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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
December 20, 2000
In 1555, Nostradamus wrote: "Come the millennium, month 12, In the home of greatest power, The village idiot will come forth To be acclaimed the leader."
FEATURED ACTION ITEM
CALL OR EMAIL THE EPA AND VOICE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE HUDSON RIVER CLEANUP PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. CLOSE WETLANDS LOOPHOLE ALLOWING DEVELOPERS TO EXACERBATE SPRAWL
2. HUMAN RIGHTS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE HOLIDAY SEASON-- SEND LETTER OF
SUPPORT TO JAILED ENVIRONMENTALISTS RODOLFO MONTIEL AND TEODORO CABRERA
3. CONCORD RESIDENTS DEMAND CLEANER CARS
4. GLOBAL POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM CALLS ON THE NEXT PRESIDENT
TO RELEASE INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING FUNDS WITHOUT IMPOSING POLICY RESTRICTIONS
5. HUDSON RIVER CAMPAIGN: HUGE VICTORIES
6. HELP PROTECT THE ARCTIC REFUGE WITH ONE PHONE CALL
FEATURED ACTION ITEM: CALL OR EMAIL THE EPA AND VOICE YOUR SUPPORT FOR
THE HUDSON RIVER CLEANUP PLAN
For more than thirty years, the General Electric Company (GE) has released more than one million pounds of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River. Consequently, two hundred miles of the Hudson River is now listed as a Federal toxic waste (Superfund) site. PCBs remain in the sediment of the Hudson River -- polluting the water, harming the fish, wildlife and the residents of the Hudson River Valley.
On December 6, 2000, the US EPA issued a press release announcing a plan to clean up the Hudson River. In its plan, EPA plans to hold GE accountable for its pollution by making GE pay to clean up the river.
From December 12, 2000 to February 16, 2001, EPA is taking public comment on its plan and the EPA NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU. The number to call the EPA to submit you comments is 212-637-5000 and the email is Rychlenski.Ann@epamail.epa.gov
PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL THE EPA TO VOICE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE HUDSON RIVER CLEANUP PLAN. Here are some talking points and comments to include in your email or phone call:
- Thank you for your proposed Hudson River cleanup plan, we appreciate your work on this project.
- The plan is a good start, but may need to go further in removing toxic
PCBs from the Hudson.
- PCBs must be removed from the Hudson because of the serious health risks they pose on humans and wildlife.
- Please continue to hold GE accountable for the cleanup of this toxic waste site. GE dumped the PCBs in the Hudson, GE is responsible for the cleanup.
- Please do not bow to the pressure from GE's massive anti-cleanup campaign.
- We need a clean Hudson River now, for our families and our future.
For more information, please contact the Sierra Club at 518-587-9166, or email: ne-ny.field@sierraclub.org. Or visit www.epa.gov/hudson or www.hudsonwatch.net.
1. CLOSE WETLANDS LOOPHOLE ALLOWING DEVELOPERS TO EXACERBATE SPRAWL
Over the last several months the public has spoken and it's clear -- almost 10,000 people, many of them Sierra Club activists, have urged the federal government to close the "Tulloch" rule loophole. Since the loophole opened in 1998 the EPA estimates developers and mining interests have drained and destroyed more than 20,000 acres of wetlands and channelized more than 150 miles of streams all with out any environmental review. Today, please write or call President Clinton and ask him to give final approval to the new rule which closes the loophole. We don't want our wetlands to wait for the good graces of the next President.
For detailed information on this loophole, a sample message and a customizable email visit https://www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/tulloch/action.asp.
2. HUMAN RIGHTS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE HOLIDAY SEASON-- SEND LETTER OF SUPPORT TO JAILED ENVIRONMENTALISTS RODOLFO MONTIEL AND TEODORO CABRERA
Last October, an appeals judge in Mexico's Guerrero state upheld the conviction of jailed Mexican environmental activists Rodolfo Montiel Flores and Teodoro Cabrera Garcia on trumped up charges of drug and weapon possession. Today, the men sit in jail waiting for the moment when they can return to their families and to protecting the forests. With the holiday season upon us, we would like to show our solidarity with both Rodolfo and Teodoro since neither will be able to spend the holidays with their loved ones. Your words of support can bring them a renewal of hope.
Please share messages of solidarity and hope by sending a note to them in jail.
Please keep the following tips in mind when developing your personalized messages:
-- Send simple messages of goodwill, such as "We are thinking of you."
Don't discuss politics or the accusations directed against the prisoners.
-- Mark your envelope "Airmail." International airmail postage is currently 60 cents for each half-ounce of weight.
-- Address separate cards to Rodolfo Montiel Flores and Teodoro Cabrera Garcia at the following address:
Mr. Rodolfo Montiel Flores
Mr. Teodoro Cabrera Garcia Centro de Re-adaptacion Social de Iguala Carretera de Iguala - Tuxpan, Iguala, CP 40101 Guerrero MEXICO
Thank you for all of your interest and dedication to this case. Sending a card can mean a great deal during this potentially difficult time of year.
Please send questions or comments to Sam Parry at sam.parry@sierraclub.org.
For more information, please visit www.sierraclub.org/human-rights.
3. CONCORD RESIDENTS DEMAND CLEANER CARS
Concord, NH-Friday December 15, 2000
The first ever Clean Car Day of Concord, NH was held in front of the New Hampshire Sierra Club office last Friday. The City Mayor, local businesses and Sierra Club activists came together to talk about climate change and the many different ways we can act against its progress, including driving cars that go further on a gallon of gas.
The hybrid Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius combine electric and gas powered motors to reduce global warming pollution and achieve greater gas mileage. Over 50 people came to see the hybrid cars, were provided by both a local dealership and Sierra Club members, and learn about climate change. At the event, the Concord City Mayor, Bill Veroneau, vowed to explore ways to apply this technology to the local transportation networks and municipal fleets. Volunteer Charlotte Locke pointed out the future departure from the New Hampshire traditional way of life as a result of climate change and the urgency needed to stop this progress. "Clean Car Day highlights the Sierra Club's continuing campaign to fight global warming in New Hampshire. Global warming is causing the weather to be more unpredictable and severe, and storms like the ice storm of 1998 to be more common. Driving cleaner cars, is a way to help reduce that threat," said Catherine Corkery, Sierra Club Global Warming Organizer for New Hampshire and Maine. "Burning coal, gasoline and oil for energy accelerates global warming. The biggest single step we can take to curb global warming is to make cars that go further on a gallon of gas."
If you are interested in Clean Car Day and would like more information about this event or scheduled events in the future, please contact either Kate Simmons, kate.simmons@sierraclub.org or Catherine Corkery, Catherine.corkery@sierraclub.org.
4. GLOBAL POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM CALLS ON THE NEXT PRESIDENT TO RELEASE INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING FUNDS WITHOUT IMPOSING POLICY RESTRICTIONS
On November 6th, President Clinton signed the FY 2001 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which includes international family planning funding, into law. This year, the Sierra Club along with its numerous coalition partners worked to increase the funding levels and remove the restrictive "Global Gag Rule" from the legislation. Funding levels have increased from $372 million in FY 2000 to $425 million. The Global Gag Rule disqualifies overseas family planning organizations from receiving U.S. funds if they, with their own money, lobby to change abortion laws or provide abortion services in their own countries even if it is allowed by law.
A high risk remains. Congress agreed that no funds would be distributed until February 15, 2001. Therefore, the new president could impose the Global Gag Rule by executive order, a move made by both Ronald Reagan and George Bush, onto all of the funds.
TAKE ACTION: When our new president is announced, let him know that family planning saves lives. It saves the lives of women, children and protects the earth. The future of our planet depends on the decisions we make today. International family planning funding should be released without restrictive policies, as Congress decided.
For further information, contact: Laurie Mignone at laurie.mignone@sierraclub.org.
5. HUDSON RIVER CAMPAIGN - HUGE VICTORIES!
For more than thirty years, the General Electric Company (GE) released more than one million pounds of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River from its plants in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward. The Sierra Club has been organizing to make GE clean up it's mess.
After announcing their cleanup proposal for the Hudson River, the EPA held two public meetings, one in Saratoga Springs (on December 12th) and one in Poughkeepsie (on December 13th). The Sierra Club was out in force, demanding a clean Hudson, holding GE accountable and singing songs (to the tune of jingle bells).
As printed in the NY Times...
"Jingle Bells/ Hudson smells/ GE's gotta pay- We all need/ A clean Hudson/ So use your voice today, HEY! Jingle Bells/ Hudson smells/ We've had enough delay- For our kids/ and their grandkids/ GE must clean today!
Fishing in the Hudson/ Is bad for our health GE must clean it up/ With their enormous wealth. It's been 20 years/ Of denial and delay No more ads, we've had enough/ So clean it up today, HEY!"
What GE says about the Sierra Club's organizing efforts: "Environmental groups do a good job of turning people out for events like this..." (printed in upstate NY paper, Daily Gazette)
What coalition groups said about the Sierra Club: "When I walked into the hearing and saw all those people [over 1,000], I thought, 'Thank God for the Sierra Club.'"
What GE's VP of Environmental Programs, Steve Ramsey, said at the Poughkeepsie Public hearing when Sierra Club and other enviros slammed GE for their misleading ad campaign and demanded that they cleanup the Hudson: (Of those who spoke, 65 pro-cleanup, 3 against) "WOW." (As shown on local ABC affiliate, live at 11)
Good job to Chris Ballantyne, Baret Pinyoun and all of those folks organizing out of Sierra Club's North East Office who have kept up the pressure on EPA and GE to clean up the Hudson River.
For more information on the campaign, please contact the Sierra Club at 518-587-9166, or email: ne-ny.field@sierraclub.org. Or visit www.epa.gov/hudson or www.hudsonwatch.net
6. HELP PROTECT THE ARCTIC REFUGE WITH ONE PHONE CALL
The Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the biological heart of the last unspoiled Arctic ecosystem in North America. Polar bears den on these coastal lands while 130,000 Porcupine River caribou travel hundreds of miles each year to the coastal plain, where they deliver their young. Grizzly bears, musk oxen, wolves, golden eagles and tundra swans all call this unique place home for at least part of the year.
Until January 20, 2001 President Bill Clinton has the executive right to provide National Monument status to the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We need your help to urge the President to take this historic action.
On January 3, 2001, the Arctic Monument Nationwide Call-In Day, thousands of supporters will be calling the White House to voice their support for the Arctic Wildlife National Monument. Use our TOLL FREE number, 1-888-750-4897, to make your voice heard! Simply let the White House operator know that you want President Clinton to protect the Arctic Refuge as a national monument. Ask your friends and colleagues to make the call as well, and help us ring in a Happy New Year for the Arctic Refuge.
You can still send the President an electronic Christmas card urging an Arctic National Monument. Go to https://www.sierraclub.org/takeaction/wildlands/index3.asp
We have a President. We have a President who can't bring himself to describe himself as an environmentalist. One who has publicly declared that he doesn't believe you can legislate, or litigate, clean air or clean water. One who wouldn't even be President if every county in Florida had purchased equally good, or crappy, voting machines.
But we have a President.
President Andrew Jackson once infamously commented of the US Supreme Court, "Mr. Justice Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it." No Justice of the US Supreme Court was even willing to attach his, or her, name to the per curiam decision which ensured that the media, not the State of Florida, will be the final arbiter of which candidate actually got more votes in that state. But this decision, unlike the earlier one, will be implemented, and we will have a President.
The Sierra Club is an environmental organization. That is our mission. But our means is, and always has been, democracy. We take it seriously. When our computer programs mess up, and sometimes they do, we send out duplicate ballots to voters who have missed; we change voting deadlines; we strive, to the limits of our capacity, to see that every voter can vote, and that every vote cast is counted.
Surely the United States can take democracy at least as seriously as the Sierra Club. We must resolve that never again will a voter arrive at a polling place, and find such long lines that the polling place closes while they are standing -- as happened in St. Louis and scores of other places this year. (Even my neighborhood Safeway does better.) Never again should a voter arrive and find that their name has been stricken from the voting rolls, in error, because an election official hired a private company to compile a racially biassed list of inelegible voters which was, the company freely admitted, "only approximate." Never again should a voter have to confront a voting machine so old, so poorly maintained, and so poorly designed, that it misses up to 5% of the votes cast. (The US Bureau of Standards recommended 12 years ago that these machines should be banned.)
Every vote counts -- every vote counted. Is that really so hard for us? When we allow special interests to spend $3 billion to influence how Americans vote, surely we can afford the investments to count those votes.
We have a President. He has promised that he will serve as a healer, that he will reach out across partisan lines. No issue will test that promise as cleanly and clearly as the environment. Americans overwhelmingly voted for candidates who stood up for the environment. In the Presidential race every state where the environmental contrast between Bush and Gore was placed visibly before the voters by the Sierra Club went for Gore.
As President, George Bush will determine what's in the air Americans breathe. They want the soot, the smog, the mercury, the diesel particulates out. He will determine what's in the water our children drink. We want the arsenic, the hog manure, the crytospiridium, the PCB's out. President Bush will decide whether we save or squander, the last 5% of our wild forests. Americans can afford as a nation to save that 5%. They are are determined as a people to preserve them for our grandchildren.
These will be the tests that George W. Bush faces.
And he will be graded honestly, I know, because you, the leaders of the Sierra Club, will be there watching. You will ensure that every act of courage, every omission from cowardice, every visionary look to the future and every sidewise glance at a campaign donor, are weighed, and measured, and laid out before the American people for judgment.
I am proud to work with you. I am proud of everything you have done this year. I know that I will be still prouder in four years. I celebrate today the leadership we are ready as an organization to exercise on behalf of the future. I celebrate the decision which you, our leaders, are committed to provide for our country and the world.
It will not be easy, or fun. But we will be there, and we will count.
TAKE ACTION: PROTECT THE EVERGLADES FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MAJOR
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
After the former Homestead Air Reserve Base closed down in the early 1990s, the Air Force initiated plans to transfer the base to Dade County for development into an international hub airport to rival Miami International Airport. This airport would have devastating consequences for adjacent Everglades and Biscayne National Parks.
The time has come for President Clinton to decide if the plan to develop Homestead Air Reserve Base into a major international airport will go forward.
Please email or write President Clinton and urge him to oppose this development because of:
1 - Jet Noise: The Air Force and FAA estimate there will be 105 flights per day at altitudes of only 2000 to 4000 feet over Biscayne National Park Visitors Center.
2 - Air Pollution: The airport and surrounding development would emit seven tons of toxic pollutants into the air every day, an air pollution source equivalent to a large power plant. Nitrogen oxide levels will increase an estimated 48-fold in Biscayne National Park and 45-fold in Everglades National Park.
3 - Water Pollution: Harmful runoff would wash into local waterways including the tropical waters of Biscayne Bay. The Air Force estimates that the airport will deposit 44 times more air-borne nitrates near shore than occurs now.
Clinton's email: president@whitehouse.gov White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500 White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
For more information, please visit https://www.sierraclub.org/wilderness/everglades/homestead/index.html
"A man who will not labor to gain his rights, is a man who would not, if he had them, prize and defend them." -- Frederick Douglass
ACTION ITEMS:
1. TELL YOUR SENATORS TO OPPOSE ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL RIDERS
2. GLOBAL POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM CALLS ON THE NEXT PRESIDENT TO RELEASE INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING FUNDS WITHOUT IMPOSING POLICY RESTRICTIONS
3. GLOBAL WARMING: TELL THE NEW SENATE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT RAISING FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS
4. HUMAN RIGHTS DAY DECEMBER 10 -- SEND LETTER OF SUPPORT TO JAILED ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS RODOLFO MONTIEL AND TEODORO CABRERA
5. FACTORY FARMS: SAFEGUARD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIBIOTICS
1. TELL YOUR SENATORS TO OPPOSE ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL RIDERS
As Congress reconvenes to wrap up the last few appropriations bills, our environment is still threatened by damaging anti-environmental riders. The president's wild forest protection plan that we have all worked so hard on over the last year is almost complete. The plan would protect 60 million acres of the last unspoiled areas in our National Forests from commercial logging and roadbuilding. But the timber industry is making a last minute effort to have congress weaken this historic plan and delay any plans to protect the Tongass, America's last great rainforest. If they succeed, our last wild forests will be left open to logging and other harmful development.
Other riders would undermine efforts to protect the endangered Steller sea lion, and block new restrictions on snowmobile use in our National Parks. Senator Stevens' has proposed a rider that would block new regulations on large-scale fishing operations in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska that are jeopardizing the survival of the Steller sea lion. In 1960, western Alaska was home to more than 175,000 adult Steller sea lions. Since then, the population of Steller sea lions in the North Pacific has drastically declined by more than 80 percent.
Please call your Senators and urge them to support full protection of all of America's last wild forests, including Alaska's Tongass and urge them to **OPPOSE** all anti-environmental riders. Thank You.
2. GLOBAL POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM CALLS ON THE NEXT PRESIDENT TO RELEASE INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING FUNDS WITHOUT IMPOSING POLICY RESTRICTIONS
On November 6th, President Clinton signed the FY 2001 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which includes international family planning funding, into law. This year, the Sierra Club along with its numerous coalition partners worked to increase the funding levels and remove the restrictive "Global Gag Rule" from the legislation. Funding levels have increased from $372 million in FY 2000 to $425 million. The Global Gag Rule disqualifies overseas family planning organizations from receiving U.S. funds if they, with their own money, lobby to change abortion laws or provide abortion services in their own countries even if it is allowed by law.
A high risk remains. Congress agreed that no funds would be distributed until February 15, 2001. Therefore, the new president could impose the Global Gag Rule by executive order, a move made by both Ronald Reagan and George Bush, onto all of the funds.
TAKE ACTION: When our new president is announced, let him know that family planning saves lives. It saves the lives of women, children and protects the earth. The future of our planet depends on the decisions we make today. International family planning funding should be released without restrictive policies, as Congress decided.
For further information, contact: Laurie Mignone at laurie.mignone@sierraclub.org.
3. GLOBAL WARMING: TELL THE NEW SENATE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT RAISING FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS
With a new Congress about to be sworn in, it is vital to inform new Senators, and remind old Senators, about the need to raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Raising CAFE standards to 45 miles per gallon (mpg) for cars and 35 mpg for SUVs and light trucks is the biggest single step we can take to curb global warming.
Each gallon of gas burned pumps 28 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, and America's cars, SUVs and light trucks produce more global warming pollution than all but four countries. Raising CAFE standards can also reduce urban smog, aiding cities and communities in complying with the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. It can be done by strengthening an existing successful law without creating a new bureaucracy, and enjoys the bipartisan support of policy makers in Congress. It also saves consumers money at the gas pump.
The Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Program can provide you with postcards to send in to your Senators: contact Alex Veitch at 202 547-1141 or email alex.veitch@sierraclub.org.
Find out more about steps you can take to help curb global warming at our website: sierraclub.org/globalwarming.
4. HUMAN RIGHTS DAY DECEMBER 10 -- SEND LETTER OF SUPPORT TO JAILED ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS RODOLFO MONTIEL AND TEODORO CABRERA
It has been more than a month since the appeals judge upheld the conviction of jailed Mexican environmental activists Rodolfo Montiel Flores and Teodoro Cabrera Garcia on trumped up charges of drug and weapon possession. The men are still in jail and, with the coming of Human Rights Day and the holiday season, we would like to show our solidarity with them. Since Montiel and Cabrera will most likely be unable to spend the holiday season with their families, your words of support can bring them a renewal of hope. Please share messages of hope by sending a note to them in jail.
Please keep the following tips in mind when developing your personalized messages:
-- Please send simple messages of goodwill, such as "We are thinking of you." Don't discuss politics or the accusations directed against the prisoners.
-- Mark your envelope "Airmail." International airmail postage is currently 60 cents for each half-ounce of weight.
-- Address separate cards to Rodolfo Montiel Flores and Teodoro Cabrera Garcia at the following address:
Mr. Rodolfo Montiel Flores Mr. Teodoro Cabrera Garcia Centro de Re-adaptacion Social de Iguala Carretera de Iguala - Tuxpan, Iguala, CP 40101 Guerrero MEXICO
Thank you for all of your interest and dedication to this case. Sending a card can mean a great deal during this potentially difficult time of year.
Please send questions or comments to Sam Parry at sam.parry@sierraclub.org. For more information, please visit www.sierraclub.org/human-rights.
5. FACTORY FARMS: SAFEGUARD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIBIOTICS
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
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