or had their votes invalidated due to confusion over the ballot. A website run by Working Assets, WorkingForChange.com, has launched an e-petition calling on Florida Election Director Clay Roberts to hold a re-vote in Palm Beach County. The site is flooded and may not be accessible. Therefore we have copied the text of the petition below. PLEASE TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO COPY THAT MESSAGE YOURSELF AND SEND IT TO THE ADDRESSES BELOW. PLEASE ALSO FORWARD THIS MESSAGE WIDELY! BMilton@mail.dos.state.fl.us (address for general comments about Florida elections) votesys@mail.dos.state.fl.us (Florida voting systems information) webmaster@fec.gov (Federal Elections Commission) letters@nytimes.com (Letter to NY Times).
Here is the text of the message:
Dear Election Director Roberts: The integrity of the 2000 Presidential election now rests in your hands. Please use the full power of your office to call for a re-vote of the Presidential race in Palm Beach County. The next President's ability to govern will be greatly hindered if the election is decided by voting irregularities in Florida.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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