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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
March 14
"One by one, letter-to-the-editor by letter-to-the-editor, and finally, vote by vote, we can shape an energy future that will make our grandchildren proud -- not ashamed."
Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
(1) DEMOCRACY: Auto Industry's Lobbying Makes Campaign Finance Reform More Urgent than Ever
(2) CLEAN WATER:"Fowl" Water Brings Action
(3) ENDANGERED SPECIES: Bush Administration Raises White Flag on Salmon
1. Auto Industry's Lobbying Makes Campaign Finance Reform More Urgent than Ever
Advocates of getting big money out of politics were given yet more ammunition this week, when the Senate, under heavy pressure from the automobile industry, voted to do virtually nothing to raise fuel economy standards. Fortunately, campaign finance legislation comes to a vote next week, giving Senators a chance to ensure that Congress acts on behalf of the people, not private corporations.
Campaign finance legislation has passed both Houses of Congress, and supporters appear to have the votes to fight off a Republican-led filibuster attempt. If Senate reformers hold together, the auto lobby may have less influence the next time fuel economy standards are debated. And that's good news for the environment!
Click here to send an email directly to your Senators. There's a draft provided! https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=79&rf=-79999
For more information on the drive to get big money out of politics, contact Deanna White at deanna.white@sierraclub.org
For more information on the Senate's failure to act on fuel economy, go to https://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uscafe142624335mar14.story
2. "Fowl" Water Brings Action
Oklahoma wants to say "bye-bye birdie" and hello to clean water. The State is fed up with chicken factories that allow animal waste to pollute Oklahoma's reservoirs, and may soon take legal action against poultry giants Tyson Foods and others.
Proceeds from the lawsuit would be used to help clean Oklahoma reservoirs that have been damaged by chicken waste. "Its high time that the big poultry corporations pay their own bill for disposing of the waste from their chickens, just like other industries have to pay the expense of proper waste disposal," says Jeannine Hale of the Sierra Club. They may soon have to.
For more information on this story, go to https://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=834053&pic=none&TP=getarticle
3. Bush Administration Raises White Flag on Salmon
Bad news for wild salmon: surrendering with remarkable speed, the Bush administration this week caved to another campaign contributor, offering to remove critical protections for salmon habitat after being sued by the construction industry. The settlement would jeopardize habitats for nineteen salmon and steelhead populations in the Northwest.
This was not the first time the administration has declined to mount an aggressive court defense of environmental laws. Last spring it failed to support the plan to protect the last unspoiled areas of our National Forests, after the timber industry filed suit. Indeed, EPA administrator Christie Whitman virtually threw in the towel on environmental enforcement when she all but invited private industry to challenge inconvenient environmental laws, as a way to weaken safeguards with less political fall-out. With friends like these...
For more information on the threat to endangered salmon, go to https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0203&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=1083
If this link does not work for you, click on the link for Salmon Decision Latest Attempt by Bush Administration to Undermine Environmental Laws at: https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A1=ind0203&L=ce-scnews-releases
"How long will it take for people to get angry enough to take action? How many children must die?" - Molly Ivins, on America's environment
(1) ENERGY: BP Chief is Greener than the Bush Administration
(2) PUBLIC LANDS: California Wilderness Area is Oil and Gas Industry's Latest Target
(3) CLEAN WATER: Container Port Plan Meets Opposition Yet Again
(4) TAKE ACTION: Urgent - Don't Let the Senate Pass the Buck on Fuel Economy!
1. BP Chief is Greener than the Bush Administration
Looks like even the oil industry is having second thoughts about drilling the Arctic and polluting our air. Responding to a question from a Sierra Clubber during a speech, British Petroleum chief Lord John Browne declined to throw his support behind efforts to exploit the National Wildlife Refuge. Later, he voiced support for requiring industry to emit less global warming pollution, stating that "it's necessary to have mandatory standards" on carbon dioxide emissions.
The Bush administration supports drilling the Arctic. And its global warming plan, released last month, cited economic concerns to justify rejecting fixed standards in favor of an incentive-based scheme which has not proved successful in the past. But BP has dramatically reduced the amount of global warming pollution it emits, without hurting its bottom line. Maybe Lord John could teach the Bush administration a thing or two!
For more information on this story, go to https://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/2843209.htm
2. California Wilderness Area is Oil and Gas Industry's Latest Target
Thought the Arctic Refuge was the only area of pristine wilderness threatened by the Bush-Cheney energy plan? Think again. In the name of "energy independence", the U.S. Forest Service has proposed opening up 140,000 roadless acres of California's Los Padres National Forest to oil and gas leasing.
Just like in Alaska, an area of rare ecological value could be sacrificed for a minuscule amount of oil. The land in jeopardy is home to over 20 endangered or threatened plants and animals, including the majestic California condor. And the oil available amounts to less than one percent of the total to be found on federal lands. A public comment period begins in April, and a decision is expected this summer. Stay tuned.
For more information on the threat to the Los Padres National Forest, go to https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/03/11/MN59606.DTL
3. Container Port Plan Meets Opposition Yet Again
Join the club. Another Rhode Island town has added its name to the growing list of communities who are saying "No" to the Governor's plan to build a massive container port at Quonset Point. Warwick last night became the 13th town in the Ocean State to give a formal thumbs-down to the idea. In fact, so many concerned citizens showed up to a town council meeting to voice their opposition that the thirty minutes set aside for public comments quickly turned into ninety!
The Sierra Club has led the fight to "keep our bay blue". A container port would undercut the cleanup of the bay, cost taxpayers millions, cause massive congestion on Rhode Island's highways, and gravely threaten air quality. Seems like a lose-lose scenario to us!
For more information on the battle to "keep our bay blue", go to https://www.projo.com/report/stories/07208311.htm
4. Urgent - Don't Let the Senate Pass the Buck on Fuel Economy!
Quick, America needs your help! Contact your Senator immediately and urge them to oppose the do-nothing Levin-Bond amendment. This measure, to be voted on any minute, would allow Congress to take a pass on fuel economy standards, shunting the issue off to a federal agency which has failed to take action for 21 years. Making cars and SUVs go further on a gallon of gas is the biggest single step we can take to save oil and curb global warming, and it's the Senate's job to lead the way.
In addition, urge them to oppose drilling the Arctic for six months worth of oil, and to support a provision that requires that 20% of our electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Click below to send an email directly to your Senator. There's a draft provided. https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=78&rf=-78999
"Shell is here on trial. The company has, indeed, ducked this particular trial, but its day will surely come." -- Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian environmental activist, at his 1995 trial
(1) THE COURTS: A Step Toward Justice for Ken Saro-Wiwa
(2) CLEAN WATER: Big Apple Activists Send a Clear Message: No Filtration
(3) HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Persecuted Mexican Environmentalist Rodolfo Montiel Flores to Visit U.S. March 9-19
(4) TAKE ACTION: Act Now for a Cleaner, Cheaper, Safer Energy Future
1. A Step Toward Justice for Ken Saro-Wiwa
In 1995, environmental hero Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his fellow activists were executed by the Nigerian government for protesting pollution and oil drilling by multinational giant Shell. Now, their families may finally get a measure of justice: a U.S. court ruled that a lawsuit charging Shell with complicity in human rights violations will be allowed to go forward.
As Sierra Club and Amnesty International USA work together to combat repression and persecution of environmental defenders around the world, this ruling may well discourage other multinational corporations from looking the other way when those who speak up for the earth are denied basic human rights.
For more information on the court ruling, go to https://portland.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=8010&group=webcast
For more information on Sierra Club's and Amnesty International USA's Defend the Defenders Campaign, go to https://www.defendtheearth.org
2. Big Apple Activists Send a Clear Message: No Filtration
The struggle for clean, safe, and affordable drinking water continues in New York City and its environs. Activists from Sierra Club and other groups turned out in force Tuesday for a public hearing on whether a costly chemical filtration plant is needed for the city's drinking water. And they conveyed an almost unanimous message: it's not!
A filtration plant would cost tax-payers billions, and wouldn't guarantee clean water. But developers are pushing for it, knowing that filtration would give them free rein to build yet more suburban sprawl in upstate watershed areas. Two sites in the Bronx have been suggested for the plant, both situated near low-income, minority communities. Only by protecting the land that supplies New York's drinking water, can the city ensure a permanent supply of clean, affordable water. Decision-makers heard that message loud and clear Tuesday night!
For more information on the campaign to keep New York City's water clean, safe, and affordable, go to https://newyork.sierraclub.org/conservation/watershed/index.html
3. Persecuted Mexican Environmentalist Rodolfo Montiel Flores to Visit U.S. March 9-19
Rodolfo Montiel just doesn't give up! After being beaten, tortured, and imprisoned for peacefully protesting illegal logging in Mexico, the indefatigable farmer and activist will come to the U.S. next week on a four-city tour to meet with supporters, lawmakers, and reporters. His visit will focus attention on the violence and intimidation that environmental defenders in Mexico, and around the world, continue to suffer.
Though Montiel was freed last year, he was never declared innocent, and he remains unsure about the safety of continuing his work. He and other environmentalists still receive death threats. Rodolfo Montiel's courageous work, and his determination to come to the U.S. and keep fighting the good fight are crucial steps in exposing the ongoing repression of those who give the earth a voice.
For more information on Montiel's trip to the U.S., go to https://www.sierraclub.org/human-rights/
4. Keep the Pressure on for a Cleaner, Cheaper, Safer Energy Future
The momentum is building. Senators from both sides of the aisle, led by John Kerry (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) have agreed on a plan that would take the biggest single step to saving oil and curbing global warming, by making our cars and light trucks go farther on a gallon of gasoline. And you can help make sure it goes into effect.
Contact your Senators immediately and urge them to support the Kerry-McCain amendment, to the Daschle energy bill. In addition, ask them to support protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and a provision that requires that 20% of our electricity is provided by clean, renewable energy like wind and solar by 2020.
Click below to send an email directly to your Senator https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=70&rf=-70999
"No matter how you slice it and dice it, the people of this country favor raising fuel economy standards" ---- Mark Mellman, Democratic pollster
(1) SPRAWL: Utah Activists not Intimidated by Pressure Tactics
(2) LANDS: Students Take Environmental Message to Nation's Capital
(3) PROFILE: Second Sierra Clubber Stars on Survivor
(4) TAKE ACTION: Act Now for a Cleaner, Cheaper, Safer Energy Future
1. Utah Activists not Intimidated by Pressure Tactics
It looks like supporters of Utah's destructive Legacy Highway project are getting desperate! More and more people are realizing that this ill-advised scheme would destroy a ribbon of wetlands around the Great Salt Lake, while doing little to ease congestion. So now highway proponents have introduced a bill that would force the Sierra Club and its allies - who have used the courts to oppose the highway project - to pay for financial losses resulting from the court-ordered halt to construction.
In other words, activists could be financially liable for their participation in public affairs! Even some highway supporters are shocked. "(This legislation) focuses in on taking people's rights," said Ed Mayne, a Senate Democrat. But environmentalists aren't running scared. "Something this blatantly unconstitutional is not going to intimidate us," said Marc Heileson of the Sierra Club. Right on!
For more information on the battle to stop the Legacy Highway, go to https://www.stoplegacyhighway.org/
2. Students Take Environmental Message to Nation's Capital
Youth was served on Capitol Hill yesterday, as over 150 students from around the country called on Congress to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They gathered at the House Triangle for a rally, where they heard Sierra Club President Jennifer Ferenstein speak on energy issues. Then they spoke to the throng of reporters, and split up to lobby their home-town senators and representatives.
The young activists are here for the Sierra Student Coalition's fourth annual Public Lands Summit. They spent the weekend learning about local and national public lands issues, before making use of what they'd learnt by bringing their message directly to lawmakers and the media Monday and Tuesday. Looks like the next generation of environmental activists is ahead of the game!
For more information on the students' rally, go to: https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0203&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=237
If this link does not work for you, click on the link for Students on Capitol Hill for Public Lands Protection at: https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A1=ind0203&L=ce-scnews-releases
For more information on the Sierra Student Coalition, go to https://www.ssc.org/
3. Second Sierra Clubber Stars on Survivor
What is it about the Sierra Club and reality T.V.? For the second time, a Club member is a contestant on Survivor, the popular T.V. show that kicked off the reality-based T.V. craze! Gina Crews has made it through the first round, and is among the most popular of the Survivors with viewers across the country.
Gina was recently employed as a guide at a nature center. She attended the University of Florida, where she majored in zoology, and remains an avid Florida Gators football fan. Gina also loves traveling, back-packing, cooking, rock-climbing, and playing her guitar. As if this isn't enough, in 1997 Gina was crowned the National Watermelon Queen, and in 1998 won the annual seed-spitting contest, with a distance of 37 feet 11 inches. We always knew Sierra Clubbers were multi-talented!
To check out Gina's Survivor profile, and vote for her as your favorite Survivor, go to https://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor4/survivors/bios/gina.shtml
4. Act Now for a Cleaner, Cheaper, Safer Energy Future
It's now or ever! The Senate has begun debating the Daschle energy bill, so take action now to protect America's last great wilderness and put us on the path to a cleaner cheaper, and safer energy future.
Contact your Senators immediately and urge them to vote for three critical items in the Daschle energy bill: 1. Protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 2. A significant raise in fuel economy standards, so that cars and SUVs go further on a gallon of gas. 3. Funding for renewable energy sources.
Click below to send an email directly to your Senator. There's even a draft provided! https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=70&rf=-70999
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